A game console capable of communicating with other game consoles over a link
or
network is provided with a headphone and microphone for each player who will engage
in voice communication. Verbal communications directed to one or more other players
are converted to pulse code modulated (PCM) digital data and are encoded and compressed
in real-time, producing data packets that are transmitted to another game console.
The compressed data packets are decompressed and decoded, producing PCM data that
are converted to an analog signal that drives a headphone of the intended recipient.
Players can selectively mute voice communications to and from a specific other
player. The PCM data can be encoded in a round-robin fashion that reduces the number
of encoders required. A predefined level of computing resources is used for voice
communication to avoid aversely affecting the quality of game play.