Next Level Of Realism: Audio In Surround Sound (NAPSA)—The holidays are approaching, and people are thinking about what gifts to add to their wish list. Last holiday season, teens and adults alike were clamoring to get their hands on the newly released Xbox videogame console and the everpopular PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Now that many families own a system and are enjoying games filled with top-of-the-line computer graphics, you may ask, “What’s next?” Audio is the answer. Just like the movie theaters, surround sound technology can create a larger-than-life cinematic experience for videogame players. In the majority of videogames on the shelf, the player’s experience is made more realistic as sounds come from nearly every direction. These audio cues increase accuracy and realism during gameplay, allowing gamers to actually hear what’s behind them. People are becoming savvy to the enhancements that surround sound provides, and are hooking their consoles up to hometheater systems. Almost every Xbox gameis created specifically for use on a home theater system, while more than half of the best-selling titles for PlayStation 2 and mostof the latest GameCube gamesarealso created for surround sound environments. To get the complete experience, gamers can invest in a reasonablypriced surround system. For example, “home theater in a box” systems are extremely powerful and can produce great sound Surround sound systems help make videogame play even more realistic. for around $300. Even those on a strict budget can enjoy games in stunning surround sound by purchasing a product called a “personal surround system.” These generally sell for about $150, and although they aren’t as powerful as home theater systems, they produce verylifelike sound. In a survey recently commis- sioned by IGN.com, 37 percent of all gamers stated that they currently play videogames on a home theatre system with Dolby Digital 5.1. This number continues to grow, and you can bet that this holiday season, people everywhere will be hoping for a surround sound system underthe tree. To find out more about connecting your gaming console to a home theater system, visit Dolby Laboratories’ Web site at www.dolby.com/ games.
