Adding spatial audio (ex: Dolby Atmos) information to the Audio table?

[Satsun 7]

I'm looking for input on how to approach adding more information to the Audio table because I want to note when games support height speakers (Atmos / spatial audio). I could note spatial audio in the surround sound row, but I'm concerned that the surround sound comments field might get cluttered, so I'm suggesting the addition of a Microsoft Spatial Sound row in the Audio table to denote when games properly use Microsoft Spatial Sound.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/coreaudio/spatial-sound

Microsoft Spatial Sound is how games are able to send height audio to either HDMI AV receivers and soundbars (for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X) or headphones (via DTS Sound Unbound and Dolby Access apps). Games don't need to have specific support for Dolby Atmos to output Dolby Atmos, they only need to interface with Microsoft Spatial Sound and the rest is handled by Windows based on how the user has their audio device configured in Windows.

I can determine which games properly interface with Microsoft Spatial Sound by enabling Dolby Atmos for home theater in Windows and then watching for Dolby Atmos to activate on my AV receiver when launching games, so I'd like to start adding this information to the site.

[Aemony 142]

Hi, I recommend reading this thread for context as to why we do not currently have one (tl;dr: nobody seems interested in creating one, in parts due to the complexity involved):

 

[Satsun 7]

That thread is a good example of how broad the subject can be, but maybe I need to reword or clarify what I'm suggesting.

My understanding of Microsoft Spatial Sound is that it's a feature just like DirectStorage or HDR. When a game supports any of the aforementioned features, an end user can leverage that feature when they have the appropriate components or peripherals attached to their PC such as an HDMI AV receiver, DirectX 12 GPU and PCIe SSD, or HDR display. Microsoft Spatial Sound is a Windows 10+ feature that allows games to hand off audio data to an end-user device or application for processing; support for the feature can be summarized with a true/false statement and we don't need to be concerned with how that audio is being manipulated by the end user's audio device or audio application because that's beyond the scope of simply identifying if the feature is present or not.

If I were to create a field breakdown for the audio template (https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/PCGamingWiki:Editing_guide/Audio), this is an example of what I'd submit:

Field
Microsoft Spatial Sound

Definition
Microsoft’s platform-level solution for spatial sound support on Windows enabling both surround and elevation (above or below the listener) audio cues.

How to find
Games will either automatically utilize this feature or in-game options will be available and usable, but only when a spatial sound option is selected via the Windows system sound device settings.

Notes
At least Windows 10 is required. Windows Sonic for Headphones is a native Windows option that will enable this feature in games. Connecting a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X HDMI AV receiver or soundbar or using applications such as DTS Sound Unbound and Dolby Access will populate more spatial sound device options in the Windows sound device properties. Height speakers will be utilized by Atmos or DTS:X HDMI devices, but usage may vary by game.

 

I know of at least 19 games released since 2018 that support Microsoft Spatial Sound and this currently seems to be more common with games that utilize Wwise middleware, so apparently Audiokinetic has made it easy for developers to use the feature and I think it's worth noting in the Audio table particularly for people that use Dolby Atmos speaker configuration because that's where this feature really shines.