"As you may know, we are working on our Game Voice 1.3 beta release. In addition to the Game Voice 1.3 client software, the 1.3 release will include a much-requested standalone server application. We're pleased to announce that the server software reached the code complete milestone this week. Next, we'll move into the testing phase of Game Voice client and server, in preparation for releasing them later this month." Here are some other features you can look forward to in the Game Voice 1.3 beta:

In addition, we'll be expanding Gamevoice.com to accommodate the Game Voice Server. Server administrators will have the option of posting their sessions to Gamevoice.com so that they're easy to find. Don't worry, you'll be able to password protect your sessions in case you don't want just anyone to join.

One important change to note is that Game Voice beta 1.3 client and server are based on the DirectPlay 8 protocol while previous versions of Game Voice used the DirectPlay 4 protocol. There are many advantages to using DirectPlay 8, including improved connectivity, however, one result of this change is that Game Voice 1.3 will not be backward-compatible with earlier versions of Game Voice. Once you update to version 1.3, you will not be able to connect to people who are running Game Voice 1.2 or earlier and vice versa. In addition, to be able to connect to a Game Voice Server, you must upgrade to version 1.3. - The Game Voice Team