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Brain Training suffers Watchdog attack

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Brain Training suffers Watchdog attack

Nicky Campbell claims voice recognition technology discriminates against Northerners

Gaming has supposedly got a race war going on thanks to BBC One’s consumer rights show Watchdog.

Last night’s edition granted five minutes to claims that that voice recognition technology used in Nintendo’s Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training on DS discriminates against those with Northern accents as it struggles to recognise certain words – namely ‘blue’ and ‘yellow’.

Leading the morale crusade was Manchester-based DJ Michelle Livesey who stated: "Basically you have to say the different colours that flash up on the screen as quickly as possible. I'm saying, blue, blue, blue and it's saying no, even though it was blue.

“Then it got to yellow. I'm going, 'yeller' and everyone's saying to me you need to be a bit posher. You need to say, 'yellow' and as soon as I did, it picked it up.”

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Alias Feb 05, 2008 at 1:41 pm
1
Alias

What a load of twaddle.

Northerners speak oddly, that's the start and end of this conversation. They should speak the King's English.

Why do you think industry is suffering so badly in the North and growing steadily in the South?

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Reythor Feb 05, 2008 at 1:48 pm
2

What about people who are colour blind?
Or mute?
Or who can't even read?

What about the blind?

Or the dead?

Surely they are missing out on this Brain Training?

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Tired and Grumpy Feb 05, 2008 at 1:49 pm
3
Tired and Grumpy

What about people with no brains

har har.

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Roy Feb 05, 2008 at 3:39 pm
4
Roy

Last night saw Watchdog struggle to make a programme, having to resort to a new game of "clutching at straws"... As for the comment about needing to be posher, how insane, it's about how to pronounce words correctly. I'm sure my ****ney in-laws would struggle just as much if they started trotting out slang... Madness!

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Roy Feb 05, 2008 at 3:41 pm
5
Roy

I'm calling Watchdog. MCV's world filter discriminates against the naming of people from the East End !:-D

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Feb 05, 2008 at 3:47 pm
6

I am naturally tone deaf....OMG.... Singstar is distriminating against me as I think I am singing correctly!

I am a white male and have no natural rhythm....OMG...Dance Dance Revelution is dicriming against me!

repeat ad infinitum

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Re: Blu ray set to get better?

posted by Feb 05, 2008 at 3:47 pm
7

@5: lol, good point :)

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coming soon

posted by The Bee Feb 05, 2008 at 6:12 pm
8
The Bee

New from Nintendo....

Dr Kawashima's Pronunciation Trainer - Northern Edition

Scouse, West Country and Welsh editions coming soon....

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Re: coming soon

posted by @Reythor Feb 06, 2008 at 9:30 am
9
@Reythor

@Reythor- Not the dead. The last thing we need is Zombies with trained brains...

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Re: coming soon

posted by aj Feb 08, 2008 at 12:51 pm
10
aj

whats her problem. its not picking it up because the word is yellow and not yeller

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Re: coming soon

posted by Richard Barclay Feb 08, 2008 at 4:12 pm
11
Richard Barclay

I can see it now, "Tonight with Trevor MacDonald", cue theatrical drum roll as Dr. Kawashima is summoned to crisis talks with Nintendo the DJ who can't talk proper.

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Re: coming soon

posted by Victim Feb 08, 2008 at 7:28 pm
12
Victim

Another group of people looking for Victimhood status chasing the press for a shoulder to cry on.

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Re: coming soon

posted by ADE_1977 Apr 02, 2008 at 9:57 am
13

Maybe the game should be retailed at a higher price point in these regions as it not only trains the brain but it also teaches elocution and pronunciation. Oh.. and it gives them something to winge about. Or what about region specific editions.... hotwiring against the clock for Liverpool (perfect for the touch screen) seems a good starter.

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Re: coming soon

posted by KP Apr 29, 2008 at 1:42 pm
14
KP

I'm a "Northerner", always have been and always will be. I bet most of the above comments about not being able to speak properly were made by "Southerners". Just because I live north of Watford doesn't mean we don't exist. Every country in the world has regional variations in speech so deal with it.

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Re: Blue, blue

posted by AD Jul 19, 2008 at 10:41 am
15
AD

Well, I'm a Southerner, I have always lived in the South of England and the DS Brain Trainer doesn't recognise me, when I say BLUE, it is very annoying. Any ideas on how I can say Blue I've tried various ways!! Perhaps, I need a Japanese accent!

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Northern Accents

posted by Matt Sep 22, 2009 at 12:52 pm
16
Matt

lol this is stupid, Voice recognition technology is a long way off being able to recognize thousands of the worlds accents.
If it takes pronouncing the word correctly then I don't think there is anything to lose. Just say things properly!!!

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