Customer Reviews

Microsoft Sidewinder Game Voice

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have to admit, I was more than a little scared at even plugging this thing in to my computer, seeing the white Microsoft logo gleaming on it, but it was well worth it. The software installed effortlessly, and hardware installation simply required plugging it into a free USB port, and a few audio jacks.

The software is upfront and helpful in configuring the product. You can easily call anyone using the product online, invite them to join a game, or simply chat over the net. Adding voice commands is easy and multiple profiles are easily to manage.

There is a handy jack that lets you plug your current speakers into the Game Voice, and a small switch lets you toggle between your traditional speakers and the headset & microphone. The buttons are also very easy to use.

All and all, this product amazed me. The two complaints I can make are that the system of issuing game commands could have been improved, but Microsoft did a great job. The other is a few issues with Windows 2000 and using the chat feature, it simply will not connect. I suspect most gamers will use this product in Windows ME or part of the 9x series, as I did, so it should not be an issue.

Watch out with the tech support, knowing Microsoft, you'll either have to pay by the minute, or send an e-mail and have to wait several days or weeks to get a response if any.

Well, when first considering to buy this product, I was a bit hesitant. I also knew there were other viable options out there for less or no money. One of my biggest worries was performance. I am an Everquest addict, and knowing the game takes a lot of resources to play, I was worried that Game Voice just wouldn't cut it. However, after setting Game Voice to run at a higher priority in the background processes, there was little or no performance reduction. Another worry was voice recognition. However, after some game play, I noticed very little mixups in voice recognition. After adjusting the Mic volume, voice recognition errors were non-existant. Something I haven't tested yet and that worries me, is using the chat channels to talk with other players over the internet. If you're behind a NAT/Router setup on your DSL, connection might pose a problem. However, I've run across a few player groups in Everquest that seem to be using this functionality without issue. I also have a Microsoft Strategic Commander, and one thing I like about Game Voice over Commander, is that Game Voice's command list can be bigger than MSC's. One arguement not to use Game Voice as opposed to a product like Strategic Commander(multiple button combinations) is that the command response time is a bit slower than a multi-button console. Well, depending on what game you have, this might be more or less true. However, when I measure the keyboard/Multi-Console and Mouse operations necessary to do some functions in the game, it can be very unwielding to perform all of these functions(while running/moving etc in the game). Whereas the ease of just saying a few commands(leaving hands free for other operations) in Game Voice makes it a very attractive addition to the gamer's arsenal in the world of today's challenging games.

My friends and I used Roger Wilco all the time, so this looked like a good idea, and as I'd hoped -the headphones are topnotch.

Also well made is the "puck," as it is commonly called, due to its distinct shape. The puck connects between your computer and the headphones, giving you a volume control and a mute button, as well as several other buttons that allow you to chose specific people to communicate with during the game. This is excellent for when you and your friends aren't all on the same team.

The puck's best feature, however, is that you plug your speakers into it, as well as the headphones. Then, there is a switch that lets you toggle between the two. This saves you from the hassle of reaching around to the back of your computer to change plugs- Something any headphone-user can tell you is a huge pain in the @ss!

Now let's take a look at the software. It consists of two aspects: Voice Command and Communications.

The voice command software allows you to replace certain game-keys with one-word voice commands. So instead of hitting the "reload" or "inventory" button, you can simply say, "reload" or "inventory" to the same effect. I couldn't care less about this feature.

The communications software works similar to RogerWilco or BattleChat, allowing you to speak with your friends and teammates while playing `online' games. In addition, it uses those puck buttons (mentioned earlier) to good effect. Unfortunately, despite those cool features... we had problems with it:

1-It's beefy price means many of your friends won't want to purchase GameVoice. They can get the *free* version of the software and use a regular headset to talk with you, but from what we discovered, there were a LOT of bugs in this version.

2-GameVoice forces you to use Microsoft Instant Messenger in order to connect with each other. NOBODY uses that program. AIM and ICQ are *way* more popular.

3-The voice communication quality was under par (but not because of the headphones).

So in short- we ended up using RogerWilco instead of Microsoft's program, but still kept these headphones.

This is a great way to chat with buddies online. Play a skirmish Age of Mythology match with a buddy or just use it to talk to your virtually-based business team..it's a great system.

BUT....

Microsoft no longer supports this product, so if you have a problem, you're stuck with a Google search for a fix. Thing is -people are starting to have problems that pop up when upgrades and bug fixes are no longer addressed. The big issue right now is the chat software's incompatiblity with Direct X 9.0 - the latest version of Microsoft's own multimedia APIs that are needed to use the software.

My system worked beautifully until I downloaded the latest DX, then I was permanently [stuck] since I was unable to restore my system to pre-DX9.0 (and its next to impossible to downgrade to 8.0).

I've since thrown the 'puck' in the yard sale bin and use the headset with Yahoo Messenger to chat with friends. Still lets me play games and chat with friends, but the puck's voice game controls are nonexistent. On the flip side, the sound quality of the headphones is impressive - same with the mic. I use the headset to listen to tunes while I work, flip down the mic to chat when I get a vox chat invite from buds - seamless. Tic for tac.

Bottomline: buy it and don't upgrade to Direct X 9.0, upgrade to Direct X 9.0 and don't use the puck, or pick up a cheap PC headset somewhere. Either way, you'll probably pay about the same price, and the included Plantronics headset does sound really, really good (great mic quality too), so just buy the damn thing already and risk it.

I've been using the GV for about a year and still love it. I'm on my second (or third, I forget) set of headphones because, well, I'm hard on things. The rest of the hardware is as sturdy as any other MS hardware (you can complain about their software, but MS hardware is almost always durable). Fortunately, Amazon sells a Plantronics headset (the LS-1 ?) that works perfectly with the one that ships with the GV.

The biggest problem I've experienced with my GV is the dilemma posed by another poster: Do I use it for chat or for voice commands. So, I got a Strategic Commander and programmed in all of my voice shortcuts. Now my shortcuts run faster (since the voice recognition software doesn't have to process them) and I still get to chat. Life is good.

Being an avid gamer and sick of having neck cramps from holding the phone, I made this purchase. The hardware and software installed easily and the setup was fast. (I am using MS WIN ME and they're no issues) Testing it out with my favorite game left much to be desired. Even with a fast cable connection, there is a long delay that makes this product hard to use. There is an update you can get which supposedly corrects that a bit. I will be trying it shortly. I think this is a great idea but the technology is not quite there yet. My advice.....buy a headset for your cordless phone!

When this came out, it was top shelf stuff. After it disappeared from Microsoft's radar, however, it got boxed up and put away. Everyone I knew was using something *other* than GameVoice to chat in-game. Now, however, we have FULL support for the GameVoice in Teamspeak 2! I have my buttons configured just right (Teamspeak can use combinations of buttons rather than sticking you with just a few commands). All said and done, an excellent product... so long as you throw away the disc that comes with it.

I have to admit, I was intrigued by this device. It truly seemed too good to be true. And in part, it was.

The chat function, with the hot-key assignment, shows promise. The downside, it requires quite a bit of ram, and more bandwidth than other, similar products (such as Roger Wilco). This is mainly because of running both the Sidewinder software, as well as MSN instant messenger. Finally, the chat doesn't work, simply because there is virtually nobody that uses the software. I play a very popular online game, and most nights I can't find a single soul that is using this chat system.

Now for the true saving force behind the Sidewinder Game Voice... The voice shortcuts. Use them twice, and you won't be able to imagine not playing with them ever again. From a game like Tribes2, there are so many keyboard shortcuts that they are impossible to remember them all without searching through your keys. No more. Want that particular pack? Just say it, and you're set. No 3 key combination to do it. Need to do a quick voice shortcut? Just say what you want to appear, and it shall. Very useful to say the least.

In the end, you may be very disappointed, because you will not want to give up your voice commands, but you can't do that and talk with all your friends on Roger Wilco. A true dilemma.

The desktop puck has never been helpful to me. Also, the speech recognition feature is not very good and uses way too many CPU cycles. The headset itself is good, even very good. Also, the switch on the puck (sound from main speakers or sound from headphones) is convenient. However, the device takes up a USB slot as well as the sound connections. Overall, I think it's not worth the extra money. Get a generic or brand-name headset. Also, don't use the "game voice" software- use "teamsound" from teamsound.com. It's free and works well.

I had high hopes that this would enhance my gaming experience. I'm fond of Battlefield 1942, and I was excited about the possibility of communicating with my friends in the online gaming environment. After setting the thing up and logging on with a friend (who purchased a Game Voice the same time I did), I was very disappointed with the sound quality. I could barely hear my buddy and there was serious distortion. During game play (where there is a lot of ambient noise, i.e., tanks, bombs, etc.) I couldn't hear my buddy at all...