THX splinters, forms THX Games
The audience is listening…
Gamers will soon be able to experience THX sound, although quite how is currently up for debate. Lucasfilm's 20-year-old subsidiary is breaking off from its Daddy to form an independent company, and a division of that enterprise will be THX Games. THX Games will target PC and console systems as an area for expansion (unless you have a better suggestion… Palm Pilot perhaps?). THX (named after George Lucas' first movie, THX 1138) is often mistaken for another sound format, like Dolby Digital, but in actual fact it's a set of standards which cinemas must be able to live up to in order that they become THX-certified. To begin with, THX certification requires that uncomfortable or obstructed viewing angles, outside noise, distortion, reverb and unequalised audio be limited, and that Lucasfilm's THX division certify the auditorium in person. The reason that THX is so popular (and the reason why cinema owners waste time and money in the pursuit of certification) is that it is weighted entirely in favour of cinema goers. The aim is for you to have a good time; in comfort, engaged and entertained without hindrance. If THX Games can provide that sort of experience to gamers at a reasonable price, and we'll be interested to see how they go about it ourselves, then it could become as de facto for games as it is a standard for movies.
