Does the Nintendo Wii have 5.1 dolby digital in game?

[Anthony1]

You know, I don't think I've ever heard anybody mention whether or not the Nintendo Wii can do in game Dolby Digital 5.1 on the fly or not. I haven't heard anything about there being a optical output on the back or anything like that. I'm assuming in the year 2006 that all consoles should have this as a standard, but with Nintendo you never know. Considering the Wii is a Cube 1.5 with a gimmick controller, I'm not so sure it has the raw horsepower to do 5.1 on the fly, or if Nintendo really even thought about that. It would be a damn shame if that's the case. The GameCube had Dolby Pro-Logic II as it's best audio level, and while Pro-Logic II can almost sound like discrete audio channels, it doesn't quite do the trick. True discrete audio, is the way to go.


I've been enjoying 5.1 sound on the fly since the day the Xbox 1 was launched, and I've also been enjoying it with the Xbox 360, and finally Sony will have a system that can do 5.1 sound on the fly too. Hopefully Nintendo isn't going to have the only system that can't do 5.1 on the fly. Once you get used to that discrete sound, it's quite noticeable when you don't hear it.

[slip81]

Yeah it would be nice if the Wii had it. But something tells me that PR II is the best we're gonna get. Like you said, no one has mentioned it so far, so it was probably left out to cut costs like the Hi-Def was.

[Garry Silljo]

Quit being a damn snob. Not everyone has all the money to blow on the shit necessary to enjoy all of these things. As a matter of fact, poor people who cant afford suround sound speakers and HD shit far outnumber those who can. I think Nintendo should be commended with designing their system for ANY one to play and enjoy, no matter which tax bracket they are in.

Can we make one dedicated thread for Anthony to bitch about how spoiled he is?

[Anthony1]

Quit being a damn snob. Not everyone has all the money to blow on the shit necessary to enjoy all of these things. As a matter of fact, poor people who cant afford suround sound speakers and HD shit far outnumber those who can. I think Nintendo should be commended with designing their system for ANY one to play and enjoy, no matter which tax bracket they are in.

Can we make one dedicated thread for Anthony to bitch about how spoiled he is?


Oh my God, I'm such a spoiled brat, lol. You've got to be kidding me. Stop making fucking excuses for Nintendo and their lazyness to keep up with modern times. How many times do you see me bitching about the Nintendo Wii's lack of HD visuals? I might have complained about it once, when I first found out about it, but that was it. I haven't complained since first finding out. I actually don't have that big of a problem with them not having HD visuals, because I know what kind of hit 720p can take on a game engine, and with the Wii being underpowered, no 720p is probably a good thing. Also, I've heard that the Wii is fully capable of 480p and widescreen, and supposedly the majority of Wii games at e3 were running in 480p and widescreen on plasma monitors or lcd monitors and the games looked great. I know how good games can look in 480p and widescreen, so I don't necessarily think it's such a trajedy that we don't have 720p or 1080i visuals with the Wii.

Would I have liked them? Sure, but it's not a make or break issue. As for Dolby Digital 5.1, it's pretty freaking ridiculous if they don't have that, because from what I understand there is like a zero performance hit for it. And in regards to having an optical output plug on the back, you can go to any Wal-Mart and get a $19.99 DVD player that will have an optical output on the back, so that's no big deal at all.

The year is 2006, by the way. This isn't 1999, or 2000. Dolby Digital 5.1 doesn't create a performance hit, the Wii could easily handle it. There is no logical reason not to support it other than pure apathy. Now, does this mean the Wii is worthless or I won't play it? No. It's just another dissapointing thing about the Wii, but what can you do?



As for me being spoiled, get real bro. I'm a 35 year old male, and I'm far from wealthy. In fact you probably make more per hour than I do. Do I have a fancy stereo system? Yes, I do, but that's just because I really like home theater. Does that make me a little spoiled brat? I personally don't think so. Maybe you are into mountain bikes, and you have a $1000 mountain bike, well I don't. I have a decent little home theater that I enjoy, but I guarantee there are other DP members that have home theaters that would put mine to shame. It's not like my Home Theater setup costs thousands and thousands of dollars. You can get cheapo 5.1 setups for like $149.99 that include speakers and a subwoofer. It's not like this is some new radical technology. I'm not talking about Blu Ray or HD-DVD here, we are just talking about Dolby Digital. Even the PS2 had Dolby Digital and DTS, it just didn't support it "in game".

Again, this isn't going to change me buying a Wii or not, but it is slightly dissapointing. Nothing more, nothing less.

[ozyr]

Um..... I agree with Garry Silljo. You do seem to rag on Nintendo too much. It's just my opinion, so take it as it is - nothing more, nothing less.

And I don't care if it is 2006. I've never used 5.1 or any special sound system for any game system I have. I don't use HD either - and don't plan on doing so for some time. That stuff just cost too much. I'll wait around 5 or so years until the stuff is reasonable.

[Emuaust]

Anthony please dont take this the wrong way as I mean no
offence by this at all, but maybe its time to find another message
board?

You see with my experience and lon long time lurking you
dont seem to fit the DP Modern Gaming board, you see if you
ever mention nintendo is no good or that Sony are actually good
then you are flamed constantly and treated like a leper,
Rose coloured glasses and all that crap.


As for the topic at hand I do actually agree with you here as
surround sound is becoming so main stream and affordable,
coupled with the fact that it actually can improve the immersiveness
of a title I can say that I would be a little peeved if nintendo
overlooked this, But hey if you look at there stratergy with
this console they havent followed what gamers want instead
of telling gamers what they want, It could majorly backfire on them yet.

[Lothars]

Anthony please dont take this the wrong way as I mean no
offence by this at all, but maybe its time to find another message
board?

You see with my experience and lon long time lurking you
dont seem to fit the DP Modern Gaming board, you see if you
ever mention nintendo is no good or that Sony are actually good
then you are flamed constantly and treated like a leper,
Rose coloured glasses and all that crap.


As for the topic at hand I do actually agree with you here as
surround sound is becoming so main stream and affordable,
coupled with the fact that it actually can improve the immersiveness
of a title I can say that I would be a little peeved if nintendo
overlooked this, But hey if you look at there stratergy with
this console they havent followed what gamers want instead
of telling gamers what they want, It could majorly backfire on them yet.

I disagree fully I don't think Anthony1 is fine here, I do agree sometimes with him and other times I don't

I also disagree with you about the board being primarly Nintendo and against Sony

I think that it's because Sony has made alot of mistakes but so has Microsoft

but with Nintendo nobody knows if they plan to have 5.1 surround, or really much info on the Wii yet

I do agree though I think it's an nice feature and I hope it's on the Wii but if it's not it's not the end of the world

it's all good though.

[SirDrexl]

Yeah, it wouldn't be a performance hit. They would just need to include the Dolby Interactive Content Encoder (I think that's what it's called) with the system, which shouldn't add much to the cost. Someone on another board suggested that it could be that Nintendo doesn't want to pay Dolby the licensing fee for each game (although I would assume there's a fee for DPLII).

The thing that disappoints me about it not having 5.1 is that this system is going to be great for first-person games, and those are just the games where 5.1 really enhances the experience.

[c0ldb33r]

Can we make one dedicated thread for Anthony to bitch about how spoiled he is?

lol - I don't necessarily agree with this statement, but it was funny to read LOL

As for the dolby 5.1 - I couldn't really care. I use my TV speakers for audio, so as long as it supports stereo sound, I'm happy ;)

[Hep038]

WOW this board has gone WAY pro Nintendo if people get called spoiled brats just because they ask if Wii is going to have 5.1.

If you READ his post he WANTS the Wii to have 5.1. I do not see that as bashing, I see it as Anthony wanting the wii to compete with the other systems in areas he feels is important to him, which we all know is the technical side of the systems.


Of course I will get bashed for defending a suspected Nintendo basher. x_x

[LucidDefender]

As someone who's been gaming on 5.1 systems on PCs for many many years, and on all the current gen consoles(including 360), I think that DPL2 is good enough. I've heard some excellent use of it in a few Gamecube titles. Sure, DD 5.1 would be better, but I'm satisfied with DPL2.

[slip81]

Woah, what with all the hate flames against Anthony? All he did was ask if the Wii was going to do 5.1. If you don't have 5.1 or you don't care about it, don't respond in this thread, there is no need to thread crap the guy for asking a question.

He, along with myself and many other gamers have 5.1 (actually I have 7.1, how's that for being a snob?) And was just wondering if the system would support it, since it hasn't been mention yet. I didn't get a vibe of him "bitching" about it, it seemd that he simply had a question that no answer had been provided to yet.

And to answer the question, a quick search on wikipedia yealds that the system supports stereo and dolby pro logic II. There is no mention of dicrete 5.1 audio.

[c0ldb33r]

If they don't mention it, I'd assume they won't be including it. Because otherwise it'd be dumb to not advertise a potential selling point.

[sega-trader]

I seem to remember reading (possibly on joystiq.com) That Wii will not to DolbyDigital and won't even have a digital audio out. Additionally no HD video support, but I think we all knew that.

I can understand passing on HD video, but not having DD audio is just lame. It is on $15 dvd players so I have a hard time believing it is a cost thing.

[slip81]

I seem to remember reading (possibly on joystiq.com) That Wii will not to DolbyDigital and won't even have a digital audio out. Additionally no HD video support, but I think we all knew that.

I can understand passing on HD video, but not having DD audio is just lame. It is on $15 dvd players so I have a hard time believing it is a cost thing.

It may not be a hardware cost thing. It's probably done to keep game costs down. Like the decision to axe HD support, it's probably cheaper to develop the games in stereo and let the user's system matrix the sound than it is to develop full 5.1 audio. You gotta figure it's cheaper and faster to mix only two channels of sound vs. five plus a subwoofer.

Personally I don't care. I love dicreet audio and definately think it sounds worlds better than PR II. But if I want to game in High Def with bullets whizzing everywhere and cars crashing in the background I'll play my 360.

I'm mainly getting a Wii as a party system, and something to play in short bursts when I don't want to or have time for a long gaming session. And since the Wii is designed for that, and it's going to be cheap, the decision to cut non essential features makes sense.

I think Nintendo is doing the right thing, they've basically been a multiplayer company since the days of N64, and really, when you're having fun with a bunch of friends in a game like Mario Kart or Mario Party or Goldeneye, HD and DD isn't really that big of a concern.

[Joker T]

I think it's good having Anthony1 around. In this day and age High Definiton and 5.1 sound are becoming more and more popular and many people on DP seem to be intrested in adopting new technology and he seems to be very knowledgeable on it.

And you don't need to be rich to have a decent 5.1 system, companies sell "Home Theaters In a Box" for under $200 and that includes everything with it, they may not have the sound quality of a full blown 5.1 setup but they are easy to setup and sound pretty great in my opinion.

[norkusa]

And you don't need to be rich to have a decent 5.1 system, companies sell "Home Theaters In a Box" for under $200 and that includes everything with it, they may not have the sound quality of a full blown 5.1 setup but they are easy to setup and sound pretty great in my opinion.

True. I got my 5.1 receiver at Goodwill for $20. Got the JBL front, center, and rear channel speakers there for another $20 too. Still looking for a sub but I'll eventually pick one up when I find a cheapie at the thrifts.

A decent sound system can easily be had for next to nothing if you know where to look.

[Garry Silljo]

WOW this board has gone WAY pro Nintendo if people get called spoiled brats just because they ask if Wii is going to have 5.1.

If you READ his post he WANTS the Wii to have 5.1. I do not see that as bashing, I see it as Anthony wanting the wii to compete with the other systems in areas he feels is important to him, which we all know is the technical side of the systems.


Of course I will get bashed for defending a suspected Nintendo basher. x_x

My calling him spoiled had nothing to do with company loyalty. It had to do with a disease I have called "Anthony1annoysthef'ingpissoutofme-itis." It's actually a common disease that many suffer from. My comment wasnt based entirely on this thread but was the sum of countless annoyances from countless threads finally boiling over the top.

In response to Anthony1's earlier rebuttal. I don't have a $1000 mountain bike. My car didnt even cost $1000. If I had something that I desired enough to even pay that much for, I couldn't anyway. So go back your "wah wah, Companies aren't giving me all the snobby shit I desire" posts, I'll just ignore them in the future.

P.S. Even if I wanted to play my old games in RGB I never will, just because I'm so f'ing tired of you pushing the @#$%, and will not appease you.

[jajaja]

Wii is not a next-gen console, even Nintendo themself say that. They dropped alot of the good parts to save money so its no big suprise if its missing this and that. We'll see how well it turns out.


Quit being a damn snob. Not everyone has all the money to blow on the shit necessary to enjoy all of these things. As a matter of fact, poor people who cant afford suround sound speakers and HD shit far outnumber those who can. I think Nintendo should be commended with designing their system for ANY one to play and enjoy, no matter which tax bracket they are in.

You can get a pretty good 4.1/5.1 system for a decent price so owning a suround system isnt categorized as "snob", since its actually quite common. Its true that not everyone have the money to buy a sound system like this, but saying that its shit and not needed is wrong. You dont need it, but if you experienced good 5.1 sound you dont want to go back, and it totaly enhance the experience.

[Anthony1]

Of course I will get bashed for defending a suspected Nintendo basher. x_x


Ok, the whole fanboy thing is just so funny to me. I really get a kick out of being a "suspected" Nintendo basher, or being considered a fanboy for either Sony or Microsoft or whatever. How many times have I stated that I think the Super Nintendo is the best console of all time, pound for pound? Many times I think. I rank SNES No.1 all time, with the PC Engine/TG-16 and it's various forms No.2. I bought the SNES the day it came out. The N64 the day it came out. The GameCube the day it came out. It's extremely likely I'll be buying the Wii the day it comes out (hey, I got a streak to protect, but it better be $199)

Just because I don't treat everything Nintendo does with kiddie gloves, like they can do no wrong, doesn't mean I'm anywhere close to being a "Nintendo Basher". I do understand that there are lots of hardcore Nintendo loyalists on these boards that have a very hard time with any criticism of Nintendo whatsoever. It isn't shocking that they would be pissed off at some of my posts regarding Nintendo. I will definitely admit that I'm not a Nintendo fanboy, so I'm not going to give them a free pass on any thing they do that I don't agree with. I can talk about this more and more but F it, I'll leave it at that.

Also, Hep038, this isn't directed at you. I just highlighted your quote because I think it illustrates a mis-conception about me as a anti-Nintendo person. Truth be told, I really shouldn't even be defending myself about this, because I really shouldn't even care if people get the wrong impression of me. But alas, I'm human and I do care if people get the wrong impression of me. At least I care a little bit.

[skaar]

I don't think it's too fancy to expect 5.1. Any receiver made in the last 4 years generally supports it, and it's not like speakers are expensive. Hell, I was using some free towers I got off the side of the road for the last few years.

This was a legit (if opinionated) question and I would like to know if the Wii actually will support it. I quite like optical 5.1 outputs on devices, less wires ;)

Has this question actually been answered?

[slip81]

Has this question actually been answered?

I think I probably answered it as best we're gonna get untill the actual console is released. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_wii) states that the console supports stereo and dolby pro logic II. There is no mention anywhere of an optical out port, or any support for discret audio.

[Anthony1]

The Xbox 360 doesn't have an optical output port either, and neither did the Xbox 1, they both put the optical plug on the A/V breakout cable, so there is still a slight possibility the same thing could happen with the Wii, but some websites have reported that there definitely will not be 5.1 digital sound for the Wii, that they are going with Pro Logic II again.

The only question I have, is does Nintendo still have any engineers on their payroll? If so, why didn't they think about giving it the best sound possible? To be honest, I just don't think Nintendo really gives a damn about that, and I while I appaud their gameplay over everything stance, I will say for the umpteenth time that gameplay and good graphics and sounds are not mutually exclusive, you can actually have everything. Just look at Dead Rising. Dead Rising has fantastic 5.1 sound, fantastic gameplay and very solid HD visuals. Call of Duty 2 is another great example of incredible 5.1, HD visuals and excellent gameplay.


I must also say again, that I understand the lack of HD visuals, it makes very good sense considering the mass market from jump street pricepoint they want to have, and the kind of GPU they would need to really push HD visuals. I'm over that. 480p support and widescreen support is perfectly fine. But the Dolby Digital 5.1 thing comes at no cost from a performance hit standpoint, and I think would actually add zero cost to the console as well. They don't even need to put an optical port on the back of the Wii, as neither Xbox has a optical port on the back of the actual system.

[Half Japanese]

So I've only learned one thing from this thread:

NO ONE CAN HAVE NICE THINGS UNTIL GARRY SILLJO CAN AFFORD THEM.

What a ludicrous belief system that is. Driving a Hummer is snobby. Wanting a next-gen console to have decent sound options is not. Anthony1 is a home theater nut, and I can respect his hobby being a mild (albeit cheap) one myself. If you want to play your games on that old beat up Magnavox with mono sound, be my guest, but don't rag on the rest of us for stepping it up a notch.

Shit. I almost forgot to ask how much your shoes cost Garry. I wanted to make sure I can still wear my modest $40 kicks without offending you or appearing snobby.

[Kid Ice]

IMO surround sound is one of the most overrated technologies around. I don't think most people would even notice the difference between surround and just having a bunch of speakers set up around the room. I'm sure with the right equipment set up the right way it sounds amazing, but it's rare that I encounter that in a movie theater, much less my own home or someone else's. Luckily most of these systems come with a nice big subwoofer, so even when I'm not impressed by the surround effects, they sure are loud.

In fact after years of fooling around with various technologies, I'm finding more and more that I enjoy gaming on a regular TV, with regular RCA video, and a nice set of stereo speakers.

[Garry Silljo]

So I've only learned one thing from this thread:

NO ONE CAN HAVE NICE THINGS UNTIL GARRY SILLJO CAN AFFORD THEM.

What a ludicrous belief system that is. Driving a Hummer is snobby. Wanting a next-gen console to have decent sound options is not. Anthony1 is a home theater nut, and I can respect his hobby being a mild (albeit cheap) one myself. If you want to play your games on that old beat up Magnavox with mono sound, be my guest, but don't rag on the rest of us for stepping it up a notch.

Shit. I almost forgot to ask how much your shoes cost Garry. I wanted to make sure I can still wear my modest $40 kicks without offending you or appearing snobby.

It's all about how it's said. There are people here who make Anthony1 look like a hobo with what they have and what they can afford, but I have no problem with them because they aren't ridiculously flaunty about it, and don't behave as though they are some how more enlightened by playing the newest stuff and or even the oldest stuff modded to fit their "only the best" trained palletes.

I don't care what anybody drives, and one CAN drive a hummer without being Snobby about it, unless they chew my ear off about it and try to make me sound or feel inferior for not following suit (Anthony1 and RGB). I also don't care if you pay too much for your shoes.

What bothers me is that Anthony1 is so confused that Nintendo would design a system for low-lifes like me instead for the few people who need discrete audio or they can't have an orgasm.

I can't afford a 360 or PS3 and I have not tried to bash any of their supporters. I'm happy they can have those things. Anthony1 however has to rag on the things I can have, simply because they aren't up to the standards he has set, and THAT is snobby. Let the Wii just be what it is, and if it's not enough for you pass on it already.

[jajaja]

I'm sure with the right equipment set up the right way it sounds amazing, but it's rare that I encounter that in a movie theater, much less my own home or someone else's.

Exactly :) To get the 100% true suround effect you must have placed the speakers at the right spot and at the right angle. The chair(s) must also be placed and the right place, same goes for the TV. There are some websites that help you calculate stuff like this and you can get help at stores who are specialized on sound systems :)

[Vinnysdad]

So I've only learned one thing from this thread:

NO ONE CAN HAVE NICE THINGS UNTIL GARRY SILLJO CAN AFFORD THEM.

What a ludicrous belief system that is. Driving a Hummer is snobby. Wanting a next-gen console to have decent sound options is not. Anthony1 is a home theater nut, and I can respect his hobby being a mild (albeit cheap) one myself. If you want to play your games on that old beat up Magnavox with mono sound, be my guest, but don't rag on the rest of us for stepping it up a notch.

Shit. I almost forgot to ask how much your shoes cost Garry. I wanted to make sure I can still wear my modest $40 kicks without offending you or appearing snobby.

It's all about how it's said. There are people here who make Anthony1 look like a hobo with what they have and what they can afford, but I have no problem with them because they aren't ridiculously flaunty about it, and don't behave as though they are some how more enlightened by playing the newest stuff and or even the oldest stuff modded to fit their "only the best" trained palletes.

I don't care what anybody drives, and one CAN drive a hummer without being Snobby about it, unless they chew my ear off about it and try to make me sound or feel inferior for not following suit (Anthony1 and RGB). I also don't care if you pay too much for your shoes.

What bothers me is that Anthony1 is so confused that Nintendo would design a system for low-lifes like me instead for the few people who need discrete audio or they can't have an orgasm.

I can't afford a 360 or PS3 and I have not tried to bash any of their supporters. I'm happy they can have those things. Anthony1 however has to rag on the things I can have, simply because they aren't up to the standards he has set, and THAT is snobby. Let the Wii just be what it is, and if it's not enough for you pass on it already.




Man you are being an ASS about this whole thing. 5.1 would be a nice addition to the Wii but I dont think its necessary. Nintendo cant keep everyone happy. Oh well. Keep on bitching Gary Sillijo cause its funny. LOL

[Anthony1]

but I have no problem with them because they aren't ridiculously flaunty about it, and don't behave as though they are some how more enlightened by playing the newest stuff and or even the oldest stuff modded to fit their "only the best" trained palletes.

unless they chew my ear off about it and try to make me sound or feel inferior for not following suit (Anthony1 and RGB).

What bothers me is that Anthony1 is so confused that Nintendo would design a system for low-lifes like me instead for the few people who need discrete audio or they can't have an orgasm.

Anthony1 however has to rag on the things I can have, simply because they aren't up to the standards he has set, and THAT is snobby. Let the Wii just be what it is, and if it's not enough for you pass on it already.



Oh dear :embarrassed: . Another person mistaking my passion for RGB for some kind of holier than thou attitude. I know that other people have come away with the same inaccurate impression, so I'll give you a pass. But I definitely don't have any kind of holier than thou attitude, or "my shits better than yours" attitude and if you got that impression from my posts, then you unfortunately got an incorrect impression. I apologize if my passion for certain things (RGB and my theater screen) comes off in a snobby way, but it was in no way intended to come off like that, and I'm not a snobby individual in the least.

I do have a tremendous passion for RGB, and I consider myself a "RGB evangelist" who tries to spread the word regarding RGB, and in doing so, I will make comments about how RGB is so much better than non-rgb, etc, etc, but it's not meant to say that what I have is better than what you have. It's meant to say that RGB is one of the best kept secrets of retrogaming and old school gaming. Many people don't have the slightest idea about RGB, and I try to spread the word about rgb hoping to inspire some people to try it, who would otherwise have never even known it existed. I can see how somebody would read some of those posts, and then thought, "What a fucking snob, this dude thinks his shit is way better than what we are playing on, and our shit is so inferior", but that isn't at all what I'm trying to convey. What I'm trying to convey is that there is this thing called RGB, and it's the best kept secret in gaming, and it's actually not that hard or expensive to experience what RGB is all about, and I try to encourage other people to experience it for themselves and see what it's like. Contrary to popular belief, RGB isn't that expensive a hobby, but it is a hobby that does require patience. It requires patience to get a RGB capable display for a cheap price, and it requires patience to find somebody to make you a custom RGB cable, but it's not really that expensive. It's just you can't go into Target and get a analog rgb cable for a SNES or a Commodore 1084S monitor. So it requires some serious patience to get these things. But it isn't expensive at all. Anybody can do it, so there isn't any reason for me to have a holier than thou attitude about something that anybody can do.

There have actually been numerous DP members that have sent me Private Messages and thanked me for turning them on to the world of RGB, and everytime I get a PM like that, it makes me really happy inside, because I love nothing more than to share this with other people. That's all I'm trying to do. Is just share the good news. It's the same thing whenever I talk about the theater screen that I have in my Garage. Again, whenever somebody thinks of a theater screen and a projector, they think of somebody that is like some super wealthy MTV Cribs person, but that's not the case with me. I have the shit in my Garage for Christsakes!! I mean, if I was wealthy in the least do you think I would be doing it in my Garage? Right now, its like 95 degrees in my Garage, I can't even afford a room air conditioner in there! All the speakers that I have in there have come from Ebay, they are used speakers, well used speakers in fact, with scratches and blemishes on them. The projector I got can be had for as little as $350 used on Craigslist. My screen isn't a screen, it's a freaking wall with paint. I spent $40 in paint to make my screen, lol. Everything I do is on a extreme budget, believe me. And whenever I'm raving about something, it's not that I'm trying to say, "ooh, look, I got something way better than you, everbody envy what I have!!". No, what I'm trying to say, is "Check it out, I discovered that you can get these "relatively" inexpensive projectors and create a real movie like experience out of it, try to check this out if possible and do it yourself, so you can experience the same thing!".


That's what I'm trying to convey. It's like one friend telling another friend, "Dude, you have to check this rgb monitor out, I got it for only $20, and then I got a cable for it for $25, and now I'm playing U.N. Squadron on the SNES in rgb and it looks fan fucking tastic, you got to check it out man!!" And the point of that, is for the friend to also get excited about it, check it out for himself, and come to the same conclusion as me, and then be inspired enough to try to track down his own RGB monitor and custom cable, so he can enjoy the same thing that I'm enjoying. And if my friend checks it out, and isn't really that impressed by it, then that's cool too. I have shown my stuff to some people who weren't that blown away by it, that does happen. But I'm not trying to show it to them so that they feel inferior, that isn't my intention at all. It's simply somebody discovering something that they think is really, really cool, and trying to share that with the world, so that they can enjoy it as well. I know some people don't care, and I know that I'm way to enthusiastic and way too hyped about it, but that's just me, and I'm not going to pretend to be something different. It's pure enthusiasm about something. Nothing more.

[boatofcar]

Gary, you realize how ridiculous you sound, right?

I hope the Wii does support 5.1, because although it might not be standard when it is released, I have a feeling that towards the middle and end of its life, it will be much more commonplace.

[Gamereviewgod]

IMO surround sound is one of the most overrated technologies around. I don't think most people would even notice the difference between surround and just having a bunch of speakers set up around the room. .

That's hard to believe. Like higher resolutions on PCs or HDTVs, these types of tech with current games make a huge difference in gameplay. It's not about showing off.

I'll pull Halo out just because. Before the enemy fires shots, you can hear them coming from behind you. That gives you an obvious advantage. Grunt for example yell when they see you. In stereo, it all comes from the same direction. In 5.1, you'll know exactly where they are.

In a game where you're lost, audio cues in the proper direction let you know where you need to be. Max Payne did this incredibly well in the awful dream sequences. I never would have made it out of those stupid levels had it not been for the audio cues.

You don't need to be an expert to do this either. My speakers are horribly aligned simply because of the room they're, but I still get all the audio data I need correctly.

Obviously, if you're only dealing with Pro Logic, then you're not going to get a decent effect no matter how strong your equipment is.

5.1 is a huge factor in today's gaming market. To simply dimiss it is foolish. Same goes for HD.

[jajaja]

Have anyone tried F.E.A.R for PC with surround sound? That game is suppose to be the shit with surround. Played through the game and its great, but i wish i could try it with surround sound :)

[Anthony1]

One of the most impressive 5.1 sound effects I've heard so far is in Saint's Row. You know how when you are driving in your car, and you hear another car bumping their system super loud? And then as that car drives away, you can still hear the car bumping down the block but it starts to fade out? Well, Saint's Row does that absolutely perfectly. In fact, one time I was playing Saint's Row with my system really loud, and I actually thought a car was coming down my street bumping their stereo and I got up to look out the window to see what asshole was bumping his system on my residential block. The street was empty, and then I realized it was in the freaking game, and I was like, "DAMN, that is some good use of the surrounds." After that I realized that it will have the bumping start in the center channel, then move to the right or left speaker, and then fade to the right or left surround, and then eventually fade out, it's done very well. Alot of times, developers don't really take that much advantage of 5.1. But once in awhile somebody will really step up to the plate and try to put it to good use.


The first time I was really impressed with 5.1 in a game was the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer game for Xbox 1. The thing that was really cool about that game, was that in certain levels, you could hear a train in the background, but it was kinda faint, but you could hear it, and it really sounded like a train going by like 5 miles away. I used to live about 5 miles from railroad tracks, and I'm very familar with how a train would sound from that distance, and it really sounded like that. That was the first game were I really noticed the discrete surround channels being used very well.


I still think sound design has a long way to go in video games, in terms of getting to the level where a DVD movie's 5.1 soundtrack is. I understand that a DVD movie is a linear experience , and a video game has to do stuff on the fly and with changing conditions and all that, but I'm looking forward to the day when a helicopter flying over your head, and panning around your head, and then moving back the other way sounds as good as a movie like "Clear and Present Danger" or some shit like that. It's going to be quite some time before video game sound effects get that good, but I'm sure eventually they will get there, and it will be impressive as heck when it happens. Sound always get's the short end of the stick in comparison to graphics. People are always wondering, "So, how are the graphics, how is the framrate, how are the textures?" Very rarely does anybody ask how the musical score or sound effects are coming along. It's too bad. The sound design guys get no love. Sure some of the great Japanese composers are treated like Gods, but the sound effects guys get no respect.

[Kid Ice]

IMO surround sound is one of the most overrated technologies around. I don't think most people would even notice the difference between surround and just having a bunch of speakers set up around the room. .

That's hard to believe. Like higher resolutions on PCs or HDTVs, these types of tech with current games make a huge difference in gameplay. It's not about showing off.


Aside from games where you have to read text, I can't think of an example of a game that plays better at higher resolutions.


I'll pull Halo out just because. Before the enemy fires shots, you can hear them coming from behind you. That gives you an obvious advantage. Grunt for example yell when they see you. In stereo, it all comes from the same direction. In 5.1, you'll know exactly where they are. I'll pull Halo out just because. Before the enemy fires shots, you can hear them coming from behind you. That gives you an obvious advantage. Grunt for example yell when they see you. In stereo, it all comes from the same direction. In 5.1, you'll know exactly where they are.

I've never heard surround sound so accurate that you can pinpoint the location of something. This is going to come off as a bit cheeky, but in Doom if I hear a grunt growl and there's not one in front of me, I know it's behind me. Whether it's at five o'clock or 7 o'clock isn't meaningful, I'm going to see it when I turn around.

[boatofcar]

IMO surround sound is one of the most overrated technologies around. I don't think most people would even notice the difference between surround and just having a bunch of speakers set up around the room. .

That's hard to believe. Like higher resolutions on PCs or HDTVs, these types of tech with current games make a huge difference in gameplay. It's not about showing off.


Aside from games where you have to read text, I can't think of an example of a game that plays better at higher resolutions.



Maybe "plays better" is a misnomer. I do think both higher resolutions and surround sound can enhance gameplay.

[Gamereviewgod]

[quote="Gamereviewgod"][quote=Kid Ice]

Aside from games where you have to read text, I can't think of an example of a game that plays better at higher resolutions.

I've never heard surround sound so accurate that you can pinpoint the location of something. This is going to come off as a bit cheeky, but in Doom if I hear a grunt growl and there's not one in front of me, I know it's behind me. Whether it's at five o'clock or 7 o'clock isn't meaningful, I'm going to see it when I turn around.

Resolution can make the difference between distinguishing a rock, crate, or barrell from a kneeling/prone enemy in the distance. This is one of the reasons I couldn't play Far Cry on the Xbox 1, but with the res upped on the 360, distant objects were defined.

Also, play Halo or Halo 2 in full surround. It's 100% perfect. Spin around while someone is talking and you'll hear how great it is. The fade from front to rear or left to right is amazing. Yes, you can tell if an enemy is behind you if nothing is in front, but if you have two grunts in front and say a Jackal behind you, that's solid info just from the sound.

Same goes for Far Cry, especially when enemies are moving through thick foilage. Sure, you know they're behind you, but when they're buried in bushes, knowing where is a huge advantage.

[Joker T]

Resident Evil 4 has the best surround sound in my opinion, nothing like hearing the roar of a chainsaw behind you :D

[Kid Ice]

I can see in a *few* games how you would need to distinguish objects far off, just not enough games where I could generalize "high res makes games play better". The same thing IMO with surround...OK Halo, Halo 2, Far Cry, maybe a dozen or more first person shooters...but I wouldn't say surround is a "must have". Especially, getting back on topic, for a Nintendo gamer.

[Gamereviewgod]

I can see in a *few* games how you would need to distinguish objects far off, just not enough games where I could generalize "high res makes games play better". The same thing IMO with surround...OK Halo, Halo 2, Far Cry, maybe a dozen or more first person shooters...but I wouldn't say surround is a "must have". Especially, getting back on topic, for a Nintendo gamer.

Especially with the Wii however, they're going for an immersive angle. There's a speaker in the controller too, so they acknowledge the role audio could play. With 5.1 and a speaker in the controller, it could be truly amazing.

It's not a must have of course. None of this stuff is. It's an incredible enhancement though, especially in the games I mentioned. Hell, Condemned on the 360 is an entirely new game with a 5.1 system.

[Scott84]

I got a surround sound system for $350 CDN... the Yahama 170S....

I hooked up my XBox 360 system and what a difference it makes. It also makes a huge difference on Xbox 1.

Thankfully my Receiver has Pro Logic II... which Gamecube supports. I turned on Rogue Leader... a launch game for gamecube... and the surround sounded good. Albeit, not nearly as good as 360. But it sounded better then nothing. And Wii will atleast support Pro Logic II....

As far as spoiled brats that have surround? We are not brats, im not a spoiled brat. I paid for that with the money i earn from a part time job while i am in college.

The person calling others spoiled brats should spend more time getting a job then whining about what other people got.

[Garry Silljo]

As far as spoiled brats that have surround? We are not brats, im not a spoiled brat. I paid for that with the money i earn from a part time job while i am in college.

The person calling others spoiled brats should spend more time getting a job then whining about what other people got.

My comment was directed to one and only one person, not all owners of surround sound systems. Also, I have a job, however my baby can't eat speakers.

[Lothars]

5.1 is a huge factor in today's gaming market. To simply dimiss it is foolish. Same goes for HD.

I think 5.1 is a huge factor but HD is not a huge factor

it's honestly not even that important, I mean it's nice but it's not that big of a factor,

in fact I would say 5.1 surround sound is more important than HD

[Anthony1]

There's a speaker in the controller too, so they acknowledge the role audio could play. With 5.1 and a speaker in the controller, it could be truly amazing.




You know, actually the speaker in the controller could be precisely why it appears there won't be 5.1 digital sound on the Wii. Trying to figure out what to do with the 5.1 channels of discrete audio, and then also trying to figure out how to have everything work in conjunction with the speaker in the Wii-mote would be an absolute nightmare, I'm guessing, from a technical standpoint. Obviously, the sound channel that would go to the Wii-mote, wouldn't be digital or discrete, and it would be a complicated process to have everything integrated correctly. Most likely, the discrete nature of the surround channels would over power the speaker in the Wii-mote negating much of it's effect. Of course, I'm not a sound technician or anything, so maybe it wouldn't be a problem at all, but I do think it's one possible reason for the omission.

Again, although it is known that there isn't a optical output on the back of the Wii, and also the documentation sent to developers doesn't mention 5.1 discrete sound whatsoever, it's not a 100 percent given that the Wii won't have digital 5.1 sound. It's probably a 95 percent given, but I'm still holding out for that 5 percent. Again, this isn't a make or break feature for me in the least, but I'm not going to pretend that I'm not going to miss that feature if it is indeed omitted. The Wii could be viable for 5 or 6 years if Nintendo is really lucky, and if so, that's a long time to go with no discrete sound, when it's becoming extremely commonplace on all kinds of media. Right now it might not seem that big a deal, but in 3 years, more people than just audiofiles will be wondering why the Wii doesn't have it. Of course, if the Wii is only a stop-gap system like some people think, then maybe it will be a non issue anyways.

[slip81]

5.1 is a huge factor in today's gaming market. To simply dimiss it is foolish. Same goes for HD.

I think 5.1 is a huge factor but HD is not a huge factor

it's honestly not even that important, I mean it's nice but it's not that big of a factor,

in fact I would say 5.1 surround sound is more important than HD

I would say it's pretty big factor, though it's just too new to have caught on yet. In a few years though when HD in the standard broadcast signal it will be a bigger deal.

And I think games can definately benefit from boosts in the picture and sound quality, I mean if they didn't HD, or even things like composite wouldn't exsists and we'd all still be using RF.

I would also say HD is about as important to gaming as 5.1 is. Just as true 5.1 allows you to immerse yourself more and pick up on audio cues, high res HD also plays a big factor in immersion, and could theoretically allow games to ecome more complex, by putting larger amounts of small object with high detail onto the screen at once.

Imagine how good (and challanging) a vertical shooter could look if developed with HD in mind, imagine thousands of enemies and bullets onscreen at once, and being able to tell everything apart and not have it get all muddied.

[Scott84]

Wii supports Pro Logic II...

so if you got a receiver that supports it. ROCK ON!

[Half Japanese]

To those that believe that HD and surround aren't a 'big deal,' I have a feeling you're making premature decisions or are making your decisions based on poor experiences and examples. Once you go there, you'll never go back. I have yet to replace my dead receiver and playing the game on TV speakers is driving me crazy right now, not because it's necessarily poor, but because I know what the potential sounds like. I know the feeling of hearing enemies approaching from behind before I can see them. At the very least it enhances the overall gameplay experience. No one is saying or has ever said (at least in this thread) that sharper graphics and surround will ever take the place of great gameplay, we're just saying that it takes what's great and makes it even better. Icing on the cake, if you will.