AUDIO | BUILD HEARD ABOUT
John Broomhall asks Jason Page, senior audio manager at SCEE R&D, for the facts about PS Vita’s audio capabilities
SOWHAT’S under the hood that you can talk about? What is Vita capable of? There’s two sides to the audio processing on PS Vita: the ARM processing and the codec engine processing. The ARM side processing is also where the main game is processed, so it has been very important to keep CPU use to a minimum here. The codec engine is where the serious audio processing happens – mixing, resampling, DSP processing, and such like. I can’t go into too much detail regarding the hardware, but suffice to say, it’s very powerful. Developers are not allowed direct access
to the codec engine, as with the PSP’s ‘Media Engine’. As such, we had to ensure that the design of Next-Gen Synth took this into consideration. We needed to allow the synth to be configurable – synth DSP module routing and bus routing, for example – and we made sure that we’d include the high- priority DSP effects as standard, as it wouldn’t be possible for developers to write their own on the codec engine. This is another major reason why we needed feedback from middleware developers at an early stage. It’s probably worth noting that developers can just write their own synth on the ARM processors if they wish. However, NGS’s use of the codec engine allows for far more processing to be available for game (graphics and AI) use.
How about memory and storage for audio? There’s no actual audio memory – similar to both PS3 and PSP – and we’ve got a number of codecs that allow for compression ratios that are comparative with that of current gen memory footprints. From speaking to many developers, we
concluded that a budget of somewhere around 20MB for current gen audio assets is quite normal (RAM being reserved for in-game
DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET
sound effects, streaming audio buffers and such). We needed to ensure that, where possible, developers could dedicate the same RAMbudget on Vita and achieve similar results.
Will it deliver PS3 quality audio? It really depends what PS3 games with which you want to compare the audio capabilities of Vita and NGS. But the goal was to allow our own WWS PS3 titles to work on it with minimal changes. In terms of power, games process hundreds of audio channels, as well as
In terms of fidelity, it’s up there with the
PS3, and in terms of scope, I think that the synth design is actually more flexible.
Jason Page, SCEE
processing high quality reverbs, etcetera. We consider that a ‘game voice’ would have resampling, volume changing, filter and some kind of codec decoding all being active. So when I say that NGS can process hundreds of audio channels, I mean real ‘game voice’ audio channels. The main audio difference is obviously that
it’s a portable unit with stereo output, rather than full-fat 7.1. But in terms of fidelity, I’d say it’s up there with the PS3, and in terms of scope, I think that the synth design is actually more flexible, allowing for wider opportunities for creativity than that of PS3 in the longer term. Of course, PS3 is a home console. It plugs
into the mains and has a fan to keep it from overheating. Vita is a portable, battery powered unit and as such, you have to be
sensible when making comparisons between the two.
I see it like this: if you used the whole PS3
to do something amazing with audio, then yes, the PS3 delivers more. But if you consider what resources are normally available for game audio on a home console (memory, CPU use, DSPs), then without a doubt, Vita can deliver to that level.
Is it fair to say it’s redefining handheld audio? If so, why, and what do you think will be the long term effect on other devices? With regards to the long-term knock-on effect, portable audio can no longer be seen as the ‘simpler option’ or the ‘poorer relation’ compared to that of the home consoles. In future, the budgets for portable game audio may indeed rise to meet that of home consoles, although re-using assets across the two will also be a viable option, and as such could make portable console development easier overall. Does Vita redefine portable audio? I think
so, yes. If you look at current portable devices, their audio capabilities are around 15 years behind that of home consoles. So, comparing the audio capabilities of Vita to other portables on the market, be that mobile phones or other game orientated devices, Vita’s audio is a staggering achievement. Overall, such developments should allow for better game audio, leading to a better experience. Whatever ‘better’ means is up to the developer, but Vita certainly gives them the power do something rather special. To read an extended version of this interview, visit
www.develop-online.net
John Broomhall is an independent audio director, consultant and content provider. E:
develop@johnbroomhall.co.uk www.johnbroomhall.co.uk
DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012 | 59
SCEE R&D senior audio manager Jason Page believes that the PS VIta has the capability to compete with the PS3 with its impressive audio tech
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