The latest Wii rumor, apparently spun by an IGN Insider forum member, a source that provided early details of the Wiimote's built-in speaker, claims that some Wii games, namely first-party titles, will feature an "advanced" voice-to-text chat interface.Allegedly, the technology (here's the patent) not only converts speech into text, but also analyzes the tone of speech and applies corresponding colors, sizes, and fonts to the text. Presumably, the technology would also censor explicit speech, or better, convert it into sweet nothings, thereby protecting the innocent ears, or rather, eyes of Nintendo's fledgling fan base. Rest assured, 'mature' gamers will still be able to experience good ol' fashioned speech-on-speech communication.
The rumor also suggests that "wireless, head-mounted microphones" will be the standard device for online chatter, be it the all-speech or speech-to-text format. The forum post adds that Wii and DS could share some unspecified peripherals, perhaps implying that the microphones will be cross-platform compatible.
