Ubi Soft Entertainment - Press News

REVOLUTIONARY NEW SOUND CARD FROM GUILLEMOT INTERNATIONAL TAKES GAMING TO NEW LEVELS

Maxi Sound Game Theater 64 delivers 64-voice wavetable synthesis, real-time effects, programmable surround and dynamic 3D audio on 4 separate speakers

San Francisco, CA, April 28, 1997 -- Guillemot International announced today the launch of Maxi Sound Game Theater 64, the premiere sound card for gamers seeking the very best in PC audio enhancements. Game Theater 64 adds a whole new dimension to PC gaming with 64-voice polyphony, real-time effects, programmable surround and dynamic 3D audio on four separate speakers.

Combining a powerful RISC-based 50 MIPS DSP (Digital Signal Processor) with all-new 64 voice wavetable synthesis, Game Theater 64 gives users amazingly real MIDI sound and the ability to customize real-time surround sound and effects on virtually any game soundtrack created. Designed especially for dynamic 3D audio on four separate speakers, Game Theater 64 will be bundled with an exclusive version of Ubi Soft Entertainment's sci-fi racing game POD, the first game developed for Game Theater 64's 4 speaker, 3D positional audio technology.

To date, PC audio has offered limited sound quality and few features to consumers craving more advanced technology in games and music. Now Game Theater 64 offers 64-voice polyphony, real-time post-effects in games, and true 3D positional audio output on 4 separate speakers. "There are a lot of great MIDI sound tracks out there that users have never been able to appreciate until now" said Claude Guillemot, president of Guillemot International. "With Game Theater 64, gamers can finally access the newest audio technologies in the latest games, while breathing new life into their old favorites."

Game Theater 64's hardware architecture is based on professional synthesizer equipment with a powerful 50 MIPS Digital Signal Processor on-board that allows gamers to change equalization, reverb, surround sound and more in real time. The DSP is driven by MaxiT FX, the exclusive effects control software that includes a 4-band paragraphic equalizer and generates a multitude of post-effects in games. "We designed the Maxi FX interface to be so simple to use that users can customize audio virtually in seconds", said Vincent Delabouere, audio engineer at Guillemot International. "Gamers can then create up to 800 enhanced audio settings to access each time they play that soundtrack."

Designed for True Dynamic 3D On 4 Speakers

Because it's designed for output on 4 separate speakers, Game Theater 64 lets 3D positional audio finally be heard all around the user. The result is a totally immersive sound experience in compliant games, allowing gamers to hear audio moving from rear to front in addition to right and left.

Included with Game Theater 64 is an exclusive preview of Ubi Soft Entertainment's new sci-fi racing thriller POD, completely programmed for 3D, four-speaker, positional audio. "With POD and Game Theater 64, players will hear cars attempting to pass them from behind for the first time, and even know what side of the road they are passing from," commented Laurent Detoc, vice president of Ubi Soft Entertainment. "This sound enhancement takes gameplay to new levels, giving the game dimensions not previously accessible with other audio enhancements."

In addition to POD, Game Theater 64 will be bundled with a number of new entertainment title previews including Rayman, Mech Warrior II: Mercenaries, Zork Nemesis and Classic Rock Guitar, Volume 2. The card will also include 50 enhanced settings for the top selling games on the market.

Excellent Quality MIDI

Featuring Dream's all-new 64-voice chipset in 4 MB RAM, Game Theater 64 delivers the most MIDI options available in a sound card in the range. For the first time, gamers and audiophiles will have access to 355 real instruments with 128 General MIDI sounds, ,189 variation sounds, 9 drum sets and 1 SFX. In addition to this, Guillemot is currently developing all new sound bank libraries recorded by professional musicians in each music genre. Consumers will be able to download these for free off Guillemot's website. This MIDI quality, combined with a variety of MIDI editing tools including Cakewalk Express, lets gamers as well as musicians access the full range of MIDI sequencing capabilities on the board.

A Stand-Alone Solution

Primarily targeting gamers but designed for the discerning audiophile, Game Theater 64 goes beyond game add-on hardware to deliver one of the most excellent stand alone sound cards in the range. For users looking to upgrade their overall sound capabilities, Game Theater 64 provides excellent sound quality and a variety of on-screen stereo control functions including Midisoft Audio Works, the HI FI stereo rack, and MaxiT FX, the effects control center that lets users customize enhanced audio for any application running on the desktop. Game Theater 64 is the ideal 64-voice quadraphonic sound solution for any system because the card works with 486DX 66 Mhz systems and up.

Game Theater 64 is bundled with a number of top software packages including:

- Cakewalk Express, a MIDI sequencer for professional and neophyte musical composers
- Midisoft Audio Works, which uses a Hi-Fi control screen to manage sound files, MIDI files and CD-ROMs
- Internet Phone, user friendly software for Internet Telephony
- Maxi FX, the exclusive interface that allows user to generate real-time special effects for games or any audio application on the desktop
- Maxi Bank Downloader, for organizing instrument creations and loading sound banks into memory for use in MIDI games and music

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Ubi Soft Entertainment, a major worldwide software publisher and developer, will oversee the distribution of Game Theater 64 in the United States.

Game Theater 64 will be available through a national network of resellers and distributors on April 28, 1997 for an MSRP of $199. For more information, contact Ubi Soft at (415) 547-4000 or (800)-UBISOFT, or visit the company's web site

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