Voice chat
Encyclopedia
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
used on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The means of communicating with voice chat is through any of the messengers, mainly Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
, Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!...
, AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
, inSpeak Communicator
InSpeak Communicator
InSpeak Communicator is an internet chat program offering text, audio and video interaction.InSpeak is based and operated in Sunrise, FL, USA.-Usage:inSpeak is currently formatted for Microsoft Windows and currently does not support any other platform....
or Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger
Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
. Voice chat has led to a significant increase in distant communications where two or more people from opposite ends of the world can talk almost free of cost.
Voice chat in gaming
Many video games with online multiplayer allow players to communicate via voice chatting. In 2000, SegaNetSegaNet
SegaNet was an internet service provided by Sega for the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast video game consoles.-Saturn:In its inception, SegaNet was Sega's online service for the Sega Saturn in Japan...
released the first voicechat compatible browser on Dreamcast. Internet services such as YahooChat! worked on the Java compatible web browsers with the ability of voicechat with the microphone, although it was already available for use in its HTML servers. This browser web integration became in standard in future game consoles. Long-distance telephone Programs such as Dreamcall was already integrated within the browser. Other games such as Seaman and Alien Front Online included voicechat via the microphone. In 2001, Sony released the Network adapter for their PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, which allowed voice chatting with a headset. In 2002, Microsoft launched the Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
service, which supports voice chatting through a headset bundled with the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
premium package and the official starter kit. In 2005, Nintendo launched the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
, an online multiplayer service for both the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. In March 2006, Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime Hunters is a first-person shooter and adventure game for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was developed by American video game developers Nintendo Software Technology, and was released by Nintendo in North America in March 2006, in Europe and Australia in May 2006, and...
was released, making it the first game to allow voice chatting through the Nintendo DS's microphone. Also, Nintendo released a Nintendo DS headset for voice chat alongside the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
.
In the PC Online Gaming Voice Chat world, players often use either the game's built in VoIP engine (which was until recently rarely provided by the game developer), or a third party VoIP solution such as Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
(utilizing the Skype for Power Gamers
S4PG
S4PG is a client–server software package that works with Skype for Windows to provide automated VoIP call and Group Instant Messaging conferencing functionality...
Skype add-on software), Ventrilo
Ventrilo
Ventrilo is a proprietary VoIP software which includes text chat.The Ventrilo client and server are both available as freeware for use with fewer than 8 people on the same server . The server software is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, or Unix variants such as Linux, Kopi, Solaris,...
, TeamSpeak
TeamSpeak
TeamSpeak is a proprietary Voice over IP software that allows users to speak on a chat channel with other users, much like a telephone conference call. A TeamSpeak user will often wear a headset with an integrated microphone...
, or XFire
Xfire
Xfire is a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers, that also serves as a game server browser and has various other features. It is currently available for Microsoft Windows. Xfire was originally developed by Ultimate Arena based in Menlo Park, California...
.
History
Rocket Messenger and AOLAOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
were among the first to offer voice chat facilities. They were followed by Paltalk
Paltalk
Paltalk Messenger, or simply referred to as Paltalk, is an Internet chat service that allows users to communicate via instant messaging, voice and video chat. It offers thousands of chat rooms and the ability for users to create their own virtual chat room on any topic and category...
which became a quick hit. Later Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Messenger is an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!...
became the most dominant voice chat service as it provided unique features. These included individual voice chat with another person, as well as conference call type voice chat facilities categorized in Yahoo! Rooms.
See also
- VoIP or Voice over IP for an overview of all technologies available.
- Comparison of VoIP softwareComparison of VoIP softwareVoIP software is used to conduct telephone-like voice conversations across Internet Protocol based networks. VoIP stands for "Voice over IP". For residential markets, VoIP phone service is often cheaper than traditional public switched telephone network service and can remove geographic...