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well i dont know but it runs the game in dx10 im dead sure because of all the good HDR and particle effect and motion blurs..

and i have to say something..

dont hate the start of the game..

i mean..

i didnt like the gameplay it wasnt intense ..

but i just recently unlocked the pro kits for each different type of car..

and PRO FOR A TRAILBLAZER.. and ull feel the RUSH!!..

DAMN ITS SO INTENSE:.

i cant look at the beautiful environment..

i have to concentrate on the road so bad!!!..

its really intense now..

and im just 15% into the dirt tour..

:)

so ... :p

its gona be awesome ahead.

:::::

And why isnt this Topic OFFICIAL tagged?

like for other games?

this game deserves one..

and its almost out for everybody.

This is easily the best looking game I have seen. And it runs amazingly fast (at least on 5870..) with everything maxed (including 8xAA) at 1920x1200. I just wish that gameplay was little less arcadish, at times it feels the car is on tracks and it's almost impossible to lose control. Still very entertaining game and almost worth playing for graphics alone.

btw, does anyone else have the free AMD promo Steam version? I activated the game through Steam but it didn't appear on the my games tab, Steam downloaded the game and I can play it by running the dirt2.exe manually. Is it supposed to show up on Steam games tab?

AMD promo??

u get a vid before the game starts saying..

AMD .. future is fusion or something

..

and yes little arcadish but looks superb.

im missing the raining tarmac roads of china like in older games..

in this its just mud and mud :(

no green forests or anything.

no italy yet...

This is easily the best looking game I have seen. And it runs amazingly fast (at least on 5870..) with everything maxed (including 8xAA) at 1920x1200. I just wish that gameplay was little less arcadish, at times it feels the car is on tracks and it's almost impossible to lose control. Still very entertaining game and almost worth playing for graphics alone.

btw, does anyone else have the free AMD promo Steam version? I activated the game through Steam but it didn't appear on the my games tab, Steam downloaded the game and I can play it by running the dirt2.exe manually. Is it supposed to show up on Steam games tab?

That's odd. It should be on your game list. At least, it should have been there initially (when you downloaded it).

Anyway, I'm guessing the game uses some DX11 effects on DX10 hardware. Has anyone tried it with a steering wheel? I'm tempted to buy the Logitech MOMO Racing Wheel for the game.

Tried the demo, and meh, it was alright (also didn't like the Dirt 1 that much). It did look beautiful and ran cranked on my system at 60fps solid w/ vsync on. I'll take NFS Shift over this any day, but then again, they are totally different games.

I tried Need for Speed: SHIFT and I didn't like the handling in it. And the graphics weren't that great, in my opinion. DiRT 2 looks and plays better for me and it feels more PC-friendly, especially with DX11 support for even better graphics.

I tried the DiRT 2 Demo on the 360 a while back and loved it, so I decided to give the PC version a shot and ... what the hell. Yesterday, I only had about 10 minutes, so I thought I could start up the game and have a free run, yeah right. First you are forced through a stupid video, stupid phone conversation and a "Hey, you must be completely new at games and you probably have a mental defect" tutorial about everything. I quit the game before I even hit the first race :laugh:

Now today, I had to go through all that again because apparently, I didn't do the first race. Today, I had to retire from the race because the 360 controller isn't working?! Plugged in, I did all the menus with it and it even vibrates in the game but it won't respond to anything else ... And playing this game with the keyboard is pretty horrendous.

Now I quit the game again and can only say; I'm disappointed thus far.

I tried the DiRT 2 Demo on the 360 a while back and loved it, so I decided to give the PC version a shot and ... what the hell. Yesterday, I only had about 10 minutes, so I thought I could start up the game and have a free run, yeah right. First you are forced through a stupid video, stupid phone conversation and a "Hey, you must be completely new at games and you probably have a mental defect" tutorial about everything. I quit the game before I even hit the first race :laugh:

Now today, I had to go through all that again because apparently, I didn't do the first race ... Today, I had to retire from the race because the 360 controller isn't working?! Plugging in, I did all the menus with it and it even vibrates in the game but it won't respond to anything else ...

Now I quit the game again and can only say; I'm disappointed thus far.

You have to wait for that tutorial crap in the first game too. Very frustrating.

The menus are cool looking yes but extremely cumbersome and annoying and why won't my freakin' 360 controller work with this bloody game?! Drivers are updated and I know it's working ( Played MW2 all night with it on the 360 ) I can navigate fine in the menus with the D-pad and select with A but as soon as I race, nothing works - The control option menu doesn't even have anything.

The menus are cool looking yes but extremely cumbersome and annoying and why won't my freakin' 360 controller work with this bloody game?! Drivers are updated and I know it's working ( Played MW2 all night with it on the 360 ) I can navigate fine in the menus with the D-pad and select with A but as soon as I race, nothing works - The control option menu doesn't even have anything.

Gaming on the PC is effort, and it's all I do.

Ermm, what does that have to do with anything?

Getting hardware to work when it doesn't, manual patching (Steam works well in this regard actually) etc., all effort. It's a good platform hardware-wise, but in reality, there is so much effort.

I'd have to disagree, the 360 controller works perfect with every supported game I have tried - They pick it up fine and every button is mapped like the console counter-part. This time however, there's something wrong, may be locally might not be but I know it's supported by the game natively.

I'd have to disagree, the 360 controller works perfect with every supported game I have tried - They pick it up fine and every button is mapped like the console counter-part. This time however, there's something wrong, may be locally might not be but I know it's supported by the game natively.

Yeh, I shouldn't have gotten into this - wrong time and place and it's been done a million times :) My bad!

the controller isnt mapped by default.

and yes i love the menu but its slow.. sometimes u wana go here and there faster.

And this is weird but my rumble isnt working in DiRT 2..

it does in NFS..

:( kinda miss it.

im on 49% dirt tour done :D

My Xbox 360 controller was mapped perfectly from the start.

lucky you :)

i dont have xbox 360 controller..

i use dual shock :)

made for PC dual Shock :p

its a chinese brand but works great..

and guess how much it is for.

its for $6

:D

anyhow the game lacks two things ..

1.Rain

2.Snow

these are the two very important elements in making a rally game FUN..

but it isnt there

(oohh ohhh.. did anybody use the cockpit cam and see how the water runs on the windshield when u drive through a water puddle)

Edited by Zain Adeel

Guys..

i noticed a big flaw in the game.

its intended maybe

but all the new cars suck braking power.

but the unlocked cars brake very very well.

only the unlocked cars..

like the 97 subaru.. and dakkar pajero and all..

TRY THEM :)

i now only race in them.

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    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
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