No one ever talks about audio when announcing new consoles, so it’s refreshing for Sony to place a huge spotlight on an oft-overlooked component. Those of you who’ve experienced sound on PlayStation VR will know what a huge game changer 3D audio can be, and it’s one of the core tenets of the PlayStation 5 courtesy of the Tempest Engine.
It works like this: sound in PlayStation 4 games stems from a single source. Rain, for example, is comprised of a single sound effect, adding to the overall soundscape. With the PS5, rain will comprise hundreds of different rain droplets hitting the ground and scenery all around you. The end result is a greater sense of “presence” – it’s like you’re part of the scene.
The technology gets ridiculously complex when you consider that Sony is taking into account different ear and skull shapes to simulate the sound profile precisely, but all you really need to know is that games are going to sound great on PS5. You won’t even need any fancy equipment, as the tech’s been tailored to take advantage of headphones first and foremost – although it will be later optimised for surround sound and more.
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I'm really excited about this.
After seeing that presentation I’m really excited about a lot of things. But I’m technical enough to appreciate just how much they showed off that they know their stuff and did their homework.
This is just another example of that, where they talked to devs and realized that they never dedicate console resources to sound because of other priorities....
This is one of those things, much like VR itself, that can't be translated into words or a presentation. It will need to be experienced to fully grasp the just how much this offers.
Maybe they're talking a different kind of 3D, but if it's anything like what cinemas have come to do (improvements notwithstanding, I mean the general purpose)... then it goes into the same "probably neat but overwhelmingly dispensable" bin where I tend to put all the high definitions and ray tracings. The basic stereo of my ten buck Panasonic headphones has always served all my demands on all media fronts - including aurally immersive representatives of the horror genre. Still, it's their choices that make a new console, not my preferences.
That is gonna require some good headphones, though. The TV sound is probably bad for this.
How it differs from the 3D audio of the competition that can use audio rays to trace the way sound bounces around an environment and reaches the ear - like ray tracing does with light - we shall see. 3D audio is available on games now on the competition but both seem to be stepping that up for the next gen...
I’m really excited for this after buying a decent pair of Sony headphones. Their virtual surround even on them is hugely impressive with live music so I can totally see how it would make a game sound incredible. I’ve already noticed in certain games that the surround sound is impressive with headphones.
@RenanKJ well it does say at end of artilcle "You won’t even need any fancy equipment, as the tech’s been tailored to take advantage of headphones first and foremost – although it will be later optimised for surround sound and more." I have the vr and that was first time i used headphones for gaming and it blew me away, now i constantly play games with headphones provided with the vr, so hopefully this will be even better
I hear what you did there...
@get2sammyb
Not about the SSD?
I thought that was the killer ps5 feature.
I’m really excited about the 3D audio feature, I love when games utilize that, but too few do.
@JJ2 It is, but I don't think this is getting the same amount of attention.
This technology is definitely taking gaming to the next level, I don't think people understand what it is but it goes far beyond anything on the market right now. Graphics are at a point and especially going into next generation, are at a point it immerses you into the game. Rainfall in games right now sound flat there is no real depth to sounds on games, you cannot pinpoint the sound in a game. Now imagine you can pinpoint the sound in a game but not only that, if it starts to rain you can hear that rain hit the floor all round you like your actually outside in rain. And you don't need specialized hardware, your PS5 does it for you hence 3D sound.
@nessisonett I've been looking for a good pair for a while now. Can you please share some details about the ones you have?
@naruball I bought Sony XM3 headphones, which are a bit pricey but very very nice. Their noise cancelling is fantastic and tailored to your ears so it’s different for everyone. The only drawback is that I have to plug them in to hear PS4 and PC gaming audio.
I’ve got a PSVR, I’ve got Sony’s gold headset. 3D audio just doesn’t “work” for me. I’ll stand by a steady sound source, say a water fountain, and I’ll turn my character around. I’ll hear it going left to right and getting quieter when it’s in “front” or “back” but I can never tell which is which. I’ll close my eyes and try to determine it, and I’ve got nothing.
This will be HUGE for horror games and i am intensely excited for this!!
Frankly, I'm not interested in buying a bunch of special audio equipment for my game systems right now.
@Heavyarms55 it's a good thing that you don't need to, according to Cerny.
@nessisonett Awesome. Thanks. I'll look them up
This is an exciting feature. Sound for me is most important than graphics. Bring it on Sony!
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