The military shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 from Activision and Treyarch has not even been released yet, and is already at the center of a small scandal – all because of the advanced sound component that will appear in the game.
Image Source: Activision
Activision announced on the official Call of Duty blog that Black Ops 6 uses Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) technology. It allows you to better simulate how sound is delivered from the game to users’ ears.
Black Ops 6 will also receive support for an enhanced headphone mode at launch, which is based on Embody’s immersive spatial audio technology and “significantly enhances the quality of the audio experience.”
Image Source: Embody
The Enhanced Headphone Mode includes a universal HRTF profile “specifically tuned for the Call of Duty soundscape.” Users can go even further by creating a personalized profile.
For a more reliable simulation of sound, it takes into account the physiological characteristics of the gamer (such as the shape of the ears and head), however, which Activision does not mention, it costs real money – $20 for five years of use.
Image Source: Embody
Players accused Activision of selling high-quality audio and practicing “pay to hear.” Embody provided similar services for Cyberpunk 2077 and Final Fantasy XIV, but in the competitive world of Call of Duty, audio plays a more important role.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be released on October 25 on PC (Steam, Microsoft Store, Battle.net), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and Game Pass (Ultimate and PC Game Pass only). Recently, Activision presented the final system requirements.