No Dolby Digital for Wii?

I just wrote an article about how the Wii will be able to do surround sound with only a stereo setup. It is a good read!

http://kamalot.blogspot.com/2006/05/wii-has-3d-sound.html

You guys just don't get it...

Most people do not have surround sound setups. They have a STANDARD television with stereo speakers built-in. Nintendo is going for Joe Average Consumer, and that's smart. These people make up the largest customer base.

The Big N knows what they're doing, as usual.

#3 is right.

Wii is, for all intents and purposes, re-packaged GCN. In fact, it's simply the system that GCN *should* have been.

Online capable, backward compatibility, DVD functionality, kick-ass new controller, etc.

However, the lack of originality (controller notwithstanding, natch) doesn't really bother me; it's consistent with N's history. More than even Sony or Apple, Nintendo loves to streamline and repackage older hardware in lieu of developing revolutionary new hardware. Wii vs. GGN isn't all that different from the repackaging that went into DS vs DS lite, or GBA SP vs GBA, or GB Pocket Color vs. GB Pocket, or GB Pocket vs GB. Even the myriad colored N64s released in 1999/2000 hinted at this sort of business model.

Hold on hold on.. SO let me get this straight. So... what you guys are saying, is that. DOlby Digital is tooo high end for a Nintendo game console. But not WiFi. Cause.. unlike surround system EVERYBONE has WiFi. Nobody has those Fancy Network Cables like the big companies have. But the WiFi that costs $40 to get a router for.. and if computer are hooked up to it, can leave your computers Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open for hackers.

Actually, the no LAN cable thing on the Wii kinda ticks me off more. I've known nintendo was afraid of new technology for a while.

Am I missing something? I've been listening to 5.1 surround sound for over a decade using simple stereo AV cables plugged into my audio receiver. It sounds like the Wii will support 5.1 surround sound... what it won't support is the slightly better sounding Dolby Digital 5.1.

Adam, pretty much.

I remember hearing 5.1 goodness through my N64 for The World is Not Enough. Could tell if things were behind my to the left or right. Worked really well when there were missiles flying all over the place in multiplayer.

I now don't have a receiver any longer, so I hear all of my games in stereo.

I'm not seeing a reason for such an uproar.

32_steps.

I think argueing on a forum is pretty retarded.

It's 6 months before the console launch, and you are argueing about how it has better games. See problem is, most of us haven't played the games. Before E3 we saw screenshots, but Ninto fans were saying it's about the games.. But most of us hadn't seen the games.

We can judge Screenshots and tech specs now. But very few of us have actually played the games. Soooooo... how can you argue it has better games? Have you played the games? If So. congrats. I know I haven't.

The DS is a bad paralel, because, I should hope that I'm not buying a console with a bunch of short shallow experinces. Just remember something. Black looked like it was going to be the best FPS of all time... and look what happend. On the other hand, Halo got terrible reviews at it's first E3... and look what happened... Hell, even the Japanese want to play Halo 3 and they hate FPS games.

My only comment is that if Nintendo made the effort to put a speaker in the controller for more 'immersive' sound, then I don't see how they can justify not including true surround sound instead of a matrixed format.

DS is HARDLY a bad parallel, when it comes to the criticism of low tech. It got flamed to high heaven by mainstream critiques. Funny how it's all forgotten now.

By 1 year after Wii's release, I should think you'd all have forgotten this sort of minor problem. It's amazing how many people come here masquerading as Nintendo supporters while making comments which give away how little of Nintendo they actually know.

alright, this is just ridiculous now. Even my $30 DVD player has a dolby digital output on it. It's not an expensive feature to add, and it makes the audio in games SO much better.

This is stupid. You're ALL wrong. How? For taking this fourth-party information in as FACT. It's not a fact until Nintendo releases it.

I can't wait to see the haters' jaws drop after the Tokyo show.

Well, frankly, I really don't know many people at all who have a good (if existing) 5.1 rig that would fully take advantage of Dolby Digital. It's definitely great for immersion, but the fact remains that quality 5.1 experiences are probably still not quite mainstream, especially since people generally seem more concerned with video than audio from what I see.

Furthermore, the speaker in the controller will help to add an additional level of audio experience without requiring 5.1. It's not a full out subsitution, but it's something.

I'm not really much of a sound buff so for me, this isn't a great deal at all. I actually can't really see this being a major problem for Nintendo as the mass market consumer (from what I've noticed) do not seem to value sound as much as other factors such as graphics. Additionally, most people do not even have home theater sytems capable of taking advantage of this. This in mind it is easy to see why Nintendo would omit this as it saves them additional costs and increases their profit margin. That said, it is a definite blow to those hardcore gamers who place great importance in sound clarity and quality.

Dolby Pro Logic II doesn't actually "simulate" surround sound. Instead, the surround sound data is passed to a receiver along traditional stereo RCA cables and then decoded there into true, discrete, 5.1 channel audio.

There is no additional strain on the Gamecube (or in this case, the Wii) because it is not doing the decoding - your receiver handles that, just as it handles the decoding of Dolby Digital, DTS, THX Surround EX, or whichever your format of choice may be.

There's an audio test on Rogue Leader, I believe, which adequately illustrates the effectiveness of DPLII. You can clearly hear audio moving from speaker to speaker.

It's also not exactly an old format, either - it was developed in 2000. That is one potential issue; gamers who have surround systems older than that may need to buy a new receiver. I upgraded as soon as the Gamecube came out, and it's been more than worth it. Hearing games in surround sound really does add a lot to the experience.

I tend to stick to the digital outs for the PS2, Xbox, and 360, but I believe many PS2 and Xbox games take advantage of DPLII, as well.

Naturally, the best way to transmit multiple channels of audio is to split them up, dedicating one high-bandwidth cable to each stream. However, unless you're a fan of SACDs (or if you encode all of your ripped CD tracks as wave files) and demand that level of audio fidelity, DPLII is easily on par with the quality of any other standard surround sound format.

It just happens to have the benefit of being able to travel along standard cables. Personally, I'm fine with having another DPLII source. I only have 7 optical inputs on my receiver, but there's plenty of room for RCA cables left...

I'd suggest looking into surround sound formats before worrying too much about Nintendo's continued use of DPLII. It's actually pretty interesting how it all works. Though, I'd probably rather be playing games.

Its official:
Sony fanboys have become the new Nintendo fanboys.

Ok, personally I'm fine with Pro Logic II, although I don't understand why they wouldn't include DD. Anyways...

To those saying sound doesn't matter, gameplay does:

What is gameplay? Gameplay is your input and corresponding output. Sound depends on your input (and thats the point of surround sound in games) What;s a game without graphics and sounds? Not a game.

Anyways, Nintendo FTW, Nintendo Apologists FTL.

Heh, how pathetic. Its pretty obvious that this is a bad thing, why are all the Nintendo Fanboys saying ''I don't care about Surround Sound!'', It seriously does add much much more to the game. I was playing Oblivion on the 360 without surround sound, then I tried surround sound ($60, 4 speakers) and it was GREAT. The music was just much better and you I could hear people running towards me, it seriously is so much better.
Its like watching a movie without surround sound, it adds much more.
Don't bash it just because you're not getting it.

nooooo! surround sound is great and why r they getting rid of it??

My receiver only has ONE optical-in (or maybe two...the point is, not many). If the Wii is supposed to be everybody's 2nd system, it's not going to need an optical out BECAUSE THE PS3, OR 360, WILL ALREADY BE USING IT!!!

it would be pretty dumb to go to the back of your receiver, and switch cables whenever you want to play a different system.

Ugh, some of the people posting are really uninformed. A Dolby Pro Logic II soundtrack is STILL surround sound. The Wii will internally process 4 or 5 channels of sound, but mix the RR/FR and RL/FL signals together. Any reciever with the Dolby Pro Logic II logo on it will be able to decode it, you'll end up with surround sound. Dolby Digital transmits the sound as 5.1 from source to speakers, PL2 uses tricks to transmit 5.1 sound over two RCA cables. Get over it folks, I still recall the PL2 surround sound in Zelda: Wind Waker being pretty awesome.

WHY HAS NO ONE MENTIONED THE HUGE DVD ISSUE?

So the Wii will play DVD's but can't output surround sound? WTF is that? I was hoping to trash my dvd player when the wii came along, but omgwtf1337?! listening to dvd's without surround sound just plain sucks. Especially if it has a great surround mix to boot. This blows, really blows.

PL2 is great, but because the audio has to be pre-mixed it can't transmit the real-time surround sound like, for instance, COD2 can on the 360. When someone is speaking to me, I can rotate my characters view on screen, and in real time, I can hear the persons voice carry around my room with PINPOINT accuracy, as if I were really sitting there listening to them. PL2 can't do that.

The same sound that comes out of the left surround speaker, will come from the right, whereas with 5.1 DD, it is so accurate that the sound actually moves in a flawless transition from speaker to speaker in distinct channels around the room.

This is a feature that adds much immersion to games, and given the fact that this system is based on a players precise movements to improve gameplay, wouldn't it make sense that the sound mimic these precise movements as well to further immerse us? Imagine swinging your sword in red steel and hearing it whoosh through the air precisely from left to right and front to back in real time. Without 5.1 DD this is impossible.

"Nintendo is going for Joe Average Consumer, and that's smart."

so by going for the "Joe average" consumer they need to scrap technology that's been available in games for 5 years now? While I understand that many people don't have 5.1 surround systems, a large portion of people still do. A much larger portion than those with HDTV. So, the lack of HD is understandable, as it takes alot more power, and not alot of people have it. But DD 5.1 has been around for YEARS, it's cheap technology, and a large bulk of people can take advantage of it. If this is true, this is ridiculous.

I agree with sheik. Zelda in PL2 is awesome. I remember playing perfect dark on the n64 in pl2 and it rocked. Sure DD 5.1 would be better but by comparison look at Smash Brothers on GC in 480 progressive and it looks great. I think the PL2 support is going to be similar.

As far as the Wii being just another gamecube, you people are insane. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil and Resident 0, Resident 4 were all built for the Gamecube. the 3D models in those games are excellent even standing next to 360 games. The models in the game look as good as the CG models in the cut scenes if not better.

The Wii is giving developers a faster CPU, more ram, a more powerful graphics chip, more ram for the graphics chip and wifi support out the box. How is that "just another gamecube." Essentially you have a console that can give you RE4 level and beyond without the constraints of the Gamecube hardware.

Look at the 360 even now. Sure Oblivion and GRAW look great but what the hell happened to Gun, Tony Hawk, Quake 4, FarCry, Burnout, PGR etc. These games look just like xbox games. I swear, people that I know that say the Wii is nothing more than a Gamecube with a crazy controller are the same idiots that said the DS will get smited by the tech of the PSP. I see the same thing here on these forums. The hardware isn't at retail. We can't play it. If you want the absolute best tech you can get for gaming then go buy a Dell XPS gaming rig for $10,000 with the "Star Trek A-grade cooling system" and come back here and talk that big talk.

Lastly if you really want to be ill, then why didn't Microsoft use the HD-DVD drive as standard instead that lamer DVD drive that's in the 360? Because it wasn't needed "per se." Am I not going to want to play Metroid Prime 3 because it doesn't support DD? That's stupid.