The Voice With an Internet Connection is the helpful person at the other end of the main character's earpiece. They give the character all sorts of useful advice that is either blisteringly obvious or frustratingly cryptic, presumably sourced from the Internet or some other information compendium.

In some cases, the Voice has an [[ThePalantirPloy unexplained video and audio feed]], and in others, an [[SinisterSurveillance explained video and audio feed]]. Rarely, the voice will rely on information from the main character to tell them what is going on. In this last case, there will be a dramatic scene where the screen cuts to black and the Voice screams with concern for the main.

The character varies in personality from grizzled commanding officer to cute young nurse to English scholar, but the two things the Voices have in common are a complete knowledge of whatever the main character happens to be doing and a complete lack of physical presence. Most often, this character is the opposite gender to the character to whom he or she speaks.

The Voice with an Internet Connection serves two purposes. The first is as a way of explaining things about the game world to the player, and the second is to give the character someone to talk to throughout the game, thus developing the character as either a philandering badass or a chick with, quote, 'tude, unquote. The former is for all male characters, and the latter for female characters, unless the main is a HeroicMime. If the main is the silent type the Voice talks more, sometimes saying what the main normally would.

This character appears far more often in modern day and science fiction than in other genres, and almost never in fantasy, where the Voice's role is generally played by a related character.

The name Voice with an Internet Connection is taken from the fact that these are the archetype's only defining traits, and in many cases, the character's only role.

Related to TheVoice and MrExposition, the Voice with an Internet Connection is distinguished from both by being a disembodied character who advances the plot as well as a character with a distinct personality, something rare outside of videogames.

Compare MissionControl.

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[[foldercontrol]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* A good number of RealRobot anime have characters called operators, who provide the link between the protagonist's HumongousMecha and HQ; like many RealRobot tropes, this one started with ''MobileSuitGundam''.
* Appears in various forms in ''SerialExperimentsLain'', including a talking mouth, Yomoda Chisa, and several others ([[spoiler:including Lain]]).
* The detective L from ''DeathNote'' starts the series as this, aiding the police task force in their goal to catch the serial killer Kira from the shadows. L eventually reveals his face to a select few of the task force, but to the general public, his only identity is a digitized voice and the letter "L" on a computer screen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* Barbara "Oracle" Gordon in the later ''{{Comicbook/Batman}}'' continuity.
** The Calculator also plays this role for the villains.
* Abe Sapien from ''{{Hellboy}}'', in the movies to some degree. Unfortunately, he usually tells Hellboy all the important crap after it's too late.
-->'''Hellboy:''' How do I kill it?\\
'''Abe:''' Nnnn, doesn't say.
* The Punisher has had a couple of them, most famously, Microchip. Of course for some reason he does a [[FaceHeelTurn hell turn with his face]], though he says it was to snap Frank back to reality. Or something.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films]]
* In both ''NationalTreasure'' movies, Riley communicates with Ben via earpiece to guide him through whatever government building he's trying to steal something from.
* Tomiko, from the Marine's campaign in ''Film/{{Alien}} Vs. {{Predator}} 2''.
* The operators in ''TheMatrix''.
* In ''{{Sneakers}}'', the team use several sources, including the Internet, to guide the point man through their missions. Most notably, Dan Aykroyd gives Robert Redford fairly detailed instructions out of a book on how to defeat a keypad lock (we only see Redford nodding and saying he understands). It turns out to be kicking in the door.
* The ''TombRaider'' movie adaptations.
* Used by Sedgewick at the end of ''The Emperor's Club'' to cheat at a trivia competition (vastly updating the cheat-sheet-in-the-sleeve method he used in the same competition when he was at school).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In OrsonScottCard's ''Ender's Game'' series, Jane, an AI created from an alien-made psychic disturbance on the internet.
* In ''ArtemisFowl'', Foaly.
* In Lisa Mason's ''The Golden Nineties'', the main character is given a voice AI named "muse" which is implanted in her head when she goes back in time, to keep her on her mission. It immediately begins to malfunction due to changes in the past affecting the future.
* In ''WorldWarZ'', a "Skywatcher" helped a downed pilot through her radio to keep on going and reach a pick-up point. Was later revealed [[spoiler: it could have been all in her head as said radio was apparently broken. ]]
* In JohnSandford's ''Kidd'' novels, Bobby Duchamps (a GeniusCripple). The fourth ''Kidd'' novel, ''The Hanged Man's Song'', [[spoiler: opens with Bobby's murder; until that point, neither the protagonist nor we had ever seen Bobby in person]].
* In ''{{Otherland}}'', Olga Pirofsky has it while StormingTheCastle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Chloe O'Brian in ''[[TwentyFour 24]]''.
* ''Cleopatra 2525'' has The Voice. Interesting in that the main characters don't know who she is (though we do get to see her eventually) and finding out her identity is part of the plot.
* Although we get to see her, Theora from ''MaxHeadroom'', and to a lesser degree, Bryce, both fit this trope.
** In addition to Theora, all other controllers qualify, as this trope is essentially their job description.
* Al from ''QuantumLeap''.
* Chloe Sullivan from ''{{Smallville}}'' fits this trope in the later seasons, since she can't actually go with Clark into danger, but still wanted to help. She even plays this role with the as-of-yet unnamed Justice League, who refer to her as "Watchtower". (A double MythologyGag, reflecting both the League's headquarters in the comics and [[JusticeLeague animated series]], and Oracle's {{Clocktower}}.)
* The Lone Gunmen from ''[[TheXFiles The X-Files]]'' and then later ''TheLoneGunmen''.
** In one episode of ''[[TheXFiles The X-Files]]'', Byers infiltrates a high-stakes poker match with various military executives. Langley feeds him information over an earpiece about various systems from military aircraft. He is eventually found out after one exec mentions a nonexistent production process; Langley finds no information and forces Byers to bluff his way out.
** In the pilot to ''TheLoneGunmen'', Langley infiltrates a stockholder meeting and causes a scene while Frohike steals a computer chip from the back room. The voiceover only comes into play when Frohike tells Langley to cause a distraction to cover their escape.
* The current series of ''KnightRider'' has ''three'' of these, and all of them are ''redundant'' because KITT has shown he can just do that sort of stuff himself anyway.
** Fortunately the three [[BridgeBunny bridge bunnies]] of ''KR'' still have some job security: one is {{Da Chief}}, another is the [[SassySecretary Sassy]] {{Sexy Secretary}}, the third is the [[CowardlySidekick Sidekick]] [[RecklessSidekick Chop]] [[HollywoodGeek Suey]]. Also, all three of them have varying degrees of [[MrFixit technical expertise]].
* ''{{Leverage}}'' uses this all the time, usually with Hardison acting as the Voice.
* ''{{Knightmare}}''.
* Err, ''KnightRider''?
* The aptly-named Mister Voice in ''GoGoSentaiBoukenger''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Radio]]
* ''{{Adventures in Odyssey}}'': Arem, for the sake of the medium and its depiction of an instant messenger.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Alice Murray and "S3kshun8" in ''{{Army of Two}}''; S3kshun8 has no voiced lines and only speaks in LeetLingo, so in order to understand what he's saying requires understanding of 1337 and fast eyes.
* ''Battlefield:BadCompany'' has B-Company assisted by radio opperator ''Mike-One-Juliet'', on which Sweetwater has a big crush without ever having met or even talked to her. He's constantly pestering Redford to give her messages from him and affectianlly calls her ''"Miss July"''. When [[spoiler:the four soldiers are sacrificed and abandoned, she takes the risk of acting against orders and provides them with intelligence to get her boys back home safely]]. Though she's usually very proffessional, she seems to hope for them to share a part of the (stolen) gold with her.
* ''{{Bioshock}}'' features a voice with a ''radio'' connection: Atlas, your guide via short-wave radio through most of the game. All other [=NPCs=] in the game seem to have this ability as well, though Atlas is the most prominent and helpful.
** [[spoiler: Helpful? Really? Atlas is a pretty deliberate deconstruction of this trope.]]
* Severin from ''{{BloodRayne}} 2''.
* The Voice of the Agency in ''Crackdown''.
* ''DeusEx'' had several of these, starting with Alex Jacobson as your tutor. Explained in-game with nanotechnology providing the audio and video uplinks. Somewhat unusual for the trope, you get to meet everyone who communicates with you this way "in person", except for the [=AIs=] Daedalus and Icarus -- [[spoiler:though you do meet Helios "in person" in the last mission]].
** ''TheNamelessMod'' has Evil Invasion or That Guy (depending on faction). The first you meet in person, the 2nd [[spoiler:you can meet a hologram of, created because he is too lazy to leave his apartment (he shows up in person in the WC ending)]].
*** '''TheNamelessMod''' allows the player to connect to the mod's IRC channel ingame; it is explicitly suggested (in loading screens) that he use it for help.
* Commissioner Rowdy Betters in ''FirstEncounterAssaultRecon''.
* Any and all of the Codec contacts in the ''MetalGearSolid'' games -- including the "cut to black and screaming" bit for the GameOver screens if the hero is killed.
** Although, the video and audio feed is explained by use of the [[AppliedPhlebotinum nanomachines]] in the titular character's blood stream. However, it is a tad confusing how Naked Snake's intel team knows what's going on, considering that [=MGS3=] takes place in 1960, and all the codec sequences are high powered shortwave radio communications.
*** Satellites and a hidden video camera.
*** They're watching the game as you play it. Did we mention the series has NoFourthWall?
* ''Lifeline'' (''[[OperatorsSide Operator's Side]]'', in Japan) had the twist of putting the player in the role of the Voice with an Internet Connection, trapped in the control center of a monster-infested space station.
** Too bad you're playing GuessTheVerb, hampered by poor speech parsing.
* In ''{{Metroid}} Fusion'', Adam is unusual in that he is himself a computer, [[spoiler:although it turns out that he is actually the brain of Samus' old (human) CO, Adam Malkovich, who died some time ago when he and Samus were on a Galactic Federation assignment together.]]
* Alister Fletcher and Zip from ''TombRaider: Legend''.
* {{Bungie}} seems to be totally in love with this trope:
** ''{{Marathon}}'' had the artificial intelligences (Leela, Durandal, Tycho, Thoth, and... that thing) as well as Blake and T'Fear. The [[strike: marine]] Security Officer [[HeroicMime never says a word]].
** ''{{Oni}}'' had Shinatama (a robot, sort of)
** ''{{Halo}}'' had the AI Cortana, who was generally inside the Master Chief's suit. The Chief himself [[HeroicMime doesn't talk much]].
*** In ''Halo 2'', when playing as the Arbiter, the Voice is usually supplied by Tartarus or [[FanNickname Half-Jaw]].
*** In ''Halo 3'', the role of Voice with an Internet Connection is generally played by Commander Miranda Keyes or Sergeant Johnson, until late game [[spoiler: when the Chief rescues Cortana.]]
*** The ''Halo'' series in general makes good use of this trope to build tension and emphasize those moments when the character is really on their own, such as the levels "343 Guilty Spark", "Uprising", and "Cortana".
* The Internet in ''[[SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]: Reality 2.0''.
* Anya in ''{{Timesplitters}}: Future Perfect''.
* In the ''SamuraiJack'' game for the GameCube, a scientist in one of the later levels begins communicating with Jack claiming he needs his audio help to find a computer. He explains he secretly slipped a device on Jack, and Jack expresses uncomfortability with that.
* A rare fantasy example would be Zyzyx, the protagonist's familiar demon in ''Sacrifice''. While he's actually present on the battlefield, since he's an immaterial spirit and unable to do anything besides observe and speak he's functionally equivalent to this trope.
* Similarly, in the game ''{{Might and Magic}}: Dark Messiah'' the main character has the sorceress Xana in his head. [[spoiler: Xana is actually a demon, and near the end of the game after a bit of near death you get to turn into her. It's a useless power, but looks cool and for the briefest of moments you have no weapon. You can't even use the power in front of allies and soon enough you can cleanse yourself of her. Unless you feel like being the bad guy.]]
* Anya in ''{{Gears of War}}''.
* Arthur the AI in ''Journeyman Project 3'' resides inside your translation chip for most of the game. He's represented by fairly cute cartoon with blinking eyes that lives in your HUD, offering up hints, obscure historical definitions and providing the backstory to people who haven't played the previous games and is responsible for some of the plot independent of you. When he does acquire a human-form hologram he appears as a man in a top hat.
* In ''{{The Legend of Zelda}}: Wind Waker'', Tetra slips a magical stone into Link's pocket which allows her (and later, the King of Red Lions) to see what you're doing and communicate advice.
* All the other characters from the ''StarFox'' series. They'll talk to you to give you advice ("Do a barrel roll!"), inform you when they're in trouble, or yell at you when you shoot them or steal their kills.
** Both this, and Snake's Codec above, were carried over to the ''SuperSmashBros.'' games as EasterEggs. There's even an amusing scene in which Slippy Toad contacts Snake!
* In ''SystemShock2'' the player is assisted by a Dr. Polito, who has baricaded herself in a room with computer and communication access, [[spoiler:but had [[DeadAllAlong died before the beginning of the game]] and is instead used as a cover by SHODAN, who is immitating her voice pattern.]]
* Hunnigan in ''ResidentEvil 4''. Unusually, she's pretty much completely useless. And when the baddie hacks into your Code-your ''radio'' frequency, he tells the player character about upcoming ambushes. No Really.
** "You'll never escape my hedge maze Meeester Scott Kennedy!"
* Shinatama from ''{{Oni}}''.
* Virtually every RTS game ever made features an intel officer or friendly scientist, in addition to the standard MissionControl, who gives you information about the backstory and helpful tips to defeat the enemy.
* Hendrix of ''RedFaction'' is one, although you see him in person on a few occasions.
* Roll Caskett from ''MegaManLegends'' and ''Mega Man Legends 2''.
* Blackbird from ''Strife''.
* Dan in ''{{Iji}}''. Subverted in that you do encounter him in the flesh at a few points, and [[spoiler: at one point he's taken hostage and can be killed if you don't make plans to ensure otherwise.]]
* In ''{{Mercenaries}}'', Fiona Taylor, your mission support, serves as this. In the first one she's generally helpful, but get's so repetitive during the sequel it quickly gets into StopHelpingMe territory.
* [=GLaDOS=], your [[BlatantLies friendly]] [[AIIsACrapshoot computer]] [[FalseReassurance aide]] from {{Portal}}.
* Mercury/Merc from ''[[MirrorsEdge Mirror's Edge]]'' fulfills this trope handily, though it's never explained how he hacks Callaghan's security cameras. After [[spoiler: he's killed, the setup fly/runover of the next area, usually set to a bit of background information from Merc, is done in dead silence.]]
* The later ''RainbowSix'' games usually have this, and they typically are pretty helpful. Except for the NSA Agent. [[spoiler:He turns out to be TheMole anyways, so his bad info that almost gets you killed over and over again actually makes sense in context.]]
* ''{{Eye of the Beholder}} 2'' has Khelben as Voice With A Crystal Ball (this being a fantasy game) that pops up a few times to give unnecessary advice. Subverted in that one of the times he pops up, [[spoiler:it's actually the disguised BigBad who gives you the advice that you will become really powerful if you get yourself killed in the next room...]].
* Tomas in ''Spyro'' Shadow Legacy does this through telepathy.
* In ''TheConduit'', both Mr. Adams and Prometheus fulfill this role.
* In the ''SlyCooper'' series, almost every main and supporting character qualifies for this trope, though, It's usually Bentley.
* [[BlazBlue Iron Tager]] has one that goes by the name Kokonoe in his story.
* ''{{Touhou}}'' pulls this off in ''Subterranean Animism'', as the "options" in the game are effectively two-way radios to the {{youkai}} on the surface, who also have the ability to sense the world around the options. The protagonist is essentially sent into harm's way simply as a proxy for the {{youkai}} you choose, since the surface youkai are barred from going into the underground. The youkai partners tend to make statements about just how comfortable they are at home while the protagonist is risking her life.
* Like in the comics, the Oracle serves this role to the player in ''[[BatmanArkhamAsylum Batman: Arkham Asylum]]''.
** Inverted for the goons with the Joker talking over the speaker system. He alerts them when you take down one of the suicide collar wearing henchmen. He's otherwise [[StopHelpingMe about as helpful]] as you'd expect [[BadBoss the Joker to be]].
-->'''Joker''': Listen to me Batman, I want you to hurt these guys they mean ''nothing'' to me! Do your worst! Hahahaha!
*The "Guardian Angel" in ''Borderlands'' is a definite portrayer of this trope.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* [[http://www.petprofessional.net/d/20050427.html The Pet Professional]]'s unseen assistant/dispatcher is actually named Voice.
* Wrench in ''{{Antihero for Hire}}'' is another female example, but occasionally becomes a little more involved in her role as Queen of All [[PlayfulHacker Hackers]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Bruce Wayne in ''BatmanBeyond'', who basically continued to be Batman into old age vicariously through Terry [=McGuinness=].
* Wade in ''KimPossible'' in the early seasons. However, in later seasons he was shown to be a more active field member.
* Beyond MissionControl, Jérémie of ''CodeLyoko'' has this role, especially in Season 4 where the heroes are translated close to some supercomputer in various remote places on Earth. Good thing that EverythingIsOnline.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This Troper was part of such a voice during an [[http://web.mit.edu/puzzle/www/ MIT-style puzzle hunt]]. During the final metapuzzle, our team sent a few people with cell phones to do the in-person stuff, and the rest of us stayed behind with a speakerphone, laptops and an internet connection, advising them.
* This Troper once played Voice with an Internet Connection for a friend playing GrandTheftAuto IV. In truth, we were both in the room, but I would refer to the friend as Nishka and would watch the interfaces while he watched the actual screen. Worked surprisingly well as I would inform him about a police unit approaching from behind buildings and he could keep focusing on his straight and not worry about peripherals like the map. Mostly worked for any chase, though I also did this when he needed a way-point.
* Of course, there's also now various GPS units you can use in your car or elsewhere that provide you with directions. Complete with voice.
[[/folder]]

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