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Voice Recognition Unit

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Voice Recognition Unit
N64 VRU.jpg
Photograph of the Nintendo 64 Voice Recognition Unit.
Release year: JP: 1998
NA: 2000
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Compatible: Nintendo 64
Model no.: NUS-020

The Voice Recognition Unit (abbreviated VRU, known as the VRS in Japan) is a microphone accessory for the Nintendo 64, allowing the system to detect the player's voice commands. Only two games are compatible with the Voice Recognition Unit: Hey You, Pikachu! and Densha de Go! 2 Kōsoku-hen, the former being the only Nintendo-published title to use the device and the only title in which the peripheral is required to play the game. As such, copies of Hey You, Pikachu! were packaged with the Voice Recognition Unit. The device was never released in the PAL region.

Features and functionality

The Voice Recognition Unit features two main components: the unit itself and the included microphone (NUS-021). The controller plug on the Voice Recognition Unit must be plugged into the fourth controller slot in order for the unit to work, and must be plugged into a system from the same region; a North American VRU will not work when plugged into a Japanese Nintendo 64 console or vice versa. On the front of the unit is a 3.5 mm jack, which the microphone plugs into. The Voice Recognition Unit is calibrated to better recognize higher-pitched voices (generally a child's voice).

Once the microphone has been connected, the player can mount it on the back of the controller using the Microphone Holder (NUS-025), a plastic clip that fits over the expansion slot. Copies of Densha de Go! 2 Kōsoku-hen were packaged with a second holder called the Microphone Strap (NUS-022), a clip that fits around the player's neck. Both clips are included with the device. The microphone also comes with a yellow foam cover (NUS-026).

Gallery

External links


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