MSI Voice-Activated Motherboard Becomes Reality at CES 2012

There are features that one wouldn't expect to find on a motherboard but MSI thinks at least one of them could prove useful, that of voice activation.

Anyone thinking that MSI's motherboards already have more than enough overclocking features will find that the company itself disagrees.

Granted, what Micro-Star International is about to officially launch is not some new clock speed-altering or performance-enhancing technology.

Instead, it is more of a functionality-enhancing feature, a perk for people willing to buy high-end gear as it were.

Simply put, the company has made it possible for motherboards to be controlled by talking to them.

We actually picked up on MSI's voice-activated and controlled motherboard idea back in September (2011).

The company itself has now shed some clarity on the matter, revealing that the motherboards themselves won't respond to words on their own.

Instead, it is the Voice Genie control system that makes this all possible, it being an add-in card.

It is “the first voice control system with system startup control” and lets users tell the computer to power on or off, start a browser, run MSI's control center and initiate sleep mode or wake up, among other things.

The company even threw in two sets of voice recognition, for up to 8 customized voice commands.

In addition to voice control, Micro-Star International created the MultiConnect Panel, an add-in card that includes a Bluetooth 3.0 module (grants smartphones and tablets control over the mainboard) and Wi-Fi 802.11n (up to 150 Mbps).

Unlike Voice Genie, MultiConnect Panel is an accessory that sits in one of the desktop case's 5.25-inch drive bays.

MSI intends to ship both of these products with P67, Z68 and X79 motherboards (the exact list is available here).

The first demonstration will be carried out during the 2012 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012).