Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is offering players a third-party audio feature as an add-on for $20, leading to sharp criticism from players. The game comes with an Enhanced Headphone Mode that utilizes technology crafted by a company called Embody. Headset users can further enhance this audio feature by paying for a personalized audio profile.
Is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s audio add-on ‘pay-to-hear?’
Although this add-on is new to the game, third-party enhancements aren’t new to the world of audio technology. Black Ops 6’s standard audio features are more than enough, so those with headsets who choose not to pay for a personalized profile won’t experience a negative impact on gameplay.
However, that hasn’t stopped players from expressing concerns about the feature. Dubbing it “pay-to-hear,” players fear that those who fork out the cash may have a slight advantage in a multiplayer/competitive setting.
“Players can choose to enhance HRTF [Head Related Transfer Function] experience even further by creating a personalized profile that takes into account the player’s physical attributes, such as the shape of their ear or head,” Activision said of Embody’s add-on.
PS5 players can utilize Sony’s own personalized 3D audio profile feature, which was recently introduced via a system update.