SOE, Vivox ready voice communication tools for MMORPG players

Posted Feb 21, 2008 at 1:06AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: News Tags: GDC, SOE, Sony

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While voice chat is nifty, it also brings its own concerns with it (bandwidth issues, for instance). Add that to a host of features that MMORPG players wish they had, such as the ability to mask one's own voice, and it seems you've got a pretty tall order.
The good news is that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and Vivox, Inc. have stepped to the plate at the 2008 Game Developers Conference with the announcement of a slew of new voice communication tools for MMORPG players.

Exactly what features can SOE's and Vivox's communication tools offer to players? Check these out:

• a special PIN number that North American players can dial in from either a land line or cell phone and connect with fellow guild members.
  
• in-game voice mail
• the ability to receive external calls in SOE games
  
• buddy lists and volume controls
  
• commands to join and leave audio chat channels at will
• free access to this service even if you're playing a non-SOE MMORPG
• other features planned for the future, such as
  
• broadcast messages,
  
• SMS text messaging
  
• an initial offering of six high-quality voice fonts that replace a player's actual voice with something completely different.

SOE plans to add these services to its own line of games and integrate it with SOE's Station Launcher. That way, anyone who uses the Station Launcher can take advantage of these powerful voice chat capabilities, even if they don't subscribe to an SOE game. The Vivox Network will host and professionally manage the voice features so users won't be cutting into their valuable bandwidth.

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