WipEout HD to support customizable soundtracks

by Jason Dobson { Feb 27th 2008 at 10:30AM }

The ability to create customized soundtracks is a criminally underused feature in many games, as players are forced to turn down the volume and crank up the stereo just so they can tackle their boss of choice to the musical styling of their favorite 80s hair band. It's not too much to ask, and apparently Sony agrees, with the upcoming WipEout HD for the PS3 now confirmed to support fully customized soundtracks. Taking a page from the recently released Wipeout Pulse for the PSP, the upcoming racer will sport a handful of what we're sure will turn out to be suitably electronic tracks, though if you're in the mood for -- let's just say Barry Manilow – that's entirely your choice.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Gallery: WipEout HD

Tags: custom, racing, soundtrack, wipeout, wipeout-hd, wipeouthd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Dustin @ Feb 27th 2008 10:37AM

Hmm, it will be interesting to see how this is done.
I think there's reason to have hope that in-game XMB isn't too far away... what with the in-shirt-xmb jokes and O, I don't know... the fact that it's SOOO LONG OVERDUE.

Nate @ Feb 27th 2008 11:36AM

Already implemented in other games - High Velocity Bowling and Super Stardust HD to name a couple.

It's available, most developers just haven't been implementing it

BTW - it's 1080p @ 60FPS and the graphics are SICK. I can't wait for this game, I have Wipeout Pulse on the PSP and it's an awesome game even on that small screen.

PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 27th 2008 12:21PM

yea as you can tell by my avatar and name.....i was none to happy about that In-Shirt XMB joke.....i got upset like Sony has never let me down before lol.

riggs @ Feb 27th 2008 10:41AM

now i can play boston - more than a feeling while driving incredibly fast!

copa @ Feb 27th 2008 10:50AM

Yeah, it's not too much to ask for customized soundtrack support in all your games. Or chat support in all your games. Or a consistent leaderboard/ranking system for all your games. Or cross-game chat support. Or in-game dashboard access. Or cross-game invites.

Hell, I'd probably be willing to pay nearly $5 a month for all of that.

KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Feb 27th 2008 10:57AM

the ability has been there for a while now, Sony has not made it mandatory yet. Once XMB access anywhere hits you can be sure that it will, not to mention Home.

Van Faulk @ Feb 27th 2008 10:59AM

What you are suggesting is as crazy as having not paying extra for a rumble controller! Don't you see? Sony is doing this for our own good! By giving us nothing, they make us appreciate every little scrap they deign to give us.

Not like evil money grubbing M$ (I use the dollar sign to show how rebellious and anti capitalist I am) using features and a wide variety of games to bribe us into buying their system!

el serpiente @ Feb 27th 2008 12:02PM

Really? You're gonna take the angle of benevolent, gracious, all-giving microsoft? You are obviously blinded by the piercing rays of the red ring of delusion...

Van Faulk @ Feb 27th 2008 1:21PM

Not at all. i'm just sick of people acting like sony is so magnanimous for adding features the original xbox had. There is NO excuse for not having custom soundtracks after 2 years. NONE. The only reason why they aren`t here, like the in game XMB and the multitude of other fetaures missing form the ps3, is that sony was too lazy to get them to work.

Nate @ Feb 27th 2008 2:38PM

2 years? The PS3 has been out for 15 months.

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 2:57PM

"Not at all. i'm just sick of people acting like sony is so magnanimous for adding features the original xbox had. There is NO excuse for not having custom soundtracks after 2 years. NONE."

We... we are? Okay, let me break it down for you, cookie.

These are shortcomings on the PS3. Do you program on the PS3? Do you have a dev kit or debug unit? No? Then a simple question... how the fuck do you know how easy adding features like this is? You assume when you add something, you never break anything. Considering some firmwares have broken features only to be fixed a day later, I'd say that's probably one of the main things holding the feature back. Not getting it to work with Playstation Tools released last year at GDC... because those features are turning up integrated with games now. Instead it's likely the features break the system and getting it to work while minimalizing the impact on the system is a tricky, tricky scenario.

But you're right, you know. Sony couldn't get it done at launch, they should just not bother adding it down the road. No fixing their mistakes, no upgrading the OS, none of that. In fact, we should roll back 360 too. After all, that whole background downloading of demos off the marketplace introduced in the first spring update? What a useless piece of shit that was...

Let's hope they both have fully realized systems day 1 of next generation next time. Since adding features or fixing shortcomings offends you so, Faulk.

HDE @ Feb 27th 2008 10:51AM

Well I stream music from my PC on my 360 so I can listen to them in anygame that I play, even online.

NATO_Duke @ Feb 27th 2008 10:59AM

I actually rarely use the feature. I generally default to what the game designers wanted for the mood of the game. Do that many people take advantage of this feature?

JJ Rooster @ Feb 27th 2008 11:07AM

It's been great for Burnout Paradise, where the soundtrack for that game generally sucks.

PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 27th 2008 12:29PM

yea i stream all my music and videos from my PC to my PS3 and i can say that being able to stream music while playing a game online on PS3 would be full of win. that said, i would probably only use the feature on racing games and such cause most of the games i play have pretty epic soundtracks anyway...and even then, i love the sound of my car in Gran Turismo so i dont know if i would even use it there either honestly.

SID SPACE @ Feb 27th 2008 1:51PM

@ NATO_duke

I do the same. The only games I really ever use custom soundtracks on are sandbox games and arcade titles.

Gunner McGrath @ Feb 27th 2008 2:58PM

Yep, I hook up my iPod and pick an appropriate genre (usually Punk Rock) for any game where having music playing adds to the experience.. namely skate. and Burnout Paradise. One of these days I'll actually create a playlist for games. It's awesome that this is incorporated into the Xbox 360 console for all games and it's a shame the PS3 doesn't have that feature.

KayRazy Ken Kutaragi @ Feb 27th 2008 10:58AM

I downloaded the trailer from Gamersyde on my PS3 and WOW for a PSP game souped up for the PS3...it looks really really good. I cant even imagine how good the actual PS3 Wipeout will look.

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 11:22AM

This is actually a PLAYSTATION game souped up for PS3. I heard it was all the tracks of the original Wipeout.

Phranctoast @ Feb 27th 2008 11:40AM

Firestarter is back!

FW. I believe its based of the psp game and not the psx game.

Mr. Cantu @ Feb 27th 2008 11:47AM

I couldn't believe this so I looked and sure enough, there are stories of two Wipeouts coming to the PS3. When is the real PS3 Wipeout coming out and why the heck are they putting out a semi PS3 version and a real built for PS3 version?

Nate @ Feb 27th 2008 12:01PM

What defines a real vs. non-real PS3 version? This one is non-real because it reuses tracks?

Mr. Cantu @ Feb 27th 2008 12:32PM

Nate, are you saying that games ported to the PS3 are just as good as games that are designed for the PS3 from day 1? I'm sure this game will look and play well, but anytime I hear port I lose some interest.

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 2:11PM

No, no you haven't. You've had music playing over the gameplay. You haven't had full soundtrack integration. Then again, I doubt this game will either.

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 2:23PM

Damn, wrong reply thread...

FOXHOUND @ Feb 27th 2008 11:03AM

"Never gonna give you up..."
-dodges quake-
"Never gonna let you down..."
-barrel roll speed boost-
"Never gonna run around around..."
-gets destroyed by heat seeking missiles-
"...and desert you"

I love Wipeout... definitely one of the best racing games out there. :]

Sean @ Feb 27th 2008 11:46AM

Wow rick roll'd...in TEXT format. That is epic.

Rick Astley + Wipeout = Match made in 4chan

PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 27th 2008 12:34PM

+1 for you lol

el serpiente @ Feb 27th 2008 12:48PM

You can dodge a quake?

FOXHOUND @ Feb 27th 2008 2:42PM

Without items, no - you can't dodge a quake. But on the PSP Wipeout games, I was always in fear of the other players(CPU or otherwise)using it, especially if I'm right before a ramp.

Anyway, 2 quick tactics to dodge quake attacks in Wipeout(there's a few others, but I'm in the office at the moment, away from my dear handheld & consoles):

» Shield ... I've noticed a tiny degree of deceleration though while the track is impacted
» Mid-air ... Obviously, if you're in the air, it has no effect

Demaar @ Feb 27th 2008 11:05AM

Man, wish Sony would get on the ball. In-game XMB is the cure-all for this problem and everyone knows it.

Trev @ Feb 27th 2008 11:17AM

Is it customized soundtracks, or is it just playing music over the top of your game?

Custom soundtracks, to my knowledge, have never been implemented. I want to select songs that will fade in or out and play at appropriate times as the game would do with its default music. A specific example would be select a new song for DMC4 to play when you get into a fight instead of the cheesy metal it plays. (You can't do that, but I would like to.)

What HAS been done is just playing music over the top of your game, which is annoying if it doesn't stop during cutscenes. That isn't going to be an issue for Wipeout, but for all the games I would actually like to put new tracks into it would.

I want real custom soundtracks, not just an mp3 player that happens to be coming out of my game console.

Trev @ Feb 27th 2008 11:17AM

Also that wasn't supposed to be a reply.

Barbie Fu @ Feb 27th 2008 11:12AM

the 360 lets you play what ever music you want in ANY game.......it's about time other people catch on...... and the music in past wipeouts rocked anyway......what are you going to play? I Can't Drive 55?

Kizzle @ Feb 27th 2008 11:52AM

Yes, the 360 lets you play music in "any game," but it's not a built-in feature to the games themselves.

That's one of the few steps backward the 360 is from the original XBox. Each game that supported it had it integrated into the game itself so it was more manageable and easier to work with. The 360's custom soundtrack implementation sucks. Ever try to throw on a custom entrance theme in the newest Smackdown game? What a pain in the ass. Even something like Saints Row's "MP3 player" lacks the ease and intuitive nature of something like the GTA games on the original XBox.

Looking at this, I guess Sony's in-game XMB won't be much better. Oh well.

ill trooper @ Feb 27th 2008 12:42PM

"the 360 lets you play what ever music you want in ANY game..."

Except WipeOut.

Mr. Cantu @ Feb 27th 2008 11:19AM

I don't have a PS3 but I've been thinking about picking one up as a blu ray player but was also considering picking up a hopefully cheaper stand alone player.

I totally forgot about Wipeout HD. I used to love Wipeout XL so I just might get a PS3, instead of a stand alone blu ray player, whenever this comes out.

NATO_Duke @ Feb 27th 2008 11:25AM

Your best deal on a blu ray is the PS3 - to get a machine that offers its benefits on top of playing movies is just the best way to go.

Kizzle @ Feb 27th 2008 11:54AM

If you can wait, do it. The PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player, but that's more because the standalones suck rather than the PS3 being amazing.

If you can hold off until Fall/Winter we should see some more respectable standalones.

NATO_Duke @ Feb 27th 2008 12:24PM

Yeah, stand alones may suck - for whatever reason (not that I know of) but the PS3 does play games and allow internet access and other features through having a hard drive. Therefore, its just better than a stand alone of any sort.

x silence x @ Feb 27th 2008 11:39AM

I've been using custom soundtracks since early 2000...

This is news?

arrrgh @ Feb 27th 2008 12:08PM

+1 seriously people wtf is this?

upz @ Feb 27th 2008 12:11PM

Dreamcast had custom soundtracks?!?!

If you're talking about PC, I've been doing it since Windows 3.1. Ha.

x silence x @ Feb 27th 2008 1:03PM

The original Xbox has custom soundtracks...

2001 to be exact :)

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 2:28PM

How am I not suprised. Why is there always a bunch of people ready to bash any Sony info with blatant ignorance.

Yes, Xbox had custom sountracks, great feature when a fraction of your library supported it. Really great and grand. Kinda like what's happening here. Some games are getting the feature, some aren't. Big deal. To long time Wipeout fans who have heard nothing but bitching about "tat gey technis shit muzac," this gives us a bit of relief because then idiots can quit bitching about The Future Sound Of London and go back to their Britney Spears...

Now, in regards to the general bitch, so because someone has done it before... that means no one else can do it? Well fuck me, that makes sense. Someone call Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that in game voice should be pulled, PC did it way long ago... fucking idiots.

Mr. Cantu @ Feb 27th 2008 12:49PM

I have to agree that the PS3 right now is the best package since the standalones are about the same price without the extras the PS3 throws in.

Man, if only I didn't miss out on that buy a player, get 5 blu ray movies deal. It'd probably give me enough ammo to convince my wife that nows the time to buy. As it stands, I'll probably have to wait until a price drop or another deal.

LiqwidZero @ Feb 27th 2008 12:58PM

I've had custom soundtracks in every Xbox 360 game I own.

FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Feb 27th 2008 2:49PM

That's not a custom soundtrack, that's an MP3 player. If you could add your music to playlists in the game or even have your own radio station (like on Xbox), then we'd talk. But since you can't do that, how exactly is your custom soundtrack different from muting the music and turning on a stereo?