Creative Technology today launched Creative Live! Cam Sync V3, its latest UVC-compliant digital webcam with stand-out features of 2K QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution quality and 4X digital zoom in a plug-and-play package - a choice solution for video calls at work or simply catching up with loved ones.

Creative Live! Cam Sync V3 is everything one wants in a webcam - and more. Users do not just enjoy crystal-clear visuals with the 2K QHD resolution quality; with 4X digital zoom, they get the flexibility to adjust their frame for both intimate heart-heart chats, or boisterous group catch-ups. Additionally, the webcam is fully adjustable with 360 o horizontal rotation and 30° tilt with the lens offering up to 95° field of vision. Advanced settings like brightness/contrast, white balance and backlight compensation can also be fine-tuned with the Creative app (available on PC). Everything and everyone can be projected in visual harmony while remaining in clear focus. An integrated lens cap protects for privacy easily when needed with the bonus of keeping dust away. A compact universal tripod mounting plate means it will fit any laptops, desktop monitors or even tripods.

The TechPowerUp and Creative "Hearing is Believing" Giveaway is well underway, with just a day before entries close! All it takes is a minute to drop your hat in, with details that help us get back to you if you've won! Creative is as old as PC gaming itself, and is one of the pioneers of PC audio, always being at the forefront of gaming audio innovation. They're out to be the leaders in audio for the latest generation of gamers that like to stream their gameplay, and are serious creators in their own might. We are giving away three such pieces of Creative engineering—the Sound Blaster GC7, the Sound Blaster X4, and the Sound BlasterX G6 portable sound card. The Giveaway is open worldwide. What are you waiting for?

For more information, and to participate, visit this page.

TechPowerUp and Creative present the "Hearing is Believing" Giveaway. Creative's association with PC gaming goes back decades, with the company playing a pioneering role in developing audio standards for generations of games. In the 2020s, with streaming and content-creation as big as competitive gaming itself, Creative is developing audio solutions that are not just good as primary audio devices (sound cards), but also present physical on-desk controls for streamers.

We are giving away three such pieces of Creative engineering—the Sound Blaster GC7, the Sound Blaster X4, and the Sound BlasterX G6 portable sound card. The Giveaway is open worldwide (wherever legal), till July 18, 2022. To take part, all you need to do is fill up a form with basic details, to help us get in touch with you, if you've won. Good Luck!

For more information, and to participate, visit this page.

Creative Technology today launched Creative Stage Air V2, its latest under-monitor soundbar designed to give users a filling audio experience with a minimalist form factor which is versatile on connectivity options too. Revamped inside-out from its popular predecessor (Stage Air), Stage Air V2 sports a new look while retaining a slim and compact profile. It delivers fuller-sounding audio with significantly better bass, even though a subwoofer is not included - thanks to its new dual full-range racetrack drivers and an oversized passive radiator.

This soundbar has a comprehensive connectivity profile for compatible devices (which include PC, Mac, PS5, Nintendo Switch, mobile devices) - users can conveniently connect a single USB cable for audio and power, or revert to the trusty 3.5 mm port for analog connectivity. It also delights as a wireless speaker, featuring the latest Bluetooth 5.3 technology with six hours of playback on a single charge - encouraging users to bring it with them on their in-home adventures.

Creative Technology has launched Creative Zen Hybrid, its latest wireless headphones which just might keep music-loving users plugged in far longer than they would normally. Featuring Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, 40 mm Neodymium drivers and up to 37 hours of battery life with a minimalist yet sleek design, Creative Zen Hybrid quite simply packs in the highlights as the go-to daily headphone solution for all. Creative Zen Hybrid is built to help users be at one with themselves through their music, wherever they are - they are able to focus much better with the Hybrid ANC technology, driving out unwanted distractions from the environment. This technology is 'hybrid' through implementing feedforward and feedback microphones on each earcup. As a result, up to 95% of ambient noise is filtered out, enabling users to fully immerse in their favorite tunes while on the go.

On the other hand, Ambient Mode allows users to be conveniently aware of the environment without taking the headphones off, for example when listening out for train station announcements, ordering at a café counter or simply keeping users safe on busy streets. Rounding things off is a noise-cancelling microphone, which keeps calls clear for the other party as well. To complement the noise cancelling feature, these headphones sport 40 mm powerful yet light Neodymium drivers. Expertly tuned by Creative's in-house engineers for a warm sound signature with accurate bass and crisp, clean highs, the Zen Hybrid is well-balanced to suit a wide variety of genres while helping to prevent headphone fatigue.

Creative Labs is a name that's as old as PC gaming itself—pioneering PC audio since its formative years. The Creative Sound Blaster line of sound cards helped generations of gamers realize the power of high-quality audio in competitive gaming—when you can hear what your rivals don't. Your GPU will only show you what's on the screen, but not enemies hidden around the corners. Most competitive games have audio cues such as footsteps, reload sounds, or taunts. This is where Creative's engineering steps in—the highest quality DACs, paired with the best DSPs fine-tuned for various genres of games; and a purpose-designed set of analog components that present that best possible sound-stage for gaming, as well as high-resolution lossless music listening for audiophiles.

Creative Labs partners with TechPowerUp to bring gamers special discounts on its entire range of gaming DACs and sound cards. The Sound BlasterX G6 is best suited for game consoles, such as the Xbox One/Series, PlayStation 4/5, Switch, and PCs. It takes in analog or digital (optical) input from your device, and processes it for high-quality amplified analog output, along with Game Voice Mix, Scout Mode, and more. The Sound Blaster GC7 supercharges game streamers' desktops, with studio-quality audio mixing controls right at your fingertips, along with Creative's top-of-the-line Super X-Fi audio circuitry. The Sound Blaster X4 is a powerful, well-priced USB DAC that works with all consoles and PCs, including most essential DSP controls right on the device. Still in two minds about whether you even need special gaming audio hardware? Check out our post on the topic aptly named USB Sound Cards Explained: Tech, Benefits, Do I Need One?.

Use the TechPowerUp-exclusive coupon code POWERUP15 to avail 15% Off on the entire range of DACs and sound cards from Creative, on the Creative United States online store. Offer valid until July 31, 2022.

Buy Creative Sound Blaster Sound Cards and Gaming DACs

Creative Technology today announced the launch of Creative Outlier Pro, the latest and best addition to the well-received Outlier True Wireless series. Featuring an array of nifty new features, the newly-designed earbuds are set to take the True Wireless game up a notch with Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) plus Ambient Mode, and an impressive battery life of up to 60 hours for a truly better listening experience. Coupled with a total of six microphones, customizable touch controls, IPX5-certified water resistance, Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and wireless charging, Creative Outlier Pro stands out as the ideal true wireless earbuds that have it all packed into a portable and pocket-friendly form factor.

Creative Outlier Pro offers users an impeccable listening experience with Hybrid ANC, which is typically found only on high-end headphones. This ANC technology is 'hybrid' in that it combines both the feedforward and feedback ANC systems on each earbud to effectively block out unwanted background noises. So, users can stay in the zone while on an important conference call or listening to their favorite tunes without distractions. On the flip side, users can also switch over to Ambient Mode to let just the right amount of ambient sound in, which comes in handy when users want to be aware of the environment, for example while walking near a traffic junction. The controls are seamless and can be easily accessible with simple taps on the earbuds to toggle between ANC Mode and Ambient Mode, or users can also control it via the Creative app.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster Audigy Fx V2, the latest addition to its well-established series of Sound Blaster sound cards. A compelling facelift over its predecessor Sound Blaster Audigy Fx, which was already a bestseller in its own right, this sound card features improvements in audio quality (including an upgrade option via a daughter board) and the versatile SmartComms Kit for seamless online calls. The Sound Blaster Audigy Fx V2 is quite simply the choice pick amongst cost-effective audio upgrade options for PCs.

The Sound Blaster Audigy Fx V2 is powered by the heralded Sound Blaster Acoustic Engine technology that delivers high-quality, 5.1 cinematic surround sound, 24Bit 192khz high-resolution audio. Coupled with its high-fidelity DAC which is capable of up to 120dB dynamic range, this sound card offers pure ear candy for users looking to improve their motherboard audio for movies, gaming and music. Scout Mode, a Sound Blaster staple, enhances in-game audio cues so that users get a 'ear-start' in nailing down opponent locations while in battle.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Creative Live! Mic M3, a plug-and-play USB microphone that allows users to record and sound like professionals while streaming, gaming, or even conferencing. It sports Cardioid and Omni microphone polar patterns, studio-grade recording resolution and real-time mic monitoring, making it the perfect all-round audio input solution for content creation and better communications with any PC or Mac.

Creative Live! Mic M3 offers users greater versatility across different use cases as it is designed with two 14 mm condenser capsules for dual polar pattern types, Cardioid and Omni, which can be easily switched via the control knob. With the Cardioid pattern, it is most suitable for single-person recordings, like streaming a gameplay, as it is a front-focused mode and is best used to capture sounds made directly in front of the mic. On the other hand, the Omni pattern is an all-angle mode that works better to capture sounds equally from all directions and is great for use with groups, like a podcast recording with two or three hosts.

Creative Technology today announced the launch of the Sound Blaster X4, the upgraded successor to the well-received Sound Blaster X3 which sports nifty new smart features and better connectivity. The latest USB DAC features both discrete and virtual surround sound powered by Sound Blaster, the award-winning Super X-Fi headphone holography and Dolby Digital Live to deliver the ultimate movie, gaming and music audio experience. With the new SmartComms Kit (for Windows) offering auto-mute and two-way noise cancellation, the Sound Blaster X4 makes online communication easy and fuss-free for users working from home. In addition, the Sound Blaster X4 also comes with a plethora of connectivity options and convenient controls for a hassle-free set-up right out of the box, making it the ideal all-in-one audio upgrade for PC, Mac, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch users.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Creative SXFI AIR GAMER, which incorporates the best features of the SXFI AIR and SXFI GAMER for the most versatile Super X-Fi headphones yet. With Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C connectivity, the SXFI AIR GAMER offers users the best of both worlds - wire-free music enjoyment, and lag-free movie and gaming when plugged to PC or consoles. It also comes with a slew of wizardries that improve voice communication, be it in games, work conference calls, or online lessons.

Other features include intuitive touch control function on the earcup, the CommanderMic microphone with professional-grade clarity, and the SXFI BATTLE Mode audio profile to deliver the optimal experience for avid gamers. It is fitted with a Kevlar-reinforced USB cable for greater durability and plush oversized earpads for longer-lasting comfort.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster GC7, the first premium gaming DAC and Amp in a new product series specially designed to enhance the user experience of avid gamers, aspiring content creators and streamers. Users can take full control of the gameplay easily with intuitive one-handed controls and fully programmable buttons, and enjoy the award-winning Super X-Fi and Sound Blaster technologies, in Creative's most comprehensive external sound card yet.

Creative today has announced an updated to their Sound Blaster Z discrete sound card. The updated Sound Blaster Z SE keeps the up to 116 dB SnR and 24-bit/192 kHz sound of the sound card it updates, but adds 7.1 support for headphones and 5.1 discrete audio on speakers. The new dedicated sound card also features additional gaming profiles (it has specially-designed profiles for PUBG and Fortnite, for example), and new equalizer presets.

If you suppose most of these features could have been added via a software/firmware update, you'd be right; Creative is releasing most of these features via a software update for the Sound Blaster Z as well. Other specifications remain the same, with the Sound Blaster Z SE sound card featuring Creative's Sound Core 3D audio processor. Whether or not there is a requirement for discrete soundcards in this day and age of integrated sound quality is another discussion, as is the option for users to connect and process their audio via an external DAC.

Creative Technology today announced the launch of Creative Aurvana Trio Wireless, the latest addition to its well-received Aurvana headphone series. Featuring a new upscale neckband design powered by the same high-definition hybrid triple-driver system as the Aurvana Trio - only better, lighter, and wireless. Intricately designed for all-day comfort, excellent audio and call quality, and long-lasting battery life, Aurvana Trio Wireless makes for the perfect audio companion for both discerning audio lovers and casual listeners on the go.

The SXFI GAMER is engineered with one main goal in mind—to be the perfect companion for gamers, including hardcore gamers who demand for more. Equipped with Super X-Fi technology and a pro-grade CommanderMic, SXFI GAMER is truly a game changer. Get lost in the fantasy reality of gaming world with its built-in Super X-Fi technology, which provides holographic audio personalized to your own ears. Experience an unbelievable level of realism in your headphones that sounds as good as the real thing.

Accumulating a total of 23 "Best of CES" awards over 2 years (2019 and 2020), Super X-Fi is our critically-acclaimed technology set to transform your listening experience. Super X-Fi delivers high-definition holographic audio as though there is a set of high-end multi-speaker setup within your headphones. Plus, Super X-Fi generates a custom sound profile based on your head and ear anthropometry, so the audio you get is specially optimized just for you.

Creative Technology today announced the launch of the Creative SXFI TRIO, a triple-driver USB-C in-ear headphones that is designed to deliver high-quality holographic audio with all-day comfort on Android phones, PCs and laptops.

Implemented with the latest Super X-Fi Gen2 technology, users can expect greater accuracy in personalization and a better all-round audio experience. Powered by the same triple-driver system as the well-received Aurvana Trio and fitted with a custom-designed Kevlar USB-C cable, SXFI TRIO sets to exceed expectations with balanced, accurate, and natural-sounding digital audio for users on the go.

Creative today introduced a limited-edition variant of its Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus discrete internal sound card, the Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition (model: SBX-AE5P-WH). This is essentially a white color trim of the AE-5 Plus sound card which debuted in mid-April 2020, which sees silvery matte white make up the main shroud over the card, and much of the backside of the PCB being painted white. There are still some contrasting piano black bits, such as the ARGB insert.

The AE-5 Plus slots between the AE-5 and AE-7, while being almost identical to the former. It's only feature-additions over the AE-5 are Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoding support, which the AE-5 lacks. The hardware of the AE-5 Plus is identical to the AE-5, with 122 dB SNR, 32-bit 384 kHz audio format support, and 0.00032% total harmonic distortion. Available in limited quantities, the Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition is priced around USD $170.

Today, HP Inc. unveiled its newest Z by HP mobile workstation and HP ENVY portfolio - designed for creators who push the envelope of what's possible. The HP ZBook Studio, HP ZBook Create, and the HP ENVY 15 are the latest additions to the HP Create Ecosystem, which launched at Adobe MAX in 2019.

The powerful line-up enables all levels of creators, including consumers, prosumers and professionals, to capture, create, and bring to life digital concepts and ideas that can be shared, enjoyed, and experienced. In the past, creators had to choose between heavy workstations or bulky gaming devices to get the power they require for work and play. Today, HP is pushing the boundaries of engineering and creative productivity by allowing photographers, vloggers, graphic designers, architects, film makers, and everyone in between, to achieve what was never thought possible.

Creative rolled out the Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus, a discrete internal sound card with PCIe interface. The card is a step up from the Sound BlasterX AE-5, and is positioned below the AE-7 the company debuted in June 2019. The new AE-5 Plus uses the same Sound Core 3D audio processor as the rest of the AE series, but with an ESS Sabre Ultra DAC carried over from the AE-5, which offers 122 dB SNR, sound resolution of 32-bit 384 kHz, and 0.00032% total harmonic distortion. Much like the AE-5, it lacks user-replaceable OPAMPs. What sets the AE-5 Plus apart is support for Dolby Digital Live and DTS encoding, just like the AE-7 and AE-9, which is something the original AE-5 lacks. It also only comes in a black color-scheme, unlike the AE-5. The company didn't reveal pricing, although we expect it to be around 10-15% pricier than the $149 AE-5.

Following up on our coverage of CES goodies that are more than just swag, we continue exploring the wacky world of true wireless (TWS) earphones. The first set in this quick look series examined the Altec Lansing Nano Pods that clocked in at just $30, and today we up the ante into the oh-so-barely-under-$100 with the Creative Outlier Gold at $99.99. The company has impressed yours truly for three CES showings in a row with their Super X-Fi headphone holography tech, which we examined in the first retail iteration via their SXFI amp. This technology aims to replicate a surround speaker speaker audio experience into earphones/headphones, and requires their SXFI DSP to make the most of it. So when Creative said they have TWS earphones with SXFI, I was intrigued and simply had to test them for myself.

As it turns out, the Outlier Gold does support SXFI, but only with a software experience from their mobile app. This makes sense considering these are meant to be quite small and, well, wireless, and yet Creative claim a whopping 14 hours of battery life per charge. In addition, this set is an upgrade to their previous Outlier Air TWS earphones, which were quite popular for offering good value for money, and we see signs of it already with the packaging going with a two-piece unboxing experience with renders, marketing features, and product specs all over the box. Read past the break for more on these, especially if you are looking for a good balance of audio performance, battery life, and price point.

Creative had a positive impact on us at TechPowerUp who attended CES last year, with their retail demonstration of Super X-Fi headphone holography arguably being the most impressive product announcement at the trade show. Yours truly was especially taken aback with the hardware implementation of Super X-Fi, with the first product implementing it, the SXFI Amp, earning a well-deserved recommendation too. Naturally, we were eager to see what the company was up to next, and met them at CES this year too where it was evident they were going all aboard the Super X-Fi train, and inviting everyone along for the ride.

There were definitely a lot of hardware products with the SXFI DSP built in, but the main announcement was in the form of the new Super X-Fi Gen 2 audio profile. Gen 1, from last year, garnered a lot of positive reviews, but also had mixed reception from the general populace who had to rely on head mapping and not also the microphone-based measurements the press got in person. Indeed, my own experience with higher end headphones was not as positive, with music losing detail in favor of a surround sound speaker setup experience that perhaps was not necessary. The worse the audio source was, the worse this discrepancy was as well. Creative had gathered tens of thousands of ear profiles and feedback this past year, and used it to train their Super X-Fi AI engine to develop a more accurate, personalized audio profile as part of Super X-Fi Gen 2. The company claims this free update to all existing Gen 1 profiles will improve also the preservation of audio detail, as well as better positional accuracy as well. We will put this to the test soon enough, but read past the break on more new announcements from Creative, including all the new hardware with this technology built in.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster G3, a portable gaming USB DAC Amp that marks the latest addition to the Sound Blaster revolution ignited 30 years ago. Designed and built with game console users in mind, Sound Blaster G3 is the first Sound Blaster that works directly on PS4 and Nintendo Switch via a driverless plug-and-play format, and is also compatible with PC and Mac. Palm-sized and weighing in at a mere 32 grams, it boasts a great balance of the fabled Sound Blaster audio signature, on-the-go customization and other nifty gaming features at an attractive price tag.

Creative Technology today announced the release of Sound Blaster X3, its latest addition to the illustrious Sound Blaster line-up of sound cards which ignited the PC audio revolution 30 years ago. A high-resolution USB DAC with multi-channel audio playback, it combines Creative's multiple award-winning technological breakthroughs - the famed Sound Blaster digital processing technology and game-changing Super X-Fi headphone holography - for a compelling solution which audio enthusiasts simply cannot ignore.

Wacom announces the new Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 to update its important category of high-end mobile creative pen computers to meet the growing demands of creative professionals. It gives artists, designers and engineers the power they need to run full versions of even the heaviest creative software applications and the freedom to work and create anywhere - on location, with clients, in art and design schools, while travelling, between projects and studios or simply as a standalone all-in-one solution to replace a desktop computer. Just like the Wacom Cintiq Pro pen displays and the Wacom Intuos Pro pen tablets, the Wacom MobileStudio Pro is part of Wacom's dedicated product line for creative professionals, who expect the best performance, pen precision, power and flexibility in the creative tools they use.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) is the pinnacle of neglect and contempt Microsoft has shown towards the all-important audio subsystem of the modern PC. With it, Redmond has one-upped its last big move against audio, by killing the DirectSound hardware pipeline and mongrelizing PC audio under Intel's lousy and fundamentally anti-competitive Azalia specification that solves common audio compatibility problems under a scorched-earth guiding principle - "kill any feature that could possibly lick our aftersales support budget, by dumping every aspect of audio onto a very restrictive host-signal processing (HSP) architecture, let people come up with their own soft DSPs, because CPUs can handle them." Windows 1903 proves how this approach wasn't a silver bullet against PC audio problems, and is fallible.

I've never owned a PC without a discrete sound card. My first "multimedia PC experience" was powered by a Creative kit that included a Sound Blaster PCI, an Infra-CDROM drive, a clip-on mic, and tiny stereo speaker boxes. ISA-based integrated audio solutions back then were bested by greeting cards. I've since made it a habit to buy a sound card every 5 or so years. No gleaming SNR numbers by Realtek can convince me that an integrated audio solution can best a $100 discrete sound-card, and I've owned plenty of motherboards over the years with the most premium Azalia implementations (be it the ALC889 or the modern ALC1220). My current machines feature an ASUS Xonar AE (a bang-for-the-buck ESS ES9023P implementation with a 150 Ω amp), and a Creative SB Recon 3D. Both cards implement the Azalia pipeline at some level, to survive operating with post-Vista Windows. The SB Recon 3D uses a chip that converts PCIe to the HDA bus; while the Xonar AE uses a PCIe to USB chip and a USB (Azalia) to I2S chip (essentially a USB headset laid out on a sound card with a high-quality analog side). Both cards are borked after the "upgrade" to Windows 10 May 2019 Update (1903), and two successive "Patch Tuesday" updates haven't managed to solve it.