Surround sound is an essential but often overlooked component to gaming that will elevate the experience exponentially. When it comes to enhancing your gaming experience, surround sound is a must. Using tools that enhance the sound you hear while gaming can not only help you be a better, more reactive player, but it can make your gaming experience more immersive. If you are after a gaming experience like no other, consider upgrading your sound system.
Surround sound: what is it?
Simply put, surround sound is sound that literally surrounds you. Rather than simply relying on the sound that comes out of your television or computer speakers, surround sound incorporates and mixes multiple speakers and audio channels for a more immersive experience. First introduced at movie theaters, surround sound is now popular and easy to replicate in home theaters, as well.
Surround sound enables you to experience sound in a way you might experience it in real life. With surround sound, if someone is sneaking up behind you and you can hear a faint noise, you would hear this noise only on the speakers behind you, as you would hear the noise behind you in real life. Surround sound mimics real life experiences. Surround sound is what you need for your immersive at-home experience. Even if your television or PC comes with great speakers, you will want to add to your set up to enhance the overall experience to truly enjoy next-level gaming. A top-notch speaker set up is considered must-have gaming gear for many. To set up a home theater with surround sound, you will want:
- A center speaker
- Left and right front speakers
- Left and right rear speakers
- A subwoofer
- If you prefer headphones or earbuds, you can purchase these with immersive sound similar to surround sound
Each of these components offers its own audio magic that will take your experience from good to great. Each speaker will pick up its own audio elements from your game play and layer on the sounds for a truly authentic experience. A good surround sound system will have you think someone is truly sneaking up on you when the rear speakers pick up a sound not being broadcast on the front speakers.
Surround sound: why it matters in gaming
Surround sound is obviously fabulous when watching a movie. If you’ve never experienced a scary movie with surround sound, you are truly missing out on a hair-raising experience. Try not to be creeped out when you watch it home alone in the dark! But does surround sound truly matter when you are gaming?
While surround sound likely won’t make you a better gamer, it may give you an advantage because you can better detect where other players are within a game, which is important when you are trying not to be ambushed and eliminated. When a player is coming up behind you or from your left or right, surround sound may be able to help you detect their whereabouts before you are able to lay eyes on them. This can help you with reaction times and may help improve your overall performance.
Not only can surround sound help you detect where other players are even when you can’t see them, it can also help you feel more immersed in a game. While there aren’t necessarily any competitive advantages to feeling more immersed in a video game, it may help you enjoy the experience more and want to play longer and more frequently.
If you’re ready to take your gaming to the next level, consider pairing your surround sound system with a gaming chair (and maybe a gaming drink) and you may never want to do anything else ever again!