Playing games on the Xbox One using Cortana commands

Getting the Kinect to obey your voice commands can be like trying to get an unruly dog to sit. They may do what you say eventually, but by that point you're pretty frustrated and thinking there's got to be a better way. Well, now there is.

Cortana is being introduced to Xbox One consoles this summer. We saw Cortana in action at E3 2016 earlier this month, but if you live in the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany or Spain, you may already have the ability to use Cortana commands.

You can use Cortana commands with either your headset or Kinect. Here are some sample commands:

Hey, Cortana, take a screen shot
Hey, Cortana, launch my games and apps
Hey, Cortana, launch (name of game you want to play)
Hey, Cortana, launch friends
Hey, Cortana, item one, invite to party
Hey, Cortana, go home
Hey, Cortana, snap Pandora (or other app)

For most commands, you will need to say "Hey, Cortana" first. Some commands, like "next page" and item numbers can be said without saying "Hey, Cortana" as long as Cortana is already actively listening for commands.

After trying Kinect versus Cortana, Cortana seems to be much more responsive. The only problem is remembering to say "Hey, Cortana" ahead of each command.