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Audio Radar brings directional sound to hearing-impaired gamers
The Audio Radar consists of six LEDs that can be attached to a monitor, and then light up to indicate what direction a sound is coming from, offering the benefits of directional audio to players who are hard of hearing.
The LEDs flash to reveal sound cues such as footsteps or gunfire, and can also be customized with different colors, brightness and patterns.
- The Audio Radar project launches on IndieGoGo on October 15th
- Will support PC, PlayStation and Xbox
- Preorders will cost $299, while the retail price will be $379
- Works best with 7.1 surround and as little ambient noise as possible
Accessibility: This is the first dedicated hardware of its kind designed to let people with hearing loss interact more easily with games, and the developers have just completed 18 months of testing. Asus offers a somewhat similar software-based solution.
Limitations: The peripheral relies on 7.1 surround sound to pick out individual sounds from the mix, and while 5.1 surround will work it might result in false positives the same way ambient noise can.