Sony last night addressed whether the PS4 features voice command capabilities through the PlayStation camera, but the company's statement may not reveal as much as it initially seems.
The rumor that the PS4 would feature voice command capabilities popped up when video of a presentation made by SCEA's group manager of retail training and advocacy Sean Coleman at this week's GameStop Expo in Las Vegas was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday.
In the video Coleman says the DualShock 4's light bar and the PlayStation Camera work together to "enhance" the overall experience, and the camera's lenses can track body movements and recognize players' faces. None of that is too surprising, but the words on the display during this part of the presentation (about five and a half minutes in) are, as they include mention of "navigational voice commands."
To be fair, Coleman didn't say it out loud during his talk. But Sony did sent a statement to Polygon yesterday, saying, "Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm that PlayStation Camera allows for voice recognition and we will look forward to sharing more details in the lead up to the launch of PlayStation 4 on November 29 [15 for U.S.]."
Hang on. Voice recognition? We've known about that possibility for months, but "recognition" does not necessarily equal "navigational commands like what Kinect does." Voice recognition provides the framework for voice commands, yes, but that hardly confirms that we'll be saying "PlayStation, On!" like with Xbox One.
I've reached out to Sony separately to find out if they really can confirm PS4 voice command features, or if they're just playing word games in anticipation of a big reveal later on.