Lucy may be a VR character, but she doesn't act like one. Like any friend, she remembers what you've done and uses that information to inform how she talks with you. She can express a full range of emotions. And she's as good at hanging out as she is going on adventures. Initially, Lucy was designed largely to follow a script and respond to viewer actions.

IBM's Watson will power in-game voice command for Ubisoft's upcoming release of Star Trek: Bridge Crew during an experimental Beta period later this summer following the game's launch on May 30. Bridge Crew provides players the first opportunity -- ever – to use their voice, in natural language, to interact with their virtual Starfleet crew members. IBM's new "VR Speech Sandbox," the software used to build this feature, is now available for all developers to adapt for their own virtual reality (VR) applications and services. The Sandbox combines IBM's Watson Unity SDK with two services, Watson Speech to Text and Watson Conversation. Developers now have the opportunity to build new and innovative user interfaces, leveraging the power of voice interaction in virtual reality. In-game speech experiences, built with IBM Watson for Star Trek: Bridge Crew will be available this summer in Beta for cross-platform play.

IBM Watson's artificial intelligence platform will enable voice commands in Ubisoft's Star Trek: Bridge Crew virtual reality game. IBM and French video game developer Ubisoft have partnered to include Watson's interactive speech and cognitive capabilities in a VR game for the first time when Star Trek: Bridge Crew launches on May 30 on the Oculus Rift with Touch, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR (PSVR). It's another one of those wonderful confluences of technology and games that we highlighted at our GamesBeat Summit event. With IBM Watson, Star Trek: Bridge Crew will provide players the opportunity to use their voice and natural-language commands to interact with their virtual Starfleet crew members. This feature is part of a strategic partnership with Ubisoft.

Ubisoft's Star Trek: Bridge Crew won't just put you in a VR starship when it finally launches. It'll also give you the power to interact with the virtual Starfleet crew with your voice. The company has teamed up with IBM to add Watson's interactive speech capabilities to the game, so you can tell a crew member to launch a missile -- and maybe even pompously add "make it so" in the end -- instead of using manual controls. Bridge Crew was supposed to launch last year but was plagued with numerous delays. It's now scheduled to come out on May 30th for the PC and PS4, with Watson's voice commands to follow later this summer during a Beta period.

While you spent your childhood climbing trees, learning to love Mario and making furtive glances at your first crush, I was playing Star Trek games. That doesn't make me a gamer, but I'm well-qualified to talk about how poorly the series translates to any existing game genre. It's a generalization, sure, but most mainstream games are not about slow, thoughtful collaboration in order to solve problems. But that's why Star Trek: Bridge Crew is so intriguing, since VR offers us the chance to redefine those tired genres. In anticipation of the game's late-November mid-March launch, four Engadget editors tried out a near-finished demo with Ubisoft in London. Bridge Crew tells the story of the USS Aegis NX-1787 and its staff, a Federation vessel designed for long-range surveillance of early-stage civilizations.

LOS ANGELES -- Video games are great because they let you become any person you want: a pro basketball player, a space marine, a sorcerer or a plumber with a strong love for mushrooms. Virtual reality takes it a step further. Here are three things I've done in VR since E3 kicked off: Details: Yep, you too can become the caped crusader (minus the gravelly voice). The creators of the Batman Arkham series developed a VR game focused on the Dark Knight's detective skills. The demo starts as Bruce Wayne, using PlayStation Move controllers to tap the keys to a piano and begin your descent into the Batcave.