Immersive audio is a growing trend, with the rise of object-based surround sound technologies like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in the world of cinema, but how will immersive audio translate? in the world of video games? The PS5 is looming on the horizon, and while we don't know everything the next-gen console will offer, we do know that the PlayStation 5 will offer some very interesting audio technology, as well as ray tracing and back. - compatibility. In an interview with Wired in April 2019, the console's lead architect, Mark Cerny, confirmed that the PS5 would support what he calls "3D audio," something he says "will make you feel more immersed in the game as the sounds They come from above, behind and from the side". Although Cerny didn't explain exactly how the technology works, he did confirm that it would not require "any external hardware" as the audio chip is part of the third-generation AMD Ryzen chipset that will power the PlayStation 5.
Why should gamers care about 3D audio?
Imagine how captivating puzzle games like Fez would be if you could hear the bubbling synths as you find your next clue. (Image credit: Polytron Corporation / Trapdoor) The benefits of playing a game "when the sounds are coming from above, behind and to the side" are many. In addition to making the game experience more immersive, it could give you more accurate hints and hints when you play the game. Imagine how the experience of playing a first-person battle royale game like Fortnite would be transformed if you could eavesdrop on your enemy's footsteps without buying a virtual surround sound gaming headset. Or how many more fascinating puzzle games like Fez would be if you could listen to the synths bubbling as you manage to find your next clue. Speaking to Wired, Cerny admitted that there was "frustration that the audio doesn't change much between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4." "With the next console, the dream is to show how radically different the audio experience can be when we apply significant amounts of hardware power to it." So we can be pretty sure that the PlayStation 3's 5D audio chip will be a vast improvement over the sound quality produced by the PlayStation 4, and with the PS5's release date set for March, we're not sure. ; you may not have to wait long to find out.
The first Dolby Atmos compatible with PlayStation?
(Image credit: Dolby) Although the PS5's audio specs have yet to be revealed, the 3D audio chip Cerny alluded to could provide Dolby Atmos sound, putting it in direct competition with the Xbox One. could this mean for gamers using the PS5? Well, to understand this, you first need to know a bit more about how Dolby Atmos works. Dolby Atmos is an audio format that allows you to enjoy the sound of your music, TV shows, movies, and games in a 360-degree sphere. It's designed to give your audio the feeling of being in three dimensions; For example, imagine the difference between hearing a helicopter flying a few hundred meters away and directly overhead. Sound designers for movies and TV shows can achieve this by placing different sounds and effects at different points on this virtual sphere, which in turn correspond to the placement of the speakers in your living room. When you play the movie with Dolby Atmos-compatible audio devices, you'll be able to hear the effects moving around you, just as the sound engineers intended. In an ideal world, we would all have speakers attached to our ceilings to fully transmit the sound of this helicopter flying overhead; Of course, this is not a reality for the most part. This is where Dolby Atmos soundbars and speakers come into play; These hard-working gizmos bounce audio beams off the ceiling and then onto your ears, using upward-facing tweeters. There's a catch, though: Cerny said no external gear would be needed for the PS3's 5D audio chip to take effect. It also excludes Sony's 360 Reality Audio codec, which requires compatible headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3 or speakers like the Amazon Echo Studio to work. So without specialized spatial audio equipment, how could the PS5 be truly immersive?
Mix it up
(Image credit: Shutterstock.com) The answer lies in Dolby Atmos upmixing, which Microsoft introduced on Xbox One X in 2019. This clever technology can take a non-Dolby Atmos source and transform it into an approximation of Dolby Atmos sound.
The effect is not as immersive as real-source encoded Dolby Atmos, but since the overmix technology was developed by Dolby itself, you can be pretty sure that overmixed audio will deliver more sound power than unmixed sources. .
While true Dolby Atmos requires speakers or a soundbar with tweeters upward to drive the sound up to the ceiling, Virtual Atmos requires no special hardware.
Called Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, this audio processing simulates the experience of sound through listener-level speakers (like the ones in your TV). It works by applying tone signal filters to any aerial audio component, such as the helicopter, before they are mixed down to the listener-level speakers.
It is a technology based on psychoacoustics, or in simple terms, the study of how the human ear and brain perceive sound. According to Dolby, the filters applied to the air audio components simulate "the natural spectral signals transmitted by the human ear to the upper sounds," essentially tricking your brain in the process.
Dolby Atmos should normally be applied when mixing a soundtrack, but the overmixing technology used by Xbox One X can transform non-Atmos formats into a virtual immersive version of the technology. With the PS5 confirmed to be backward compatible, the use of such technology could pave the way for the revival of older games with 3D sound.
So while we don't yet know the ins and outs of the PlayStation 3's 5D audio chip, it seems likely that it supports Dolby Atmos overmixing, similar to what we saw on the Xbox One X.
It is important to note that any overmixed audio source, played through your TV's small speakers, will not be as powerful as Dolby Atmos played through an upstream soundbar, and even that is not as good as The real Atmos was played through a large ceiling speaker.
For those who don't want to rely on their disappointing TV speakers, a new soundbar doesn't have to be a huge investment; In fact, some of the best soundbars of 2020 are really affordable.
Sony's HT-X8500 soundbar supports Dolby Atmos and costs just € 299 / € 350 / AU € 599, and now that it is a bit older, retailers who lower this price hope to switch stock.
If you've already installed a speaker that you don't want to get rid of, additional speakers like the PSB Imagine XA can be purchased to bring Dolby Atmos back to your current setup; however, it can be expensive.
Don't want to spend all that money on new equipment? Even using your TV speakers, virtual Dolby Atmos will probably seem much more immersive than unmixed audio. Cerny himself has said that headphone audio would be "the gold standard" when it comes to gaming on the PS5, and most of us have a pair of headphones at home.
Hopefully everything will be revealed in the coming weeks, and it could be that Sony has chosen to use a completely different technology than Dolby Atmos.