Microsoft Sidewinder Game Voice Misc. Hardware Review

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Price Paid:  $40.00 from pc world

Summary:
The 1.5 software update is very good, which I am basing my review on:

The hardware is very nice and feelas very solid when hammering it in a tense gaming moment, and with my P4, voice recognition is almost instant and doesn't effect gameplay at all. I haven't tried the voice chat, but the microphone quality is good, listening to recordings.
The installation was quick and easy to follow.

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Price Paid:  $35.00 from Fry's Electronics

Summary:
I am not happy with the command recognition
software at all. It is phonetics based, and is just doesn't recognize words well. You have to try many forms of spelling, lots of trial and error and frustration, and in the end you still have to pronounce things like the computer voice, not like your own voice. If it picks up your breathing, it matches any command beginning with an (aspirate) h, e.g. "Help" or "Home".

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Summary:
A bit of overkill, and a way to get gamers to sign up with MSN Messenger service - required for gametime chat. This is a device with two purposes: 1) game chat, 2) issuing game commands by voice. The installation software does a good job of trying to force you into signing up with MSN Messenger - it gives you two options to complete the install: finish the install by signing up at MSN, or Cancel and Uninstall the Device Software! Judicious killing of the install at this point via task manager leaves you with the device software installed and working (but no MSN Messenger). In the end all this device gave me of use was what I wanted anyway: a way to plug in and switch on my headphones and mic without having to constantly switch jacks in and out of my sound card in order to grab a channel from my 4-speaker/subwoofer system. Also, after this, it provided independent headphone volume control via the device. The Gave Voice comes with lengthy cables for its few parts, which were easy to figure out and assemble - you can rig it up to suit your 4-speaker/subwoofer setup if necessary - I don't know how well it would be adapted for a 5.1 system. This could be a good, well-behaved device for a problem-free, Pentium 4/Athlon XP computer with fast internet access and well-configured sound/USB/NIC.