Panasonic Announces New Immersive Speaker System

Panasonic has announced a new unique-looking speaker-headset combo, the SoundSlayer WIGSS.

The announcement was made at Gamescom 2021, an annual video game trade fair held in Germany. The press release revealed the speaker was made in collaboration with the sound team of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV Online videogame.

The SoundSlayer WIGSS sits comfortably on top of a user’s shoulders. It has four-channel, full-range speakers to deliver high-quality surround sound. This sound system has original processing technology to create a realistic acoustic field to make players feel like they’re in the game. Specific sounds, like footsteps and gunfire, are accurately placed in the appropriate direction to add to the immersion.

The SoundSlayer WIGSS has three gaming sound modes that were created through the partnership with the Final Fantasy XIV Online sound team. "Role-Play Game" mode creates a sense of deep immersion so players can feel like they’re inside the world of Final Fantasy.

"Voice" mode enhances voices and is recommended for dialogue-heavy games. "First-Person Shooter" mode provides “accurate audio location” so users can hear more subtle sounds and which direction gunfire is coming from to give players an advantage.

The last two modes are "Music" and "Cinema" mode, and as the names suggest, allow users to enjoy realistic audio outside of video games.

The SoundSlayer WIGSS comes with a noise and echo canceling dual microphone so players can chat without disruption by the surround sound.

The device’s price point and release date have yet to be shared.