3 ms·

One of the most revolutionary VR experiences is about sound, not visuals

• 6stringmerc 11y ago
  This really strikes home for me because I have been highly attentive to audio for as long as I can remember. Sure, I've got a bit of hearing damage from 15+ years of loud audio, but the fidelity and ability to sort through different sounds is near and dear to my heart. The sound of rain. Hearing a dog drink from a bowl down the hall, and in another room completely. Different birds. Crickets. A truck with a V8 rumbling away several streets over. But most importantly, it's in music, where I can study each little instrument, follow a thread from beginning to end if I want. It's like looking at a DAW and inherently seeing the EQ - "Oh the hi-hat is off to the left, wow, that bass wave starts low and rises - hey, an accent shaker that only appears every 4th bar." All of that is really important to me, to what I do, and to my enjoyment of music. If anybody else remembers how innovative 3D sound was to Half-Life multiplayer and early Counter-Strike versions, this article should also ring true. Knowing the sounds and cadence of a guy picking up a armor pack then a weapon in a certain order could pinpoint a location. Amazing stuff. Then of course later versions clamped down on the distance that fidelity could carry. Cat 'n mouse.