Xbox Party Chat will have speech-to-text and text-to-speech features

Microsoft will provide the Xbox Party Chat feature with options to convert spoken text to written text and vice versa. The options are a further extension of the accessibility options for Xbox consoles, which Microsoft is strongly committed to.

The ability to convert speech and text is this week made available to Xbox Insiders. Speech-to-text and text-to-speech are options that can be turned on in the accessibility menu of Xbox consoles. The functions can also be found via the options menu when users are present at an Xbox Party.

When using the speech-to-text function, a window appears with an automatic transcription of all spoken texts. An icon indicates whether it concerns a text that has been spoken and converted to text. This feature is intended for gamers who are deaf or have poor hearing.

The text-to-speech feature allows users to type and speak texts to join a conversation in a party. You can choose from a list of different voices. For now, the features are only available to testers in the Xbox Insider Program. It is not yet known when all users will receive the functions.

Microsoft released the Xbox Adaptive Controller for gamers with disabilities in 2018. This modular controller can be expanded with various accessories, so that buttons can be operated with feet or the mouth, for example. In February Microsoft renewed its Xbox Accessibility Guidelines for developers, to make games more accessible.