Andre Yoskowitz
28 Aug 2010 1:37
Microsoft has said this week that the upcoming Xbox 360 software refresh will "significantly" improve the sound quality of the headsets.
The update is expected this fall, alongside the launch of the Kinect motion control system.
With the software update, Microsoft will "upgrade the codec and audio infrastructure that underpins the quality of voice communication from Xbox 360 to Xbox 360, and should make for clear chat between gamers when they play online," says Xbox Live Studios boss Jerry Johnson, via Eurogamer.
Explaining further, Johnson says: "The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that."
Concluding: "We launched and we said we required broadband. We required a 64k connection, which not many people think of as broadband any longer. But that was the minimum requirement to run the service at the time.
"It's time for us to move on. Especially if we want to think about broadening - a crackly headset on the top of your head – not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment."
Voice communication was started by Microsoft in 2002, with the launch of Xbox Live.