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That guy made absolutely no sense. He kept exclaiming how the game had huge wondrous maps and vistas packed with tank warfare etc and says the game wasn't cutting it to be labeled epic??

i think 'epic' in this context refers to the single player story... which is nothing but cheesy action b-movie stuff?

it would have been 'epic' if there was something more substantial stringing all the action sequences together in the single player, but battlefield has always been about multiplayer...?

yeah so i pre-ordered it @ best buy... the ps3 beta was awesome. A bunch of friends from work are getting it for PC so i did the same thing.

Larry you better be playing in on your PC too! maybe we can find one game where we can actually play one another...

yeah so i pre-ordered it @ best buy... the ps3 beta was awesome. A bunch of friends from work are getting it for PC so i did the same thing.

Larry you better be playing in on your PC too! maybe we can find one game where we can actually play one another...

(Y) I have it pre ordered on my PC and my 360, so no doubt we can get together on the PC. I believe on PC I am just DirtyLarry, been awhile since I played the Beta so I forgot, will update the thread on Tuesday for sure.

That is HILARIOUS. Sums up my feelings of MW2 right there. LOL

(Y) I have it pre ordered on my PC and my 360, so no doubt we can get together on the PC. I believe on PC I am just DirtyLarry, been awhile since I played the Beta so I forgot, will update the thread on Tuesday for sure.

That is HILARIOUS. Sums up my feelings of MW2 right there. LOL

(Y)

is the game through steam (like even if you have a boxed copy it installs through steam) or does EA have their own friends list and what not?

if this game gets me away from MW2 for a month lets say, we have a new winner

(Y)

is the game through steam (like even if you have a boxed copy it installs through steam) or does EA have their own friends list and what not?

if this game gets me away from MW2 for a month lets say, we have a new winner

I don't think so, the beta...if you didn't order it on Steam...didn't require it so I don't think full retail will either.

(Y)

is the game through steam (like even if you have a boxed copy it installs through steam) or does EA have their own friends list and what not?

if this game gets me away from MW2 for a month lets say, we have a new winner

I am pretty sure the friends list in the game itself is through EA's server.

And you can definitely install it independent of Steam.

I am sure you guys maybe saw this thread, so it sounds like we should be able to preload BFBC2 tomorrow if we did the digital download.

Direct2Drive announces that pre-loads for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC will begin this Sunday (Steam pre-loads will likely begin at the same time):

Beginning this SUNDAY at 10am PST, everyone who purchases the BFBC2 digital PC pre-order from Direct2Drive.com will be able to start pre-loading their game file! With your game already downloaded, you?ll be ready to play right away on Tuesday when the game goes live at 10am PST.

UK pre-loading begins March 3rd at 00:01am GMT.

I found the above on Voodoo Extreme forums.

Since they mentioned Direct2Drive, I went to their site and found this...

Pre-Load Your Game and Be Amongst the First to Play!

Start downloading your game 48 hours before it releases so it's ready to play at release! (North America only)Preload release: Feb. 28 @ 10AM PST

Found here.

So lets home Steam does follow suit. Although as of right now their BFBC2 page says nothing about preloading.

Well they had different reviewers for both games...but still. The sound and graphics in BC2 are way beyond anything I've seen in MWF2, which is pretty much exactly the same as CoD4.

MW2 has better graphics than BC2? Yeah, right. :laugh:

I agree the review is pretty silly, and I agree the sound is better in BFBC2.

But the graphics? From a console view point, neither one is way beyond the other. And I'd lean toward MW2 having more detail.

And the fact that the beta, and maybe the consoles (don't know if it's true for the console demos) were locked to the medium textures only. They did that to lower the size of the download as it doesn't really impact gameplay all that much.

Edit: Thinking about it more I guess my point about the textures is moot because he was probably playing a full advanced copy. :rofl:

Unless you're playing on an SDTV. BC2 ****s all over MW2.

Well, yea I am play in SD. But I havn't seen video or screenshots that make me think it blows MW2 away, graphically.

And the fact that the beta, and maybe the consoles (don't know if it's true for the console demos) were locked to the medium textures only. They did that to lower the size of the download as it doesn't really impact gameplay all that much.

Edit: Thinking about it more I guess my point about the textures is moot because he was probably playing a full advanced copy. :rofl:

I think there will be some minor improvements with the console version, but I don't think there will be higher textures.

And err, no I don't have an advanced copy. Only played the demo. probably won't have time to play the full thing until the 11th.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • Nope. That lack of surround sound capability (analog) won't fly with me. Sure, I use headphones most of the time, but still.
    • 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.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
    • Thanks
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