Audio cues can sometimes be crucial to success in gaming. Developers frequently design the soundscape of their experiences so that they are not only rich and immersive, but also contain clues about approaching enemies or dangers. Hearing impaired players may miss this and it is unfair that they are disadvantaged due to a disability. TO product called Audio Radar launched at CES 2024 and can help convert sound signals into visual signals, so gamers with hearing loss can “see the sound,” according to the company AirDrop Gaming LLC.
The configuration is quite simple. A box connects to a game console to interpret the audio output and converts that data into lights. A series of RGB light bars surround the screen and display different colors depending on the type of sound coming from the respective direction they represent. Simply put, it means that if you're walking through a Minecraft world, like I did at the company's booth on the show floor, you'll see different colored lights appear on different bars.
Red lights mean enemy sounds are in the area adjacent to the corresponding light, while green is for neutral sounds. An on-screen legend also explains what the sounds mean, although that might just be for the modified Minecraft stage on display at CES.
I briefly walked around the scene and could see green lights hovering over a pen of farm animals, while violet lights fluttered in conjunction with a dragon flying above us. I found it a little confusing, but it's probably more due to the fact that I know very little about Minecraft and as someone with hearing, I may not appreciate the added information as much as someone without.
With an SDK the company launched at the show, developers will be able to customize the lighting and visual feedback of elements in their game to have control over what their hearing-impaired players see. Meanwhile, Audio Radar is using its own software to detect stereo or surround sound signals and convert them into feedback in lights and colors.
Although the product may appear to be in its early stages, several major gaming companies seem to indicate interest in Audio Radar. AirDrop Gaming CEO Tim Murphy told me that Logitech is “providing support as we develop our product and design our go-to-market strategy.” Additionally, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was seen at the booth on opening day.
Audio Radar is starting to ship more widely this year, and the company continues to develop products for deaf and hard-of-hearing gamers, among other things. The system works with Xbox, PlayStation and PC.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas January 6-12. Stay up to date with the latest news from the show. here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio-radar-helps-gamers-with-hearing-loss-see-sound-effects-instead-195001226.html?src=rss
