Asustek Computer, a leading maker of computer hardware and notebooks, admitted in a statement on Thursday that accusations of Creative Technology regarding software-based support of video game audio technologies by its audio cards are correct. Nevertheless, Asus defended its Xonar-series of audio cards and said that its software techniques are completely legitimate and provide high-quality user experience.
“Our implementation is not a 1:1 reproduction of EAX 5.0,” an Asustek Computer spokesperson admitted.
Asustek Computer recently unveiled its new Xonar DX PCI Express 7.1 discrete audio card claiming that its new device supports Creative Technology’s Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) 5.0 and allow gamers to enjoy higher quality audio in games. But Creative Technology claimed that Asus audio cards do not support EAX 5.0 at all and can only emulate it using software, thus, providing lower quality user experience or even not providing true experience at all. However, Asustek disagrees.
According to the large Taiwan-based maker of computer hardware, Asustek’s DS3D GX 2.0 technology allows users the choice to universally access gaming audio effects that would otherwise be locked behind specific X-Fi cards and ALchemy-patched game title.
“While we do respect the capability of a dedicated DSP processor to offload the CPU work, we believe performance differences will continue to diminish based on the power of today’s popular CPUs. We also expect more game developers to adopt software DSP effects for their flexibility and universally guaranteed user experiences. That being said, Asus will continue responding to customer requests with products that unite the best in consumer audio with the most innovative features,” the spokesperson of Asustek said.
The situation with EAX as well as hardware-accelerated audio support under Microsoft Windows Vista is rather complicated. The operating system does not allow using hardware-accelerated audio with the help of DirectSound/Direct3D, however, hardware acceleration of audio processing may be exposed either through OpenAL application programming interface or through Creative Technology’s ALChemy driver.
Asustek also described the way that Asus Xonar supports EAX technologies developed by Creative Labs. According to Asus, the solution involves:
- Enabling EAX 5.0 sound setting in game.
- Redirecting DirectSound3D.
- Hardware and EAX calls to the DS3D GX core.
- Upgrading the DS3D GX engine.
Asus DS3D GX engine features the following, according to the manufacturer:
- Revives multi-channel (128 voice) 3D positional sounds and enhanced environmental reverberation effects on Vista for most DirectSound 3D HW compatible games including EAX 2.0/5.0 game titles.
- Installs automatically with driver updates. DS3D GX aims to be more convenient and intuitive than Creative’s ALchemy solution, which requires users to manually setup and assign games into the support list. Moreover, ASUS does not charge its users for driver upgrades.
- Retains vivid 3D sound and EAX effects for Vista users in most existing titles that do not support OpenAL.
- Allows users to reproduce comparable 3D positional sounds and EAX effects to native EAX 5.0 sound devices in EAX 5.0 game titles, instead of reverting to stereo, 2D, or Windows-emulated 3D sounds.
- Features VocalFX voice processing technology, which can apply realistic reverberations to users’ voices relevant to the dynamic in-game landscapes (VoiceEX), emulates background scenes as you use online chat (ChatEX), and modifies vocal pitches to disguise a user’s identity (Magic Voice).
Comments currently:
15
Discussion started: 03/27/08 02:20:13 PM
Latest comment: 03/29/08 08:14:21 PM
Expand all threads |
Collapse all threads
[1-7]
1.
GO ASUS GO!!!
After hearing this, I'd buy one of your sound card instead of Creative's X-Crap
[
Posted by: :o
|
Date: 03/27/08 02:20:14 PM]
2.
Thats because you dont understand they are selling you software crap and using bunch of hypes and lies to convince people that software solution is better because its more compatible. In that case we can use Software Reference Rasterizer and even with worst integrateg graphics 10 years old you would have all features of todays best graphics cards, also all game would run perfectly without any compatibility problems. BUT ITS SLOW! Thats why there are graphics cards, sound cards, I/O hardware, etc, etc, because although all that can be done in software its SLOW. So this ASUS crap is another taiwan CRAP which if adopted by fools will destroy Creative and we will lose good sound forever. Actually for solution they offer you dont need sound card at ALL. They could be selling software which just installs and you get same shit like with their card. Why did they make cards? Well to sell them to people who do not understand basic things, and maybe because of ports (in that case Xonar should cost $7, and should be named audio port card).
[
Posted by: BorgDrone
|
Date: 03/27/08 05:33:18 PM]
+ expand thread (3 answers)
- collapse thread
Slow? How slow? Can you provide some data here? I don't understand why it can't be done in software if physic engine can be done in software.
[
Posted by: nickname
|
Date: 03/27/08 07:32:50 PM]
As I told you, everything can be done in software. But they are selling HARDWARE which has software on it and call it sound card. No one is selling you physics card which does calculations in software as HARDWARE solution. Also no one is selling graphics cards which calculate everything in software and call it graphics card. Only thing similar to this is software modem, but it costs $7 as it should and it is for budget users. But making software card for "gamers" and "extreme" users called Xonar is pathetic.
There is big difference between hardware and software in sound like in everything else. I simply dont understand how people cant see that they are trying to cheat users, they actually lied. You will never find in their marketing materials word SOFTWARE related to this card inner workings. As a matter of fact they are so disguisting I will try to avoid their products as much as I can from now on.
[
Posted by: BorgDrone
|
Date: 03/28/08 03:01:02 AM]
Even Creative has software on it and it call "driver". The way Xonar process EAX is it processes EAX at driver (or software if you prefer) level while Xi-Fi processes EAX at hardware level. You can't compare graphic card to sound card because CPU isn't optimized for floating point and vector calculation and it's too much for CPU to handle. However, compare to video processing, sound processing is much easier to process. Many CPU nowaday has 2 or even 4 cores, I don't see any reason why "software" solution can't be done. BTW, AFAIK, Asus never claim that Xonar processes EAX at hardware level and somehow some people assuming it will be done at hardware level.
[
Posted by: nickname
|
Date: 03/28/08 09:55:30 AM]
3.
Kudos to Asus....
Finally someone is hearing customers voice.
The point of a sound card is not just the effects, but also the sound quality, which Asus is catching up way to fast for Creative to catch up....
Go Asus Go!!
[
Posted by: kudos
|
Date: 03/27/08 08:00:36 PM]
+ expand thread (3 answers)
- collapse thread
Fake is fake.
Get your hearing tested.
[
Posted by: Here we go again
|
Date: 03/28/08 12:13:00 AM]
...speaking of hearing, would anyone even be able to distinuish an EAX5 effect over an EAX4 effect? I guess all we'd have to do is count 64 unique sounds in a game until the 65th sound replaces the first.
[
Posted by: uh..
|
Date: 03/28/08 12:43:34 AM]
No, you dont have to count voices, but complete experience changes a lot. Maybe you did not try it, but try playing for example UT3 with OpenAL and software. You dont need to count anything, the moment you turn hardware on you start enjoying the great sound. If we are trying to emulate reality I think even 64 simultaneous sounds are not enough (think busy city, or shopping center), not to mention doppler effects, 3d positional sound, various elements that blocks sounds or partly block them, echo, position of our head, sound of wind, teperature, air pressure and another 50 things that affect how we hear but are currently to slow to implement even in hardware. If ultimate goal is to have as realistic enviroment as we can I think we shouldnt go back, but forward like we do with graphics cards.
[
Posted by: BorgDrone
|
Date: 03/28/08 03:10:19 AM]
4.
go bankrupt Creative, go! may the Aureal ghost haunt you forever!
[
Posted by: ava
|
Date: 03/28/08 03:39:41 AM]
5.
I just do not believe anyone over 12 years of age could get excited over yet another ridiculous marketing claim from ASUS. Unless you (:o, ava, kudos and co.) are high on crack. In this case please note the after-effects of using crack include anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks. It is good to see you guys are high and could wet yourselves over some BS marketing claims, this time round from ASUS,
but coke aint good for you. It is not worth it, even for the sake of having that job.
[
Posted by: Go Go give me some more BS
|
Date: 03/28/08 04:31:46 AM]
+ expand thread (1 answer)
- collapse thread
Creative's bs marketing claims take the cake though.
CMSS? I think i'll go with Xonar's Dolby features, thanks..
24 bit Crystalizer? How about using fundamentally cleaner DACs, OPamps and solid state capacitors?
109db SNR? best I ever got out of my X-fi was 98db...
[
Posted by: yeah but
|
Date: 03/29/08 02:04:33 PM]
6.
The new Xonar DX $89 only, I'll give it a try what every you guys think. I'm just fed up by the noise comes out from my onboard audio to my headphone whenever i move my mouse or HDD reads. But, that's still better than my Creative experience.
Creative? not in another million years. I think Creative is one of the most pathetic standard owner in the IT industry.
As to Asus, I don't see them doing anytihing wrong at least they seems to make some nice card and aslo seems getting better.
[
Posted by: Nice
|
Date: 03/28/08 09:11:20 AM]
7.
All PS3 and X360 do their audio work via software routines. But the actual experience of gaming audio in these consoles so far are far better than any Creative offering. Notice that both PS3 and 360 can output Dolby Digital 5.1 real time why Creative can't!
I have no idea how come Creative can charge over $200 for their crappie sound card.
[
Posted by: Creative is suck
|
Date: 03/29/08 06:22:20 AM]
+ expand thread (1 answer)
- collapse thread
Creative can't output 5.1 in real time in games?! Dude, excuse me, are you stoned? BTW, EAX it's not positioning the sound in a 5.1 enviroment. It's waaaaaay more than that! Try a wikipedia search to see the capabilities of EAX 5...
[
Posted by: tavix
|
Date: 03/29/08 08:14:21 PM]
[1-7]
Make Home Page
Add to Favorites
XbitLabs is using Twitter
Windows Live Alerts
