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From pspupdates.com

Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan (SCEJ) has announced the TALKMAN for the PSP. The TALKMAN will become the first speech recognition device for the PSP.

The TALKMAN will connect a microphone to the USB port of the PSP. TALKMAN will be bundled with special software (and most likely a 2.0 update) to allow for four languages to be spoken and translated. Languages are to include Japanese, Chinese, English and Korean and will be translated via speech recognition. The pronunciation of the languages can also be checked and there will be a game mode for single person, perhaps to learn a new language. More info will be known at the Tokyo Game Show this weekend lasting from the 16th to the 18th this September.

TALKMAN is expected to be for sale this November 17th, unknown if it will be a world release at the same time. The price will be 5,800 Yen (about $53US), and will include the USB microphone.

The USB microphone (PSP-240) is a monaural condenser microphone which will weigh approximately 6 grams and measures 50x10x10mm (width x height x depth)

 

[Tempy]

Seaman PSP here we come

 

[johnjohnson]

Now that there's a mic gimme a SingStar Sony!

 

[BuG]

I wonder if Mizuguchi is intending to use this peripheral or has any interest in elaborating on this software as he mentioned in the Kikizo video interview from a while ago something along the lines that he was hoping for a future where one device could translate between every person in the world to allow for better communication, and I think he made mention of something like that in regards to video games in particular.

 

[Taker666]

How dare they use an American flag as the symbol for english translation.

 

[hooo]

How dare they use an American flag as the symbol for english translation.

And maybe, just maybe it is American English so the flag is actually an accurate representation? They do include speech recognition and pronunciation correction so they do need to choose a dialect.

 

[seanoff]

Sony's non-game.

This looks useful.


shameless bump

 

[ram]

are to include Japanese, Chinese, English and Korean and will be translated via speech recognition

only 4 languages? i thought they intended to include up to nine???

 

[Juice]

How dare they use an American flag as the symbol for english translation.

You're right. We should just rename the language Americans speak as "American" and let the United Kingdom slip further into obscurity in the scene of global importance.

 

[radioheadrule83]

You're right. We should just rename the language Americans speak as "American" and let the United Kingdom slip further into obscurity in the scene of global importance.

Nonsense

 

[littlewig]

Even Australia has more importance than Engliand because atleast that Country has nice beaches to vistis, hot chicks, and deadly animals.


Australia >>>>>>>>>> England

 

[Johnny]

I thought the PSP already had a built-in mic, weird. I hope they release the EyeToy next, Gameboy Camera was great back in the day.

 

[Prine]

Even Australia has more importance than Engliand because atleast that Country has nice beaches to vistis, hot chicks, and deadly animals.

Dont even bring up Australia right now, or we'll send Flintoff to sort you out. Again :lol

 

[segasonic]

Now that there's a mic gimme a SingStar Sony!

Yeah, I can't wait for people to do Karaoke on their PSPs while riding bus or train!


NOT!

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

"Where can I find a duty-free store?"

:lol


More like: "Where can I find some hookers?"

 

[jarrod]

Get with the times brits...

England = Nintendo

America = PlayStation

 

[Brofist]

only 4 languages? i thought they intended to include up to nine???

This version is probably just for Asia, I'm sure Korean and Chinese will be substituted for Spanish, French, German etc.. in the Euro and US versions.

 

[Juno]

Get with the times brits...

England = Nintendo

America = PlayStation

Being compared to a company like Nintendo?! I'm offended!

 

[kaching]

Odd that the mic's casing isn't made out of the same black plastic that the PSP is...or designed to look molded/contoured to the PSP casing.

 

[jiggle]

 

[FreakyFink]

I like to stop at the duty free shop.
I like to stop at the duty free shop.
I like to stop at the duty free shop!

 

[littlewig]

"Where can I find a duty-free store"


At the airport, good luck trying to get anything seeing how you'll need a plane ticket, bird!

 

[Datrio]

First step to bring Sonydogs on the PSP!

 

[sonycowboy]

NOTE TO SONY: Build the damn microphone into the next revision of the PSP. Thanks. Will make online truly worthwhile. You'll look like an idiot, but so what.

And what can it cost, like 10 cents???

 

[GG-Duo]

"Drinky Crow teaches English"

 

[BarneyBP]

Sony's non game features Drinky Crow as drawn by JunkWaffle?

 

[johnjohnson]

Yeah, I can't wait for people to do Karaoke on their PSPs while riding bus or train!


NOT!

I'd love to have a Karaoke on the toilet machine

 

[Smiles and Cries]

this will be when I buy a White PSP and TALKMAN

 

[SantaC]

 

[Brofist]

now someone needs to get a homebrew version of a Skype type program running on this bitch complete with wifi. Free calls all day baby!!

 

[artful_dodger]

"Drinky Crow teaches English"

:lol

 

[argon]

Mark my words...

Talking of the Dead - Japanese learning game =)

 

[neptunes]

WIll they include this with socom?

 

[Nick]

That bird needs a little less 'tude, a little more cute.

 

[acklame]

omg finally!
i've been waiting for this forever

this is gonna come in handy on my trips next year.

 

[kaching]

That bird needs a little less 'tude, a little more cute.

What 'tude, dude?

 

[Fuzzy]

now someone needs to get a homebrew version of a Skype type program running on this bitch complete with wifi. Free calls all day baby!!

That's what I thought this thread was about coming in.

 

[neopokekun]

Eurogamer has a preivew with some comments from Talkmans creator Yoshi Yamamoto.

There are various scenes (airport, hotel, shopping, etc.) and basic scenarios to pick from and each recognises various phrases - of which the game stores some 3,000 - and Max is not only capable of recognising them in four languages but also adding a bit of spark and emotion. You can even specify how forceful he is by setting the 'emotion level'.

Yamamoto-san reels off various Japanese phrases. Max listens, asks him to confirm, and then speaks to us. "I dropped my fork," he translates, shrugging and then smacking himself in the head repeatedly. "Where's the restroom? Could you point?" he asks, narrowing his eyes and glancing up and down the aisle as he crosses his legs in awkward panic. "Would you like to have a drink with me?" he gestures with a glass. It's also possible to show the translation in written form - black on white even - if you're talking to somebody who can't hear you very well.

Perhaps the neatest of the extras though are the word games. There's a listening game, which involves matching phrases to prompts, and there's a pronunciation game, which tasks you with trying to say something in another language - letting you slow it down to hear it properly. The latter draws upon Yamamoto-san's experience as a teacher. "I used to teach the Japanese English, and we have a writing called Katakana, and I could write it in Japanese [for my students] but the problem is they start reading it, so I intentionally took that off [TalkMan], and make the player listen and get the real way of training pronunciation."

 

[CamHostage]

I thought the PSP already had a built-in mic, weird. I hope they release the EyeToy next, Gameboy Camera was great back in the day.

It's not built into the PSP, but it is odd that there IS a mic port and yet it's not used here. The PSP's headphone dongle has remote control and a mic set-up, but Talkman uses USB instead. Not sure why -- it wouldn't have to be a full mic, just a tie clip mic that maybe was part of a pair of headphones (actually, maybe it's this way because it's sort of meant to be shared ... although that seems silly.)

It'd be great to have a mic for online play someday. This doesn't really seem to be that mic -- I'd rather get a headset than have to shout at my system.

 

[FightyF]

Languages are to include Japanese, Chinese, American and Korean and will be translated via speech recognition.

That's better!