You can now test Amazon's Alexa voice service in your browser

The Amazon Echo is a pretty cool piece of technology, but it’s expensive. If you’ve ever wanted to try it out for yourself before spending almost $200 on one, now you can… for free!

Amazon has just launched a dedicated website that will allow users to try out the company’s Alexa voice service right in their browsers. That’s right, you no longer need an Alexa-enabled device to use the voice assistant. If you’re interested in checking it out, the website is free and very easy to use. Just head on over to Echosim.io, log in with your Amazon account, and you’re all set. Just press and hold on the microphone button, and you can experience the power of Alexa first-hand.

From Amazon:

Echosim.io lives in your browser, so anyone, anywhere can access it and test their Alexa skills. You no longer need an Alexa-enabled device to test your skills. Developers worldwide can use Echosim.io to experience Alexa. Its simplicity makes it easy for anyone to understand what an Echo is and what it does without having to explain Alexa’s unique UX.

Amazon says that the whole Alexa in the Browser idea started with a project from developer Sam Machin that debuted at a hackathon last year. Amazon’s new Echosim.io website is basically the same thing as that original project, and puts the power of Alexa behind some nice 3D Javascript animations.

Want to try it out for yourself? You can do so right here.