Yesterday, Xbox gamers got some really good news. We have another digital assistant coming to the console joining the likes of Alexa and Cortana (if that counts). The power of Google Assistant joins the assistants on the Xbox One.
It is currently in beta but for the most part it works just fine. You can use the Google Assistant (via smart speaker or smartphone: Android & iOS) to power it up, turn it off, open apps/games, screenshots, and more. I grabbed it yesterday and used it to power it on and play Gears 5. If you’re interested in giving it a spin, we got the directions below to get you started.
Here’s how to get started with the beta:
- Join our Google Group with the Google Account you intend to use
- Sign into your Xbox
- In the Google Home app for iOS or Android:
- Tap “+ Add”
- Tap “Set up device”
- Tap “Have something already set up?”
- Search for and select “[beta] Xbox”
- Sign in with the Microsoft account you use on Xbox
- Follow the instructions to link your Xbox and give it a device name
*If no devices are found, try enabling the Digital Assistants setting on your console (Settings > Devices & Streaming > Digital Assistants)
Once you’re all set up, here are a few actions you can try to get you started with controlling your Xbox One with Google Assistant:
- · “Hey Google, play Gears 5 on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, turn on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, turn off Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, launch YouTube on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, pause on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, resume on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, volume up on Xbox.”
- · “Hey Google, take a screenshot on Xbox.”
