One of the coolest features of the Xbox One / Kinect system is the voice commands. There are plenty of gamers with Xbox Ones—IGN estimates the total number of Xbox One sales at 5 million units—and yet many are unfamiliar with the use of the voice commands. Here are five of the more useful voice commands and how to use them to enhance your gaming and media experiences. Just remember: all voice commands require you to say “Xbox” and then pause a moment, so the system recognizes you are talking to it and not just about it.
‘Record That’
There’s nothing like being able to watch a five-person kill streak back again, but how often are you recording everything you do while playing Xbox? Not to worry—it is easy to capture a moment that has just passed on your Xbox. With the “record that” command, you can capture the last 30 seconds of gameplay to watch back at a later time, enabling you to capture those spontaneous moments of epic success forever. Simply say “Xbox record that” and your Xbox will do the rest.
‘Face ID’
You can teach your Kinect to recognize your face and automatically sign you into your Xbox profile with just a voice command. Of course, you will need a Kinect, but most new Xbox systems come standard with a Kinect. To set up your Kinect ID, first log into the Kinect ID Setup screen in your Dashboard settings, where you will be instructed to strike a few poses while the system learns to recognize your face. Once you have set your Kinect ID up, you can log into your profile by simply saying “Xbox face ID.” At that point, the sensor in the Kinect will check your facial map against your Kinect ID to log you into your account.
‘Select’
The “select” voice command enables you to view a menu of available voice commands for anything you are currently viewing on your Xbox. When you use the “Xbox select” voice command, voice features will appear onscreen in green text. For example, if you are on the Movies page of your Xbox, you will see commands enabling you to search, browse or begin playing your media. “Select” allows you to operate many of the basic features of any page in your Xbox with just your voice. It is also a great way to learn specific commands unique to certain Xbox features.
‘Use a Code’
One of the more interesting features of the Kinect is its ability to recognize QR codes. By simply saying “Xbox use a code,” the Kinect will attempt to recognize a QR code held up in its line of sight. This voice shortcut lets you scan QR codes to access content, websites, music and more with just a short phrase.
‘On’
It may seem simple, but the “on” command will wake your Xbox from sleep mode and even turn on your TV and set-top cable box (if they are properly set up). If you are still manually turning these things on, being able to simply speak to get everything powered up is a pretty edifying feeling. Simply say “Xbox on,” and everything you need to start gaming or enjoying your favorite media will power on automatically.
