Sony Confirms That PlayStation 4 Has Kinect-Style Features (SNE)

Microsoft MSFT has had a difficult time hiding the fact it was greatly inspired to make changes after Sony SNE gained the upper hand with PlayStation 4. Microsoft was not the only company that took cues from its chief competitor, however. It turns out that Sony has been inspired by Microsoft as well. According to Polygon, the PlayStation 4 camera will feature a voice recognition component. Sony would not reveal any specific details regarding how these features will work, but the company told Polygon that it looks forward to "sharing more details in the lead up to the [European] launch of PlayStation 4 on November 29." PlayStation 4 will arrive the United States two weeks prior and is expected to be released in Japan in December. Related: Amazon To Launch New Game Console Alongside PlayStation 4, Xbox One Voice recognition is nothing new to gaming. Nintendo NTDOY has experimented with the concept for more than a decade. The company even included a special microphone attachment with the game Hey You, Pikachu! for the 17-year-old Nintendo 64. In gaming, Microsoft has been experimenting with voice recognition technology for roughly three years. The first-generation Kinect camera brought voice recognition to Xbox 360 in 2010. The second-generation model promises to take that experience to another level. During Microsoft's initial presentation for the Xbox One (the firm's third game console), company execs touted how seamlessly users can change channels and switch between media types simply by talking. Game developers are still trying to figure out how to create innovative gameplay experiences that utilize voice recognition. With the original Kinect, Electronic Arts EA allowed users to call plays verbally. The company has extensively promoted this feature in its advertisements, which may have frustrated Sony execs. By adding similar capabilities to PlayStation 4, voice recognition will no longer be a Kinect/Xbox exclusive by default. Unlike Kinect, however, PlayStation 4 does not come bundled with the new PlayStation Camera. According to IGN, Sony eliminated this from the default package to reduce the MSRP. Unfortunately, this means that only consumers who choose to purchase the camera separately will gain access to its features. This could scare off developers who are afraid that it won't be worth investing time and money in building features that may be missed by some players. Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ