Gaming with Dolby Atmos
Gaming has come a long way since its humble origins. The paddles and square ball of Pong and the 2D images of alien creatures in Space Invaders were enough to captivate kids and adults alike for hours. Since then, gaming has evolved to become a truly multi-sensory experience, placing the player at the centre of dynamic action. Crude, blocky shapes on the screen have progressed to photorealistic images that immerse you in the action. And just as the graphics of the games have changed — and you can learn more about that here — the simple beeps and boops of those early games have changed as well.
Good sound elevates the gaming experience. Gamers know the horror of hearing an enemy charging at them from behind, requiring rapid reflexes to avoid certain death. With Dolby Atmos®, you can be inside the sound, hearing with extreme precision exactly where threats and other stimuli are coming from. With layers of sound placed all around, above, and below you, Dolby Atmos places you right in the centre of the action.
How does Dolby Atmos improve gaming?
Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio format first created for the cinema that connects you more deeply with the experiences you love. Dolby Atmos is a pioneering spatial audio technology. What does ‘spatial audio technology’ mean? Simply put, it means that sound is no longer limited to coming out of a specific speaker. A helicopter can hover overhead. A race car can roar past you and then weave in front of you. A zombie can drop down from the ceiling. And, just as you would in real life, you can use every little detail heard to up your game
Whether it’s locating an enemy in Halo Infinite by the sound of their shots or knowing when to shift gears as your engine roars in Forza Horizon 5, Dolby Atmos helps you to react more naturally to the action.
Dolby Atmos is entertainment you can feel. For game creators, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Dolby Atmos enhances the quality of dialogue, background noise, and soundtracks, too, taking the audio experience of your game to the next level.
How to game in Dolby Atmos
Let's get set up to game in Dolby Atmos. You’ll need a TV or monitor enabled with Dolby Atmos and a console, mobile device or PC that supports Dolby Atmos. Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and Windows 10/11 all support gaming with Dolby Atmos-enabled devices. If you are gaming on an Xbox or PC you'll need to download Dolby Access from the Microsoft store and you’re good to go. You can experience the Dolby Atmos spatial sound environment designed around you using headphones, Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers in your device, or, if you have it, a multi-speaker home cinema setup. You can learn about some of the great titles available here.
You may already know that Dolby Atmos also provides immersive entertainment for films and series and is available on many streaming services, including Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Netflix. Get ready to utilise the next generation of crisp, spacious sound to take your gaming to the next level.