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Xitel's Storm Platinum Gamers Pack
by David Lian |
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It is very easy to lose yourself in the virtual world as you watch and hear an anti-radar missile leave a pylon on your right wing with a whoosh, track left and down across the nose towards a doomed radar emitter below. Switch to weapon view to watch the missile detonate and feel it rattle the pea in the cranium. Engage in a guns only dogfight and listen to the full-bodied buzz of the Vulcan cannon as you hose the hapless Flanker not more than 300 feet ahead, and then duck instinctively as it explodes. Another rattle for the pea inside the cranium. Hmm, I could get used to this! Note also, that you can hook up quad speaker arrangements to derive full positional audio feedback pleasure as you immerse yourself in the worlds of Falcon 4, Quake 2, Unreal, Mechwarrior 3 and others. Just remember to set an alarm clock to remind you of the passage of real time! Score: 5 out of 5 Technical Support and Bang for Buck When I wanted to hook up my computer to a VCR to record video and audio output, I emailed Xitel to ask if the sound card output voltage could damage my VCR in case there was an impedance mismatch. They replied to my email within 24 hours. A follow up email from me again solicited a reply within 24 hours. Needless to say, I was suitably impressed. Xitel offers a bundled sound card and headset package (US$99.95), or the unbundled sound card (US$79.95) and headset (US$39.95) separately. You can order it online from their website or buy it from a local retailer. |
Initially, I felt that the bundled and unbundled packages were on the expensive side. But after comparing the overall value of the sound card and headset (Storm Platinum Gamers Pack), against other offerings by Creative, Diamond and others, I changed my mind. Creative's and Diamond's equivalent sound cards have bundled games but no force feedback headset. I'd rather trade bundled games for such a headset, or for a lower price if no headset is supplied. To me, bundled games are a marketing ploy to justify a higher price point. Score: 5 out of 5 Summary While Xitel's Storm Platinum Gamers Pack seems on the slightly pricey side, it is a particularly good value for your money when compared against equivalent offerings from Creative and Diamond. If you need to keep the peace with your neighbours or other family members by not mix-mastering their internal organs, then the force feedback headset is an excellent alternative to your quad speaker arrangement. Finally, the Storm Platinum has a TOSLINK connector which provides an optical connection between the soundcard and other compatible audio devices such as Minidisc, amplifiers, speakers etc. All you require is the installed board, a TOSLINK fibre optic cable and a TOSLINK compatible audio device. You may then select from 32Khz, 44.1Khz or 48Khz digital output. You can download MP3's and play them out to your Minidisc over a distortion free optical link. Not too shabby! Rating:
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