8w ago - Today Sony Computer Entertainment Hardware Engineer Todd Tokubo has announced news of a Bioshock Infinite Audio Mode for the Pulse Elite Edition Headset.

To quote: Tomorrow marks a big day for world-acclaimed studio Irrational Games with the release of Bioshock Infinite, so it's only suitable that we mark the occasion with something special.

For the first time, we are partnering with a game developer to deliver a specially crafted audio experience exclusive to PlayStation. Tonight at midnight, we are launching a new audio mode for the PULSE-Elite Edition Headset designed especially for BioShock Infinite. Better still, it will be free.

Why a custom audio mode? Irrational Games wanted to elevate the dark world of BioShock Infinite to a new level by providing a richer gameplay experience.

We worked with them to take advantage of our new BassImpact technology embedded in the Pulse-Elite headset to create a sound profile that enables players to feel gunshots and explosions in a much more dynamic and powerful way.

Engineers on both teams worked together to tie the pulses from BassImpact to key audio elements in the game, creating a more immersive experience as you fight your way through...

53w ago - PixelJunk 4am Lead Designer Rowan Parker is here with some fresh video footage of the virtual audio canvas otherwise known as PixelJunk 4am which is live on PSN today!

To quote: Do you have a PlayStation Move motion controller? Do you like music? Are waffles delicious? If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, I have some delicious news for you!

PixelJunk 4am will be released later today on PSN for $9.99! The FREE PixelJunk 4am Viewer app will also be available to download today, and will enable you to stream the full library of 4am visualizers and songs from performers around the world.

If you're not already familiar with PixelJunk 4am, it's a Virtual Audio Canvas that uses PlayStation Move, giving you the power to craft music in a unique new audio-visual experience. Your creations are broadcast live on PSN around the world to viewers who can stream (and cheer you on!) in real time.

You can look forward to seven songs and six visualizers with 38 variations, 10 events and over 190 different sounds to play with.

PixelJunk 4am supports both in-game Twitter and Facebook connectivity, enabling you to promote your performances with personal messages and start to build your own persona and audience. You can also...

89w ago - Today PlayStation 3 homebrew developer Andreas Oman has officially updated Showtime PS3 Media Player to version 3.1.228, which now includes multichannel audio output on the PlayStation 3 console.

Download: Showtime PS3 Media Player v3.1.228 (PKG) / Showtime PS3 Media Player v3.1.228 (SELF)

To quote: Another release. This build adds support for multichannel audio output on PS3 (AC-3, DTS and 8 channel linear PCM). Note that due to how the PS3 audio frameworks applications can not output raw digital bitstreams.

So Showtime still needs to decode the audio and than the PS3 will reencode the audio in the best available encoding mode the user has selected (or don't do any encoding at all if 8 channel PCM is available)

Still this is a major step compared to having just 2 channel stereo.

For all you who roll your own builds of Showtime, please note that you need latest version of my PSL1GHT fork for Showtime to build.

I've also fixed a major memory leak that manifested itself when rendering fonts with outline (which is default for subtitles). So if you watched a movie with...

100w ago - Today Sound Director and Chief Creative Officer Akira Yamaoka at Grasshopper Manufacture has revealed the audio influences for Shadows of the Damned on PS3.

To quote: Greetings fellow demon hunters! I'm the Sound Director and Chief Creative Officer at Grasshopper Manufacture.

Some people may know me from my work on the Silent Hill series, but today I'm here to talk about our latest game -- Shadows of the Damned, out now on the PS3.

Music plays an incredibly important role in setting the atmosphere for games, and it's especially vital in an action-horror game like Shadows of the Damned.

When scoring Damned, I tried to imagine tracks that would bring Hell to life for the player and the lead character Garcia. Designing music isn't always the most transparent task, so in this blog post I want to explain my thoughts behind the creation of a few tracks included in the pre-order bonus soundtrack.

Broken Dreams

You could say I created this track to be the title song for Shadows of the Damned. Originally, I had planned to make it a duet, as sort of a theme for the two lovers: Garcia and Paula. I wanted to match the heavy, aggressive sound to the game world with Paula and Garcia at the center.

I never thought that the game's...

136w ago - Today Dead Nation Composer and Sound Designer Ari Pulkkinen has shared a Sound of the Dead: Audio Design Dead Nation interview and sample track with fans.

To quote: It's been a big month for Dead Nation! We've confirmed that online co-op play will be included from day one and also shown off three special zombies - the Mouth, Jumper, and Bombie -- in our new "Know Your Enemies" video and there's still more to come in October.

But one thing we haven't yet discussed is audio. With Dead Nation, it's vital that we create a skin-crawling atmosphere; more importantly, the music needs to adapt to the intensity of the on-screen carnage.

I thought it would be fun to address some common questions related to Dead Nation's audio design, everything from the zombie groans to dynamic music to soundtrack inspirations. I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to listen to the sample track here.

How did you start working with Housemarque?

The first game that I worked on with Housemarque was Super Stardust HD, the original soundtrack and sound design. I was in-house audio director in Frozenbyte Inc. back then and working outsourced. SSHD was a awesome...