• Tsunami 2265 Gone Gold
  A story on Shacknews reports that the North American version of Tsunami 2265, Italian developer Prograph Research's anime-inspired third-person action game, has gone gold. The game, which is supposed to support 3D audio, is already available in Europe and is scheduled for release in North America on August 5. Back in May Action Vault conducted an interview with 3 of the developers behind the Tsunami 2265. The game is described as "a futuristic action shoot 'em up incorporating adventure elements". Here's the short but interesting sound bit:

  To fulfil the atmosphere, the sound effects are adapted to the visual contest, with impressive 3D effects and soundtracks specially matched to the mood of every single level.

  A playable demo of Tsunami 2265 is also available from Got Game Entertainment

• Breed will support 3D sound
  HomeLAN has posted an interview with Brat Design’s Oliver Davies to find out more about Breed. Here's a snip:

  HomeLAN - What are some of the Mercury engine's more interesting features?

  Oliver Davies - [snip]...Mercury also uses 3D audio to create an immersive sound field. Objects employ multi-layered 3D positional audio, which combines multiple effects to produce a single sound. For example, a four-engined vehicle would have a uniquely tailored 3D sound for each engine, producing an incredible overall effect when combined. Spot effects and speech will also be expressed via full 3D audio...

• Divine Divinity Gold
  This isometric role-playing game by Larian Studios and CDV has gone gold, and it will arrive on German store shelves later this month with US and UK editions slated for a September release. Here's a snip from the official site:

  Q: How does the sound engine work ?
  A: There’s a lot of sound in Divine Divinity. Basically everything which you expect to make sound, makes sound. 3d positional audio and real time reverb are also supported.

  Q: What about music ?
  A: The soundtrack of Divine Divinity is very extensive. Furthermore, it adapts to in-game circumstances, giving it a movie like quality

• Soldier of Fortune: Double Helix Patch
  A new 1.01 patch has been released for Ravensoft's EAX Advanced HD supporting 3D shooter Soldier of Fortune: Double Helix. There are no audio related fixes. Thanks to Anders Albrechtsen for the pointer.

• Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Patch
  A new (v.1.04) patch is available for Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. This update includes all modifications that were originally incorporated in Jedi Outcast version 1.03. This update mostly addresses multiplayer bug fixes and balance issues. An audio fix is a corrected issue which caused pain sounds not to play properly when hit by opponents. Pain sounds should now be relative to the amount of damage taken. It will not affect your saved games. All Multiplayer users must use Jedi Outcast version 1.04. Details of the changes can be found in the .plan of Kenn Hoekstra.

• America's Army Recon Patch
  Two patches for and an updated version of America's Army Recon (the demo of America's Army) have been released. You can grab the demo patches and the demo from NVIDIA, File Planet (Requires registration) and 3D Gamers. Details of the patches are in the readme. One point of note is the official FAQ confirms our supposition that the Dolby Digital part of this game is actually via the nForce Dolby Interactive Content Encoder and not specific to the game itself.

• Neverwinter Nights Patch
  Bioware has released a patch for Neverwinter Nights.

• Zachary Quarles (sound designer) Q&A
  Allaboutgames.com has posted a Q & A with Zachary Quarles, talking with the former Raven sound designer about Changeling Sound Studios, his newly-formed game sound & music company, as well as his work at Raven.

• America's Army Interview and Preview
  I missed posting this one last night, so it's too late to get in on the live interview on XGR that was scheduled for last night with Jack Buser from Dolby and Russ Shilling from the U.S. Navy discussing their roles in the creation of the sound effects for America's Army. The good news is it's an audio interview so it should be available for replay. We recently posted a press release for this game where they tout their Dolby Digital 5.1 certification. We have not gotten any feedback directly from Dolby Labs yet on their game certification process but based on some answers provided to us from Epic Games Daniel Vogel about the sound engine in UT2003 we wonder if the game is actually using the UT2003 engine which has also received Dolby certification. According to Daniel Vogel the UT2003 engine use OpenAL instead of DirectSound3D (but it will give 3D sound on DS3D support cards) as well as EAX Advanced HD support (with EAX 2 backwards compatibility). In other words the game won't directly support Dolby Digital 5.1.

  A preview on PC.IGN also seems to indicate the game will use the UT2003 engine as you can see from the following:

  There may not be any facial animations or dismemberment, but the models in the game move exceptionally well when walking or performing subtle animations like hand gestures (which, along with whispering and shouting, serve as a means of communication) and weapon reloads and checks. But for as decent to good as the models are, the environments are better. Expansive outdoor terrains, highly detailed indoor rooms, equally detailed exterior streets, and the inherent, almost unquantifiable solidity of Unreal and its subtractive CSG editor (I believe) are all present and accounted for. The new technology is really being put to good use and it shows, not only in the game, but also in the system requirements. Check those recommended specs and fear the unscrupulous PC market. 1.4GHz, 256MB RAM, a GeForce 3, and a 5.1 setup with an EAX 3.0 enabled card? That's rough. But at least you'll know that $3,000 machine complete with installed Audigy and accompanying powered Definitive speakers will deliver superbly (gun crackles, muffled shots, and being deafened by a flash bang are truly spectacular). But then that's to be expected, considering Dr. Russ Shilling, "audio scientist" is on the team.

  Of course some of these questions may be answered in the interview but we have not had a chance to check it out ourselves yet.

• News from Composer Bill Brown - New Music & Interviews
  A music sample from 'The Sum of All Fears' game has been posted in conjunction with the new interview of Bill by Gary Garritan of Garritan Orchestral Strings. Access the interview and music from Bill's Press page. In addition, eight new cues of Bill's 'The Sum of All Fears' music produced for the X-Box/Gamecube/PS2 versions of the game have been posted - listen here!

• Game On Exhibition Coverage
  Music 4 Games has posted coverage of the first major games exhibition held in the UK. Game on runs from May 16th to September 15th 2002 the Barbican Centre, in London. The exhibition aims to explore the history and culture of videogames and their affect and influence on modern popular culture, fashion and art. It delves into the past, present and future of the gaming industry, with over a hundred playable examples, representing all the various tastes and styles, spanning over 4 decades of game development. The exhibition includes a section completely dedicated to game audio. According to Music 4 Games this section has been well thought out and realized by the organizers, basically breaking down into 3 different categories, "Historical Sound", "Contemporary Sound" and "Original Sound Composition". More details are in the Music 4 Games coverage linked above.

• Creative Audigy Platinum EX (UK)
  Hardware Test DK has posted a brief positive review of Creative Labs' Audigy Platinum EX European edition.

• Terratec Xfire 24/96
  Via Area has posted an extremely positive and detailed review of Terratec's DMX Xfire 24/96 sound card. This VIA Envy 24 based sound card takes advantage of Sensaura's 3D audio and reverb engine for the gaming side and delivers high quality audio playback and recording to go with extensive connectivity. It's worth noting that while this review concludes the card is a great gaming card I have seen feedback from a number of users in our forum stating the gaming results were not what they had hoped for and not nearly as positive as described in this review. To be fair most if not all of those comments were based on drivers that would have been an earlier build than used in this review.

  There are a number of areas could warrant comment but I will focus on some key points. First, I am fairly certain that for games that don't do 3D audio the card will do nothing more than stereo x2. To be clear I will also note the card does not decode Dolby Digital, rather it supports multichannel analog output when used with a supporting software DVD player. I also doubt (but can't confirm) that the cards drivers do Dolby Surround decoding. When it comes to testing with Q3A, unless an old version was used the game no longer supports 3D audio. When it comes Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast there is no EAX support on cards other than the Audigy when EAX Advanced HD is selected (and this is the only EAX option to pick from, but it does enable 3D audio) so I am not sure why they got the negative results they did when it was enabled or why they got similar results with the Audigy. I do know that when EAX Advanced HD is disabled then 3D audio is also disabled. Next I will note that the respect playback software and not the sound card does the decompression/decoding of MP3 tracks.

  Finally, when it comes to the comment that 16 bit audio can "add a harsh edge to string, voice and piano recordings" I simply suggest they stop and consider the native 16/44.1 format of CD audio and the excellent quality achieved...Quality differences when listening to music comes down to the quality of the source material and playback equipment and not the fact that it's a 16 vs 24 bit device. Thanks to Holden for the pointer.

• Creative Sound Blaster Extigy
  Techspot has posted a detailed review of Creative Sound Blaster Extigy. The review is overall positive despite some complaints with the most severe being high/excessive CPU that in some cases even result in crackling.

• AudioTrack MAYA 44 Soundcard
  Digit-Life has posted a review of Audiotrack MAYA 44 Soundcard. The review of this inexpensive ($100) professional sound card (that is musician rather than gaming oriented) includes comparisons with Midiman (M-Audio) Audiophile 2496, Egosys Waveterminal 2496, Hoontech Audio DSP24 Value, Echo MIA. Digit-Life concludes this will be excellent choice both for music listening (CD, mp3) and for composing in professional sequencers and editors. For all the reasons why check out the review.

• Logitech Z-560 Speaker System
  Avault has posted a review of Logitech Z-560 Speaker System. As many other reviews of this system Avault found the system be the much better than any other system in this price. The only real complaint being the lack of center speaker. Unlike some reviews that would liked the ability to reduce the bass a bit more Avault found the system to be perfectly balanced.

• Hercules XPS510 Speaker System
  MonkeyReview has posted an overall very positive review of Hercules inexpensive XPS510 5.1 speaker system. A couple of comments. One is the review notes the sound card connects to the speakers using three wires; a Center, a Left, and a Right. In fact it is a center/sub, front and rear connection. The other is more of a note than a statement and that is that Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix uses EAX Advanced HD and the demo, which is all I have tested, does not support EAX 2 (EAX Advanced HD can be backwards compatible with EAX 2 cards) when it comes to the EAX effects but does deliver great 3D audio. I suspect that the reviewer is actually talking about 3D audio when talking about their positive experience using the MUSE XL.

• Jazz ROCCO 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS Speaker System
  RadiativeNZ has posted a mixed review of the Jazz ROCCO 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS Speaker System. There are a couple of general statements made in the review that I disagree with. First is the generic statement that sub/sat systems generally lack midrange. There is of course much variability in system quality and many sub/sat systems have very good and even excellent midrange. It all comes down the specific design of the system. Second is the inference that digital inputs are superior to analog. Again, it comes down to the specifics of any given setup. In the end the digital source still has to be converted to analog so if the DAC on the sound card is better quality than the DAC on the speaker system then on that basis the analog inputs will be better. There are of course other factors such as crossover points and bass management that can differ from the analog to digital inputs but the bottom lines is digital is not necessarily better than analog.

• Samsung DVD-L100 Portable DVD Player
  PC Stats has posted a positive review of the Samsung DVD-L100 Portable DVD Player. The unit consists of a portable DVD drive, a 10" LCD display (in 16:9 aspect ratio for letter box movies), a Sony Memory Stick media port (for MP3's), twin headphone jacks and a small assortment of audio and video outputs. The unit decodes Dolby Digital and DTS to stereo output and has two headphone jacks in addition to a pair of small speakers. The review notes that it includes Phantom Sound which gives everything some depth but does not indicate if it was any of the known commercial virtualization technologies. One thing I don't see or see mentioned is if the unit has a S/PDIF out and video out capability.

• Plextor PleXCombo 20/10/4012A
  Hothardware has posted an overall very positive review of the Plextor PleXCombo 20/10/4012A CD-RW/DVD ROM Drive. The software bundle for the drive includes a full version of PowerDVD (not clear which version) in the $168 retail package.

• Packard Bell Fast Media Remote Control
  Mikhailtech has posted an overall very positive review of the Packard Bell Fast Media Remote Control. As you might gather from the title, it's a PC remote control. This one is IR and is software configurable to control different applications on the PC.

• Zalman ZM-NB32J
  M:6 has posted a very positive review of Zalman's new ZM-NB32J, a fanless (i.e silent) northbridge cooler.

• Inside Analog Devices: SoundMAX Division
  Hardware-Unlimited on Friday, June 28 had the opportunity to visit Analog Devices in Norwood, MA to see where a great deal of the hardware development for SoundMAX takes place, and to ask them a few questions. They have posted a brief write-up of what they saw and some more information on the new Soundmax Cadenza and the new 1980 codec that it is based on.

• Nellymoser's Masquerade Speech Technology Selected For Xbox Live
  Nellymoser, Inc., a leader in speech and audio technologies, has announced that Microsoft has licensed their Masquerade software to enable advanced voice chat features for Xbox multiplayer games and Xbox Live. Xbox Live is the online gaming service rolling out this Fall for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. Nellymoser's Masquerade software provides real-time voice masking capabilities for online and multiplayer games. Using the Masquerade software, publishers can create titles where gamers will be able to completely alter the characteristics of their voice to create their own interactive online persona. Within game-play, players will now be able to morph their voices to that of the character they are currently playing. For additional details you can check out the full press release.

• Level 9 Introduces Two Monsoon Planar Ribbon Multimedia Systems
  Level 9 Sound Designs Inc. have announced the release of two new Monsoon multimedia audio systems * the PlanarMedia 9 and PlanarMedia 7, both featuring the company's exclusive combination of sleek flat-panel design and superior Planar Focus Technology (PFT). The products define the entry-level product segment of the Level 9 line.

  Both systems have a long list of significant new features including 4"x6" satellite speakers (smaller size than current 4"x8"), and a new flat panel ID. Each system features Monsoon's all-new advanced Control Center offering audio enthusiasts and gamers a Headphone Jack as well as convenient, single-point control of Master Volume, Bass Volume and System Mute. Monsoon couples this PFT technology with an amplified subwoofer containing active crossovers to generate smooth, deep bass and power. The Monsoon PlanarMedia 9 system features a 76 Watt rms amplified subwoofer and the PlanarMedia 7 System features a 35 Watt rms amplified subwoofer.

  The PlanarMedia 9 system has an MSRP of $99 US. The PlanarMedia 7 system has an MSRP $79 us. Both models will be available through most authorized Monsoon retailers after July 1, 2002. The systems can also be purchased directly through monsoonaudio.com or by calling 1-877-PCAUDIO (1-877-722-8346) toll free in North America. For additional details you can check out the full press release.

• Benwin Announces DML Series Featuring New Micro-Driver Technology
  Benwin has announced the re-launch of its DML speaker series now featuring the company's new Neomanic(TM) micro-driver audio technology. Exclusive to Benwin, the Neomanic(TM) micro-drivers are composed of a scientific blend of four compound metals that provide quality audio reproduction. The micro-driver measures a mere 28mm wide and, according to Benwin, produces sound equivalent to that of a 3" conventional driver.

  The DML200 2.1 multimedia speaker system carries an MSRP of $59.99, and the DML220 4.1 system at $79.99. Both systems feature Benwin's new Neomanic(TM) micro-driver audio technology, ported subwoofer and a wired remote control for convenient adjustment of all system controls. You can find more details in the press release.

• Samsung and Klipsch Team Up For the Ultimate Home Theater in a Box
  Samsung Electronics America and Klipsch Audio Technologies have joined forces to introduce the ultimate DVD Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) system, the HT-SK6. The HT-SK features a Samsung single-disc DVD progressive scan player with a built-in 5.1 channel amplifier boasting 725 Watts of total audio power, and Klipsch's Quintet Microsystem, the world's smallest horn-loaded 5.1 surround sound system at just 7.5-inches tall. Offered in a silver finished, compact design, the HT-SK is easy to set up via the on-screen menu and offers the benefit of a single manual and remote that ensure consumers will enjoy a top-line home theater system without the guess work of selecting and setting up individual components. The HT-SK6 will be available in the fall of 2002 for $1,199 (MSRP) at select retailers. For lots more detail on the system you can check out the full press release.

• 2002 RCA Scenium Home Theatre Series
  The entertainment industry's most advanced high-definition home theatre products are coming to more than 2,000 retail stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, with Thomson preparing to ship the 2002 line of RCA Scenium HDTV Monitors, HDTV Sets, high performance audio systems, and DVD players. The RCA Scenium product range, a premium home theatre entertainment product offering from Thomson, includes high-definition television displays, the most powerful audio components ever offered by Thomson, and innovations such as a combination progressive scan DVD player and 30 hour hard-disc recorder for convenient time shift recording. Lots more detail is in the full press release.

• Ownership of Portable Digital Music Devices Expected to Double By 2003
  More than half of almost 2,000 Net-savvy Americans ages 15 to 35 say they plan to purchase a digital music device over the next year, according to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for Sony Electronics. This is a marked increase from the approximate 21 percent of the U.S. population ages 15 to 35 with Internet access that currently owns at least one digital portable audio product. Major findings determined:

  • Sixty-four percent of the online population aged 15 to 35 know how to "rip" play lists from their CD's and of those, 60 percent do it up to three times each month;
  • The enjoyment of downloading comes from being able to customize music collections (83 percent), the ability to choose from a large selection of songs (76 percent) and its simplicity (61 percent).

  Additional details can be found in the full press release.

• Spatializer Natural Headphone On Cirrus Logic CS493xxx-CL Family A/V Receiver DSP
  Spatializer Audio Laboratories Inc. has announced that Spatializer Natural Headphone is now available for license based on Cirrus Logic's CS493xxx-CL family of Digital Signal Processors (DSP). The offering combines the market's best selling DSP for A/V receivers with Spatializer's natural sounding virtual surround headphone algorithm.

  The Spatializer Natural Headphone algorithm down-mixes 5.1 channel surround sound into a natural quality sound effect over headphones. A well-defined center image allows for crystal clear presentation of dialogue, while the other surround channels immerse the listener in an enveloping audio experience. One innovative feature is Spatializer Virtual LFE, which creates the impression of subwoofer frequencies that are usually lower than the minimum frequency response capability of most headphones. The result is a more dramatic listening experience, with greater impact, particularly through inexpensive or low quality headphones. User adjustable reverberation also allows for customizable headphone effects. Different listeners often require different levels and types of reverberation to achieve a natural sounding presentation. By making this user definable, listeners can set a custom-tailored effect according to their listening tastes. For some additional detail and several quotes you can check out the full press release.

• Digital Innovations SkipDoctor MD Pro Now Available
  Digital Innovations has announced the availability of the SkipDoctor MD Pro -- an enhanced, industrial-strength version of its popular SkipDoctor MD disc scratch repair device for commercial and business users -- beginning in August 2002. The SkipDoctor MD Pro is specifically designed for high-volume repairs of CDs, DVDs and video game discs. The SkipDoctor MD Pro was developed to meet the needs of rental retailers, traveling DJs' radio stations and other businesses that rent or use large volumes of CDs, DVDs, and video game discs. Discs in such high-volume environments are more susceptible to scratching and damage from daily wear and tear. The SkipDoctor MD Pro will significantly benefit these organizations by enabling them to easily restore large numbers of damaged discs, quickly putting them back into circulation to generate revenue. For details you can check out the full press release.

• WinDVD 4 and WinDVD 4 Plus Now Available Through Retail Channels
  InterVideo has announced the immediate retail availability of WinDVD 4 and WinDVD 4 Plus, the latest versions of the InterVideo's popular DVD player. WinDVD 4 and WinDVD 4 Plus feature over 30 new features and enhancements such as easier-to-use Time-Stretching and Video Desktop. Some details on the program features can be found in the full press release.

• InterVideo Introduces WinDVD Creator
  InterVideo has introduced WinDVD Creator, it's easy-to-use DVD and VCD creation software that offers a storyboard approach to making movies that can play in consumer DVD players. WinDVD Creator is designed to be the easiest way to make your own DVDs and VCDs, even to the point of offering direct recording capabilities to make DVD creation simple for those who do not want to edit their video content. Using WinDVD Creator's direct recording functions users can plug a DV camera in the FireWire (1394, iLink) port of their PC and burn a DVD directly from the DV tape -- no editing involved. Likewise, WinDVD Creator enables users to burn a DVD disk directly from a TV, with the proper hardware set-up. The software is compatible with a variety of formats and standards for maximum compatibility including support for all recordable DVD formats, like the popular DVD+RW format, and support for the emerging VR format. For more details you can check out the full press release.

• Dolby Labs Highlights In-Car Entertainment Consumer Solutions Featuring Dolby Technologies
  For consumers looking to enjoy the surround-sound benefits of Dolby® in-car entertainment technologies, Dolby Laboratories announced that its technologies are part of two new after-market consumer products from Alpine and Clarion, as well as part of the Toyota Brevis vehicle with a factory-installed 5.1-channel DVD-Audio/Video system incorporating Dolby Digital and MLP Lossless. Consumers desiring Dolby Surround in Motion in-car technologies can choose from a growing number of options in after-market products available through auto-sound retailers and catalogs. Alternatively, consumers can purchase a vehicle that comes factory-equipped with the latest in in-car entertainment solutions featuring Dolby technologies. For lots more detail you can check out the full press release.

For more news from last week check out our news archive.

Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge

• Reviews that we are currently working on:
  Updated Santa Cruz/Sonic Fury and GameTheaterXP reviews
  Hercules Fortissimo II
  Terratec DMX Xfire 1024
  CMedia CM8738 Reference Review
  Full Audigy Review
  Full Philips MMS305 Review
  
• There are several other hardware reviews in the pipeline including, but not limited to the following:
  Guillemot Maxi Sound MUSE
  Terratec m3po
  DigMedia MusicStore
  Philips Seismic Edge
  Lots of other stuff on the go in including several guides and major site revisions that we will soon be releasing more details on.