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Move Over Horse Armor - The New Xbox Wireless Headset Comes With 6 Months Of Dolby Atmos

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
If you buy it before this October

The brand-new Xbox Wireless Headsetofficially arrives on Tuesday, March 16th, and Microsoft has confirmed that everyone who buys it before the 30th of September will get a free trial of Dolby Atmos for Headphones.

The trial lasts six months, and allows you to access the "premium, immersive audio experience" of Dolby Atmos for Headphones via the Dolby Access app, as pointed out by the headset's architect and product lead Eric Garcia:

"You can download Dolby Access. And literally once you open it up, it will recognise, 'Hey, you have a Xbox Wireless Headset.' And so what you have on the top right hand side, it'll say 'Xbox Wireless Headset' and it gives you an expiration. When you do this for the first time you will get a little toast that pops up saying, 'Hey, congratulations. You now have Dolby Atmos'."

"And so that way you get either Windows Sonic that comes automatically provided, but if you want to have that Dolby Atmos experience, you get to try it for those 6 months. To really try and get a feel for, what do you like? How does each work? And have a great experience."

Dolby Atmos is described as allowing you to "hear stunning detail, precision, and realism in your games, movies, and shows with sound that flows all around you — even overhead and behind you," and some games have been specifically tailored for it, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty: Warzone, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4 and many more.

In regards to the headset, pre-orders are still available at the Microsoft Store (although they're going in and out of stock very quickly), and we're hoping more stock will be released for its official launch this Tuesday.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
TBF, this is an issue with Dolby themselves. You still have to pay for the feature on PC as well, via the Microsoft Store
Why is it an issue with Dolby themselves? Why isn’t the platform holder eating the licensing cost for a spec that their marketing is hocking their product around? At one time those licensing costs were included with the price of the product and eaten by the manufacturer.

Especially when they want to PR it as a selling point.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
You need to buy a license for Dolby Atmos for headphones as far as I know. The version for sound systems is free though.

I see your point but that’s a kinda weak concern when all reviews say the headset is great value for money.
Oh well if the reviews say so...
child smile GIF
 

Varteras

Gold Member
You need to buy a license for Dolby Atmos for headphones as far as I know. The version for sound systems is free though.

I see your point but that’s a kinda weak concern when all reviews say the headset is great value for money.
I know where you're going with that but the point being the competitor released a great headset in which a banner feature is free and arguably better compared to the one you'd have to pay $15 extra for. It's not deal breaking or anything because I'm sure there are people who will fork out money for anything green, blue, or red but it's a point worth bringing up because it has its own merits.
 
Why is it an issue with Dolby themselves? Why isn’t the platform holder eating the licensing cost for a spec that their marketing is hocking their product around? At one time those licensing costs were included with the price of the product and eaten by the manufacturer.

Especially when they want to PR it as a selling point.
Because Windows Spatial is free and sounds just as good as Dolby Atmos. Not to mention it costed $15 just to unlock it? No thanks, my headset sounds great with Windows Spatial
 
Just reading this forum over the past year it's clear that the vast majority don't care about anything more than Stereo coming out of built in TV speakers. Sony see's this and don't even support audio CD playback much less the latest audio formats that support as much as 9 speakers. Microsoft will just make me pay for the extra speakers.
 
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xion4360

Member
with regular headphones the PS5's 3D audio sounds terrible to me and ive tried every setting for it just sounds muffled, or out of pitch...just not right, like its obviously processed, and just turning it off sounds so much better...dolby atmos on the xbox sounds great though.
 
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DaGwaphics

Member
Good lord that takes nickel and diming to a new level.

It basically comes down to whether you would rather pay $114 for the headset with the license included or pay $99 and have the option to pick up the license. Since this is a feature that is not required and a free alternative exists, the cheap ass bastard in me will take the $99.

This is similar to MS not wanting to license all of the OG Xbox systems for DVD playback, but moving the licensing costs to the remote. In this way only users that wanted that feature had to pay for it.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
It basically comes down to whether you would rather pay $114 for the headset with the license included or pay $99 and have the option to pick up the license. Since this is a feature that is not required and a free alternative exists, the cheap ass bastard in me will take the $99.

This is similar to MS not wanting to license all of the OG Xbox systems for DVD playback, but moving the licensing costs to the remote. In this way only users that wanted that feature had to pay for it.
The next consoles will come with a Bitcoin slot for timed play. We bringing arcade nostalgia back, y’all. 🤭
 

DaGwaphics

Member
The next consoles will come with a Bitcoin slot for timed play. We bringing arcade nostalgia back, y’all. 🤭

Weak jokes aside, this isn't a phantom charge but a real-world cost for the manufacturer. $15 would probably be a bit too high percentage wise to absorb in per unit costs without raising the price. So the option is force it on everyone, or let most users just use Windows Sonic, while those that really value Dolby Atmos move forward with that.
 
It basically comes down to whether you would rather pay $114 for the headset with the license included or pay $99 and have the option to pick up the license. Since this is a feature that is not required and a free alternative exists, the cheap ass bastard in me will take the $99.

This is similar to MS not wanting to license all of the OG Xbox systems for DVD playback, but moving the licensing costs to the remote. In this way only users that wanted that feature had to pay for it.
Imagine paying for Dolby pro logic II support on the gamecube in 2001 xD
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Literally bitching that Microsoft is offering a free trial while also offering a free alternative that is just as good that a third party charges for.
Yeah man, I’m the one who’s out of touch. I’m so out of touch because at one time when you plastered labels all over your box the licensing of codecs were included. But hey if the free one is just as good I’ll be sure to note that one down on the sheet when the the spec wars try to use that as a big dick talking point in the never ending war of plastic attrition.

FOR THE BRAAAAANNNND!*

*that’ll be $5.99 and you’ll like it.
 
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DaGwaphics

Member
Imagine paying for Dolby pro logic II support on the gamecube in 2001 xD
Dolby has gotten a lot greedier since those days. LOL

There are plenty of headsets that do include a pre-paid activation code, so MS could have done that, without question. They probably just valued the $99 price more, which is a great value for the features provided.
 
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xion4360

Member
It guess it just comes off as a little weird when MS is willing to give away months of gamepass, or allow us to pay a lot less for it, but it's to help it grow in the long term and benefit MS. a 6 month pass for something that would not cost much for permanent access is like...why not?

but thinking about it...if they bundled it in that means MS is having to pay the license fee to dolby for every headset sold, even though some users will already own it and would just be taking a loss..so it does make sense to let the user decide if they want that.
 
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What other kind of reply should a thread based off such a dumb premise generate?

I'm sure you know why it's a bad analogy but I will elaborate anyways. The product MS is selling is headphones. One of the features that they advertise for use of the headphones is Dolby Atmos, which you requires you to make an additional purchase later.

Sony, on the other hand, the product they are selling is a game called demon's souls. Depending on which version you buy, it comes with a physical disc at no additional cost.
 

GHG

Gold Member
DeepEnigma DeepEnigma you're shouting into the void here unfortunately.

This is a forum where people happily bend over and take/defend whatever new ways companies can find to extract extra money from people. From horse armour, to on disk DLC, to microtransactions, to Microsoft attempting to make PC gamers pay for online, the list goes on. This is just another one in a long list and before you know it other manufacturers will be joining the club.

FYI, most other headphone manufacturers include the license in the original cost. Not sure how much longer that will last though considering the level of support on display here for purchasing the license separately.
 

Stuart360

Member
I mean i could get the concern if Atmos didnt have a license fee, and it was Microsoft themselves who were going to charge extra, or a one of fee, but this isnt the case.
They could of just not offered the 6 months free at all.

Having said that, if i were Microsoft i would of just added the feee into the headphone price.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
As a subscription. Some fucking bullshit. This needs to stop on its tracks right now, otherwise Sony and Nintendo will be doing the exact same crap a year from now.

Is it a subscription? I thought Dolby just charged $15 per device (the xbox/pc running the software not the headphones) for Atmos with headphones?
 
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