Creative's offerings

[littlebitstrouds]

I've been noticing a lot of drops in X-Fi prices, and knowing I'm going to be in the market for a new sound card in May, when I get back to the states, I was wondering if the drops in pricing were because of the Vista driver issues or is there any talk of a new offering from them. Just thinking about pulling the trigger on some of the deals or waiting till I get home to purchase anything.

 

[Bluestealth]

Vista drivers work fine IMHO, THX Console (Sub redirection required imho) seems to work in 64 bit mode, so between that and the X-Fi console I had all features working.

 

[Frintin]

Microsoft has basically not offered DirectSound (API for sound translation which is a component of directx) in Vista. Creative sound cards relied on this Hardware Layer code to create their sound effects using hardware that they produce. Microsoft is instituting the use of OpenAL (new code for sound translation) and Creative will continue to work on their Alchemy project to continue to allow Creative products to handle certain sound effects on their hardware.

In the real world, Vista's use of OpenAL will allow for the creation of sound in many forms and using OpenAL instead of relying on chip based hardware products. There is no DirectSound anymore so anything that used it to create sound (many many many games) is left in the lurch because they will have no means to produce EAX effects etc.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS sound card because having one did matter once upon a time. Now there is the possibility that anyone anywhere can use OpenAL to create sound for software that will be amazing. Those EAX effects you love in games, well OpenAL can make sounds like em and many more.

Now is not the time to invest in an expensive sound card unless you have specific needs right now. Hradware companies will have to adjust to using OpenAL for their products and this is newer technology. With Vista launch we already know how the main hardware sound companies met the challenge. We will have to wait and see how the software companies use OpenAL too.

 

[A5]

EAX can still be done through OpenAL, and OpenAL can still be accelerated by hardware. Creative's advantage in EAX intellectual property will not disappear with the OpenAL transition.

 

[Bluestealth]

Originally posted by: Frintin
Microsoft has basically not offered DirectSound (API for sound translation which is a component of directx) in Vista. Creative sound cards relied on this Hardware Layer code to create their sound effects using hardware that they produce. Microsoft is instituting the use of OpenAL (new code for sound translation) and Creative will continue to work on their Alchemy project to continue to allow Creative products to handle certain sound effects on their hardware.

In the real world, Vista's use of OpenAL will allow for the creation of sound in many forms and using OpenAL instead of relying on chip based hardware products. There is no DirectSound anymore so anything that used it to create sound (many many many games) is left in the lurch because they will have no means to produce EAX effects etc.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS sound card because having one did matter once upon a time. Now there is the possibility that anyone anywhere can use OpenAL to create sound for software that will be amazing. Those EAX effects you love in games, well OpenAL can make sounds like em and many more.

Now is not the time to invest in an expensive sound card unless you have specific needs right now. Hradware companies will have to adjust to using OpenAL for their products and this is newer technology. With Vista launch we already know how the main hardware sound companies met the challenge. We will have to wait and see how the software companies use OpenAL too.

You make the mistake of thinking that openAL has anything to do with Microsoft... it is Creative's Open Source Cross-Platform API for hardware 2D and 3D sound acceleration that does not rely on directsound or direct3d. It will be passed directly onto the hardware and will not go through Vista's audio stack.

I am glad that for once Microsoft is not steering an industry... I just wish creative was more open and more vendors would implement openAL.

So... OpenAL Enabled Game/EAX Game with OpenAL Translation > OpenAL Enabled Driver > OpenAL Hardware Accelerated Device.

OpenAL and Vista
OpenAL Wiki
OpenAL Main Page
Vista Audio Stack and API

 

[Bluestealth]

Originally posted by: A5
EAX can still be done through OpenAL, and OpenAL can still be accelerated by hardware. Creative's advantage in EAX intellectual property will not disappear with the OpenAL transition.

Unless Alchemy will work with "any" openAL card.... although I doubt other vendors that supported openAL in the future would be allowed to ship Alchemy. Though if it does, gamers will sure find a way.