Xbox One Google Assistant Support Joins Alexa And Cortana

Though Microsoft was at one point all-in with Cortana, lately it's been opening up its platforms – specifically Xbox – to more voice assistants. Last year, the company added Alexa compatibility to Xbox One, and soon, Google Assistant will be joining the fray as well. A beta is launching today for all Xbox users before rolling out on a broader scale later on down the road.

Even though the beta is available to all Xbox One owners, there is one big limitation in place, as it's only available in English. Microsoft says it'll be working with Google to add support for more languages before Google Assistant integration officially launches later this fall.

In any case, Google Assistant on Xbox One works mostly as you'd expect it to. Before you can begin participating in the beta, you'll need to join Assistant Beta Google Group with the Google account you wish to use. From there, you'll sign into your Xbox and then open the Google Home app on either your Android or iOS device. When you're in the app, tap "+ Add" followed by "Set up device," and then select "Have something already set up?"

From there, you'll search for and select "[beta] Xbox" and sign in with your Microsoft account. Follow the prompts to go through set up and give your Xbox a name, and then you're ready to use Google Assistant. Some of the commands you can use include "Hey Google, turn on Xbox," or "Hey Google, play Gears 5 on Xbox." You can use Google Assistant to launch apps and control media playback on an Xbox One as well.

A full list of commands is available on the Xbox Insiders subreddit, so if you're flipping the switch on Google Assistant integration today, be sure to check that out. We'll see what kind of functionality Microsoft and Google add while the Assistant is in beta, so stay tuned for that.