How do gaming headsets allow us to differentiate distance and location of noises, such as if footsteps are on the floor above or below you, or where and how far gunshots are coming from in a BR type game based on where you are standing and which way your camera is facing?
In: Technology
Technically it’s not just the headsets that allowes this but also how the game is programmed.
In games you have sound files or sound clips that are played based on a trigger, for example a footstep or a gunshot. Based on that sound clip and the location of you and the source of the sound different algorithms can change and affect the sound so you perceive it as being further away.
Some games with tighter development budgets or with limited development teams might not have the resources to implement this type of sound design. This leads to some games having worse sound and making it really difficult to tell how close a sound source is or which direction it’s coming from.
In most games this doesn’t really matter too much, but in first person shooters this can be really frustrating when it sounds like an enemy is just around the corner when he actually is on the other side of the building or 30-40m away.
Latest Answers