Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant could be making their way to Xbox One

Enjoy using virtual assistants while gaming? You could soon be utilizing Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant in tandem with your Xbox One, if a new report from Windows Central is to be believed. While functionality for Alexa for Microsoft’s console has been rumored over the last few months, we haven’t actually heard anything concrete until now. 

Enjoy using virtual assistants while gaming? You could soon be utilizing Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant in tandem with your Xbox One, if a new report from Windows Central is to be believed. While functionality for Alexa for Microsoft’s console has been rumored over the last few months, we haven’t actually heard anything concrete until now. 

Windows Central has received a screenshot of the potential upcoming functionality from a “reliable source,” where you can see in upcoming Xbox One builds that a Kinect & Devices menu will now feature a “Digital Assistants” section. From there, you can enable Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana to be used on your Xbox One. There’s also a link to installation for the Xbox skills app for each platform to get everything up and running. 

As far as what Alexa and Google Assistant will actually be able to do for you on Xbox One, we’re not quite sure just yet. But with the dearth of voice features that went away after Kinect was eventually phased out, users who appreciated that kind of functionality may have plenty to look forward to. Unfortunately, Cortana hasn’t acted as any kind of real substitute for the features left wanting by Kinect’s departure, but hopefully with Alexa and Google Assistant on board, that will change. 

With E3 2018 around the corner, we’ll likely be hearing more about this from Microsoft, potentially during its keynote. Integrating one or both assistants is certainly a smart idea, so we’ll see if they end up actually being implemented. We’re about due for a robot house party in your console, after all.