Digitalronyn's Blog

Hello Sound Blaster fans,

It’s certainly been a VERY busy past few weeks here so apologies for the lack of updates here. Should be back to our regular scheduled updating moving forward.

For starters we’ve officially launched the Sound Blaster Arena Surround gaming headset and it’s off to a fantastic start getting positive reviews from the public and press reviews should be hitting the web and print any day now. I’ll pop up the links here when they go live.

I’ve had many questions about “why” the Arena is “such a big deal”. And really I can sum it up with the fact that it’s the first headset to bear the Sound Blaster brand. A culmination of technology if you will. Really what the Arena reflects is the change in PC gaming in general. As PC gaming has evolved it has become more and more social to the point where single player games now are few and far between and the PC gaming core is mostly playing team or MMO based games.

With games going online and communication being a key factor to succeeding in those games, the Arena has been designed to excel in the “new-world” of PC gaming. In fact the Arena was originally designed to be the on-air headset for the CGS gaming league…which is where Silencer came to light since it would effectively eliminate the loud background crowd noise while the teams were competing in studio.

It just so happens that that technology ends up being perfect for those at home as well. We of course tweaked the design and came to market once the product was “ready”.

With the Sound Blaster Arena there’s now a solution for every type of PC gamer. Those on the go, those with massive rigs at home…or those of a casual nature just looking to get their game on. It’s the evolution of the internal sound card to the external world WITH the actual delivery device attached.  It’s the new generation of sound “card”.

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I’ve also received a LOT of questions in regards to the World of Warcraft Wireless headset that we debuted back at Blizzcon.  I know many of you out there are waiting in anticipation for the headset.

Without saying too much I can say we’re launching the headset “when it’s ready” taking a page from the company you all know and love…but I can say..we’re close…so close. If you managed to see the prototype at Blizzcon you haven’t seen ANYTHING yet.

Here’s a little mini faq to hit up some of the questions we’ve got in regards to the headset:

Q. When is it shipping?

A. Soon ™.

Seriously though. We’re putting polish and the touches on the headset that is going to truly put this headset in a class of its own. I really want to emphasize that this hardware is NOT a simple “slap the brand on it and sell a ton” project. It’s been painstakingly crafted to push design and technology.  The wait will be worth it.

Santa should be packing these in his sleigh…

Q. Will there be pre-orders?

A. YES. Stay tuned to SoundBlaster.com for more info. There are definitely going to be pre-0rders. If you haven’t already signed up on the info page for the headset…I highly suggest you do. You’ll get the info the moment it goes live.

Q. Will the headset work with a laptop?

A. Absolutely it will. It’s ideal for desktops OR laptops. AND…it works with PC or MAC. So all you Apple lovers out there will have cutting edge gaming audio at your disposal …in wireless glory. Another big milestone for us here at Sound Blaster / Creative.

Q. What’s the story about THX TruStudio PC? How is it different than X-Fi tech?

THX TruStudio PC is built from the ground up to enhance a gaming , music and movies. It definitely pulls from our X-Fi experience but it isn’t just a rehash of the tech. We’ve employed different methods and refined many things. The Surround portion is particularly impressive. CMSS 3D is hands down the best headset / headphone surround out there right now…THX Surround takes this to another level.  I’ve also particularly enjoyed the Bass enhancement in the THX suite as well. It makes even low end 2.0 speakers or built in laptop speakers sound respectable. No joke. It’s the real deal. When you couple this with a headset that has a nice set of drivers you’ll have all the bass you need. This tech is made to work within several applications and really adds to your entertainment experience. THX is synonymous with entertainment. All of us have at one time or another sat in a movie screen and had their hearts start to pump when that very familiar THX sound comes through the speakers (my favorite being the Simpsons version of it). We’re bringing that excitement to the desktop.

Q. So when does it ship again?

A. See first question above.

Q. Is there only a wireless version?

A. No. Both wireless and wired versions will be available at ship time.

That’s it for now.

Be sure to check out the Sound Blaster Arena if you’re looking for that competitive headset…you won’t be sorry!
And as always. MUCH more to come (very soon now).
Ryan (AKA DigitalRonin)

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