News
Brain Training suffers Watchdog attack
Ben Parfitt Feb 5 2008, 11:48am
Comments (15)
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.”
Comments
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted by: Alias - Feb 5, 1:41pm
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?
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted by: Reythor - Feb 5, 1:48pm
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?
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted by: Tired and Grumpy - Feb 5, 1:49pm
What about people with no brains
har har.
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted by: Roy - Feb 5, 3:39pm
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!
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted by: Roy - Feb 5, 3:41pm
I'm calling Watchdog. MCV's world filter discriminates against the naming of people from the East End !:-D
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted: Feb 5, 3:47pm
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
“Re: Blu ray set to get better?”
Posted: Feb 5, 3:47pm
@5: lol, good point :)
“coming soon”
Posted by: The Bee - Feb 5, 6:12pm
New from Nintendo....
Dr Kawashima's Pronunciation Trainer - Northern Edition
Scouse, West Country and Welsh editions coming soon....
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: @Reythor - Feb 6, 9:30am
@Reythor- Not the dead. The last thing we need is Zombies with trained brains...
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: aj - Feb 8, 12:51pm
whats her problem. its not picking it up because the word is yellow and not yeller
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: Richard Barclay - Feb 8, 4:12pm
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.
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: Victim - Feb 8, 7:28pm
Another group of people looking for Victimhood status chasing the press for a shoulder to cry on.
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: ADE_1977 - Apr 2, 9:57am
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.
“Re: coming soon”
Posted by: KP - Apr 29, 1:42pm
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.
“Re: Blue, blue”
Posted by: AD - Jul 19, 10:41am
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!