We lent an ear to Plantronics so the company could tell us all about its new limited edition GameCom Commander headset built for professional gamers. In short, Plantronics claims they took a noise cancelling headset developed for military applications and adapted the design for gaming. That sounds like overkill, until you factor in that professional and semi-pro gamers often find themselves surrounded by thousands of competitors, and when you're in a confined space with 3,000 people, things tend to get a little boisterous.
Sennheiser needs no introduction in the audio space, so we'll skip right to the chase and share the fact that Sennheiser has just added a pair of headsets to its PC gaming line. The new models include the PC 323D with 7.1 "super-realistic" surround sound, and the PC 310, the latter of which is a more subdued headset aimed at entry-level gamers, with a price tag to boot ($60).
Windows Media Center may not make it into default Windows 8 installs, but the team of crack programmers behind the highly excellent XBMC media player is working hard to dull the pain. The newest addition to the open source software completely revamps XBMC's audio code and brings support for 7.1 HD audio formats, along with a lot of other goodies.
Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system will incorporate Dolby Digital Plus audio technology, it has been announced. In a press release on Thursday, California-based Dolby Laboratories revealed that its deal with Microsoft covers both x86- and ARM-based Windows devices.
It’s an audiotastic kind of day at CES; if the Scosche headsets we mentioned earlier don’t quite tickle your fancy, Sennheiser’s also let loose some information about a pair of new, high-performance headsets coming in March. Like most Sennheiser headsets, the new ones look like they’ll definitely satisfy audiophiles – but that high-end audio comes with a high-end price tag.
You run into all kinds at CES, from big name OEMs introducing fancy Ultrabooks models, to companies like Scosche, which has been dabbling in accessories and car audio for over three decades. The latest products from Scosche include three brand new additions to its Realm line of premium headphones, a free tuneQ equalizer app for iPhone and iPod touch devices, and nearly half a dozen chargers of various utility.
Aesop tried to teach us that slow and steady wins the race and he used a turtle to drive the point home. That's cute, but out here in the real world, companies are blitzing the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with pre-show announcements quick as can be, and that includes Turtle Beach, which unveiled a bunch of new products spanning wireless, mobile, and Dolby Surround Sound technologies.
Logitech's new Mini Boombox is a combination mobile speaker and speakerphone rolled into one. The idea is to let users rock out to awesome tunes without any cords getting in the way by pairing with smartphones, tablets, and other Bluetooth enabled devices.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video may have gotten all the attention in our recent head-to-head, but one of their competitors now has something that neither of those two streaming video services offers: discrete 7.1-channel surround sound. Dolby has announced that it has entered into an agreement to bring Dolby Digital Plus’s 7.1-channel audio to some of Vudu’s cinematic offerings, starting today with Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”
Mmmmm, eye candy. Who can resist the allure of HD graphics and high FPS rates? Not us, that’s for sure. But all too often, people forget that banging visuals are only half of a satisfying entertainment equation; audio is just as important as video if you truly want to be submersed in your favorite action flick. Along those lines, yesterday, DTS – who sits next to Dolby atop the audio codec heap – announced a partnership to bring its DTS UltraPC II Plus technology to upcoming Fujitsu PCs.
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