343 Industries has released another Halo Infinite blog, this time detailing the game’s audio, and after reading through, it sounds like you’re going to want to pick up a nice pair of headphones.
The extensive rundown details the time and effort that has been put into the game’s audio, and how delivering the series’ best sound has been a big focus. From weapons to enemy noises, the classic Halo effects will be back, cleaner and crisper than before. One of the ways the team is doing this is through Virtual Surround Sound, which is a first for the franchise and intended to add another level of immersion to the game.
This audio system will give players full 3D audio, allowing them to hear everything around them. A custom setup has been put in place to make this happen and is sounding to be the definitive way to play Halo Infinite. Probably a good time to pick up the Xbox Wireless Headset, eh?
“One other way we’re increasing spatial awareness in Halo Infinite is through Virtual Surround Sound. Halo Infinite will be the first Halo title to support the Virtual Surround Sound technologies Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, and DTS Headphone:X. These spatial audio technologies allow us to make sounds feel like they’re playing from behind or above you, when you’re only wearing stereo headphones.
We’ve created a custom setup for our in-game sounds so that you get a clear separation between spatial and non-spatial content. This way, whether playing over headphones or on a surround sound system, you can very clearly tell exactly where your enemies are when you’re in combat.”
The full blog post goes into tons more detail than we could cover, but if you’re interested in the sound design for Halo, we fully recommend checking it out. The team has also provided an audio sample for one of the game’s environments which sounds haunting and immersive. We keep getting new breadcrumbs of information every few weeks. It’s great to be kept in the loop on the game’s development and these updates are increasingly getting us more excited for the final release this Fall. Bring it on.
Are you happy to see Virtual Surround Sound in Halo Infinite? Let us know in the comments below.
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