The Xbox Series X is going to feature dedicated audio hardware acceleration, which is definitely going to improve immersion for next-generation titles.
The inclusion of audio hardware acceleration in the next-gen Microsoft console has been confirmed today by the description of a GDC 2020 presentation that will be held on March 18th detailing the improvements of spatial sound. Microsoft's Senior Technical Audio Specialist Rober Ridihalgh will also be present.
Learn from the audio designers of Borderlands 3 and Gears of War 5 around how a collaboration between Microsoft, Dolby, and our middleware partners kicked off a revolution with spatial sound that turns any pair of headphones into a multi-dimensional gateway to another world. Attendees will dive deep into the audio design pipeline (Project Acoustics) and the relationship to dedicated hardware-acceleration on newer generation Xbox consoles.
With today's confirmation, both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will bring some serious sound improvements. Last year, it has been confirmed by Mark Cerny that the next-generation Sony console will feature a custom unit for 3D audio. Considering how important sound is for immersion, it will be interesting to see how audio production will change for next-generation console games.
As a gamer, it's been a little bit of a frustration that audio did not change too much between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. With the next console the dream is to show how dramatically different the audio experience can be when we apply significant amounts of hardware horsepower to it.
The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 launch later this year worldwide. Release dates have yet to be confirmed officially.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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