• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

DaGwaphics

Member
It’s a one time fee good for up to 10 devices.

That's what I thought regarding the fee. I didn't know about the 10 devices thing, I guess it's not quite as much of a ripoff as I thought. I had assumed it was per device.

Makes even more sense not to bundle it with the 10 devices thing. If someone had already activated this on a X1, I take it they could just activate a new console on that.
 
Last edited:

Chukhopops

Member
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.
It’s a moot point because as far as I know Pulse doesn’t support Atmos? Correct me if I’m wrong of course.

Also the two headsets have very different features entirely. I’m a bit biased since I ordered the Xbox one but I feel like they can’t be compared.
 

ErRor88

Member
This is straight-up engineered outrage by some Sony fans on Twitter to stir up their base cause Microsoft has a streak of good news.

Xbox has 3 3D audio options for headsets
  • Windows Sonic - Free
  • Dolby Atmos for Headsets - $15 (one-time fee)
  • DTX for headsets - $19 (one-time fee)
All of which works on Windows 10.

Sony
  • Tempest Audio - Free
Why would Microsft pay Dolby when they have their own tech which is comparable.

Dolby probably paid some fee, to drive adoption of the feature, to have their promotion on the Xbox Headset. Thus Microsoft was able to bring their cost down to $99.
 

FranXico

Member
I think it’s a $15 one time fee, which product the manufacturer doesn’t eat the cost like they used to not that long ago.
I stand corrected.

Glad that it really is a one time fee, but it's weird to present it as a limited time trial instead of just eating up the activation cost as usual.
 
Last edited:

Murdoch

Member
This is straight-up engineered outrage by some Sony fans on Twitter to stir up their base cause Microsoft has a streak of good news.

Xbox has 3 3D audio options for headsets
  • Windows Sonic - Free
  • Dolby Atmos for Headsets - $15 (one-time fee)
  • DTX for headsets - $19 (one-time fee)
All of which works on Windows 10.

Sony
  • Tempest Audio - Free
Why would Microsft pay Dolby when they have their own tech which is comparable.

Dolby probably paid some fee, to drive adoption of the feature, to have their promotion on the Xbox Headset. Thus Microsoft was able to bring their cost down to $99.

I'm glad I finally found this post on this thread; my brain was rotting reading some of the responses 😐

It's an optional codec which is free to try for 6 months. If you don't like it, use the comparable free option built into system.
 
The horse armor? That was all Bethesda, amking the price. The $15 one time charge for Dolby Atmos, that is Dolby making the call, same for DTS. Why is that so hard to comprehend? Microsoft cannot tell app devs on how much they should charge to sell software. Same for Sony or Nintendo. I won't be surprise if the PS5 started selling Dolby Atmos, and then still charge $15 to use it.
 
Just don't buy it? There's so many more better headsets out there. Microsoft literally says on the product page you'll have to pay for the extra Dolby features. Of course it's shitty to have fees everywhere to access different things but it's not even required. Lots of boomer-esque posts in here. Technology changes. Companies try to figure out new ways to get your money. This is one of them. There weren't some magical days where companies gave a shit about you or your money.

The fee has been around for a long time, if people are surprised by this then they probably didn't actually care that much about sound quality because this is pretty common knowledge when looking into audio devices.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
I guess you don't own a business
Donald Trump GIF by reactionseditor

I do real estate, and if any home warranty, appraisals or inspectors want to come in my office and want me to push their product, they damn well better offer an amazing deal for my clients. Advertising ain’t free, cuh!
 
Last edited:

Miles708

Member
$99 headset + $40 codec fee = :messenger_angry:
$140 headset with codecs included = :messenger_smiling_with_eyes:

It'd be nice if it was free, and it would have been nice if everyone got outraged about it 4 years ago when Dolby introduced the fee in Windows.

Actually, yes.
Licensing costs are usually manufactured inside the product final price. You don't directly pay Unreal Engine fees when you buy a game, and you don't directly pay for other software licenses when buying a console or other products.

Also, licence costs to you and me (final users) and to Microsoft/Sony/etc. (manufacturers) are wildly different.

This is just a cheap way for microsoft to offset costs and increase margins, and yes, it's ridiculous.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Just don't buy it? There's so many more better headsets out there. Microsoft literally says on the product page you'll have to pay for the extra Dolby features. Of course it's shitty to have fees everywhere to access different things but it's not even required. Lots of boomer-esque posts in here. Technology changes. Companies try to figure out new ways to get your money. This is one of them. There weren't some magical days where companies gave a shit about you or your money.

The fee has been around for a long time, if people are surprised by this then they probably didn't actually care that much about sound quality because this is pretty common knowledge when looking into audio devices.
Boomer?

Generation Z for Zombies, innit.
 

Varteras

Gold Member
It’s a moot point because as far as I know Pulse doesn’t support Atmos? Correct me if I’m wrong of course.

Also the two headsets have very different features entirely. I’m a bit biased since I ordered the Xbox one but I feel like they can’t be compared.
There were a lot of debates between Dolby Atmos and Tempest. It was pretty much THE argument on 3D audio around here. Which one was better. So it's worth pointing out that one requires you to pay. I'm not in this for "TEH CONSOLE WARZ". Just to make sure information is known.
 
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.
The consumer friendly console
 

Razvedka

Banned
Isn't this kind of the stuff the reason Sony said 'no' to Dolby Atmos and made Tempest? Licensing fees and all that crap?

This is unreal if Dolby is pushing this on Microsoft. Are there any barriers to Microsoft doing what Sony did? I mean they have their own dedicated/custom audio silicon on the XSX and XSS, so is it just a matter of creating the software?

This is such garbage. I hope this backfires in Dolby's face.
 
Last edited:

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
It's a system wide license that works with any headset.. this has been something Dolby sells on Xbox since last gen..

It's not a headset feature you are unlocking.

It's the Xbox itself that would be more expensive if the license "came with it" not the headset..
Why didn’t they just include it in the system itself? They slap the advertising label on the box, unless they just kept the advertising money for themselves and still pass on the purchasing a license for their gamers.
 
Just in case Microsoft ever decides to make it free, we should go ahead and get this argument into the discussion too:

If they gave it away for free it would be really bad for surround sound software developers. We would end up with a bunch of AA surround systems or something. They should definitely charge $70 for the good of the industry.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom