Creative License

. News Posted 17/04/07
Author: PV5150
Source: The Inquirer


Creative Labs logo

In a surprise move but one that is understandable to some degree, ‘alternative’ sound card manufacturers Auzentech has become the first non-Creative Labs manufacturer to use Creative Labs audio chips.

The first card off the rank will be the imaginatively titled Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1, and at the heart of it lies the Creative X-Fi chipset.

The new card will support EAX, obviously, but also Dolby Digital Live encoding.

…”When you’re playing games, the Auzen X-Fi Prelude soundcard will output the best 3D audio and latest EAX effects. And when you’re listening to music or watching movies, you’ll enjoy an audiophile-quality experience.” a spokesperson from Auzentech stated.
This marks an interesting departure in strategy for Creative Labs. Previously, the company has been content to sell its own-brand products in its own boxes. But this move indicates a desire to see a larger ecosystem built up around its products, and the logical extension of this move would be to see Creative become the ‘audio processing unit’ provider to a number of board partners who would build their own products around it – the same model that Nvidia and ATI operate on.

For those eager to know more, you can view the press release here

According to the source article the card can be expected towards the end of may.

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