Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer Sony's (SNE) new voice command update “Hey, PlayStation!" will now compete with tech giant Amazon's (AMZN) voice assistant Alexa.
Right now people all over the world use Amazon's Alexa to do everyday tasks like checking the news, listening to music, or playing a game. Users can also use their voice to control cloud-connected devices.
Sony is testing a similar feature that enables voice commands for finding and opening games, apps, and settings, as well as controlling media playback on the PlayStation 5 console.
The voice command feature by Sony is currently available in English for beta participants with accounts registered to the U.S. and U.K., the company said. The final system software updates will be available globally later this year, the company said.
Sony began rolling out its second PS5 software beta on Wednesday, along with changes including party chat updates, new UI settings, and a preview of this new voice command feature.
At present, people can use "Hey, PlayStation!" on their PS5 console to find a game, open an app or setting, or control playback while enjoying a movie, TV show or song.
As part of the same update, Sony is also modifying how group chats work. Sony said, voice chats will now be called parties. "For easier access, we’ve divided the Game Base menu into three tabs: Friends, Parties and Messages," the company wrote in its blogpost.
Sony will also allow its users to personalize their console home screen, and has made updates to its Game Base, or the place where users can keep track of their friend activity.
Sony has also added an option to filter its users' game collection by genre.
To be sure, the use of Alexa, which was launched in November, 2014, has raised privacy concerns including whether the voice automated software is listening to your conversations.
It remains to be seen if "Hey, PlayStation!" will mirror Alexa's misadventures.
