Fonix Fills Stockings with Speech-enabled Fun for Everyone

With Christmas just around the corner, Fonix is stacking up the gift-givers' lists with lots of speech-enabled games and gadgets for the whole family. The latest addition to its roster is Tom Clancy Rainbow Six 3, the third installment in the Rainbow Six series and the first Xbox 360 video game to feature speech recognition.

"For those people in the technology field, this is an advancement; and for those newest generation of users, this is something that isn't revolutionary -- it just makes sense and should be a part of the game. There seems to be a gulf between those who have been working on it for a long time and those who expect it to be there," explains Nancy Jamison, principal analyst, Jamison Consulting.

"This release is significant because it is the first Xbox 360 game," adds Tim Hong, vice president of Fonix Games. "This is the first to come out on the newest generation of consoles."

To use speech recognition for gaming, the player speaks commands into his headset instructing his team members on where to go and what to do during the game. "Voice recognition works best when it does something that you would naturally do. You use your headset to direct team members just as a commander would do in real combat," Hong says.

"We aren't catching up by introducing something that was necessary; as all gaming attributes are evolving at the same time. The games are more real and engaging; and speech is just an obvious interface to this. The younger generation of users doesn't think about the technology behind the user interface, they think of it as part of the user experience," Jamison concludes.

If you still have some last minute shopping to do before the holidays, here are some toys using Sensory speech technologies to consider:

• Lucky the Incredible Wonder Pup (Zizzle)
• Jibbi TV (Radica)
• SurfBoard Voice Activated Remote Control (Innotech Systems)
• BRATZ Talking Alarm Clock (MGA Entertainment)
• Amazing Allysen (Playmates)
• Furby (Hasbro)
• Amazing Amanda (Playmates)
• BBK Electronic Dictionary (BBKUSA)
• Scamps, My Playful Pup (Hasbro)
• Password Journal (Girl Tech)
• Wise Crackin' Shrek and Donkey (Hasbro)