Surround Sound Gaming: Connect your PS2, Xbox or Gamecube to a home theatre
Get the most out of your games by hooking up your PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube to a surround sound system.
With so many games now supporting full 5.1 channel surround sound, having your console of choice pumping out audio only through your television's stereo speakers is practically a travesty. True surround sound gives games another dimension -- and not only can it improve the experience, it can also improve your actual gameplay, with many games having specific audio clues to tell you where danger is coming from. Play Halo 2 through a 5.1 set-up and you'll hear enemies approaching from behind or from the side -- you won't get that advantage in stereo.
And hooking up your console to a home theatre set-up isn't that complicated. All it takes is a bit of hardware and some menu configuration and you're there.
1. What you'll
need | 2. Hook up your PS2 | 3. Hook up your Xbox |
4. Hook up your
GameCube
 |  You'll need an Optical Audio cable (left) for the PS2 and Xbox, and RCA stereo cables (right) for the GameCube |
| |
1. What you'll need
One of the three gaming consoles is obviously a prerequisite,
with another being a surround sound system to connect it to.
Surround sound systems come in many flavours, ranging from
relatively cheap home theatre in a box solutions to more
expensive separates packages. Whatever type of system you have,
you'll need to ensure it has extra inputs to accommodate the
other components being plugged into it.
The main input to look out for is an Optical Audio input (sometimes called Toslink), as most of the major consoles hook up to a surround sound system this way. You'll also need to make sure that your surround sound system of choice supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS formats.
If you already have a home theatre set-up, then read on below for specific instructions on hooking up your console. If you don't have a surround sound system, check out CNET.com.au's Home Theatre channel for comprehensive product information and features.
Finally, you'll need a game that outputs to surround sound -- there are plenty of titles out there, but many older games will only output in stereo. Check the back of the game's packaging for more details.
|  The PS2 has a built-in Digital Optical Out port |
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2. Hook up your PS2
The PlayStation makes it easy for you by coming with a built-in
Digital Optical Out port for surround sound. All you need to do
is buy a Digital Optical audio cable, which will set you back
around AU$20 (depending on the quality of cable you buy) -- most
electronics outlets will have a range available for you to choose
from. Simply plug one end of the cable into the back of the PS2
and attach the other end to the receiver/amplifier of your
surround sound kit.
You'll also need to change the audio setting of the PS2 before you can hear games in surround sound goodness. Start your PS2 (without a game disk inserted) and go into the System Configuration menu. Once in there, switch the Optical Digital Out option to "On", as well as switching the DTS option to "On".
|  You'll need an Xbox Advanced AV Pack to connect your Xbox to a surround sound system |
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3. Hook up your Xbox
Hooking up your Xbox to a surround sound system is only slightly
more complicated, mainly due to the fact that the Xbox console
doesn't come with Digital Optical Out built-in. You'll need to
purchase an Xbox Advanced AV Pack from an electronic or games
retailer, which will set you back AU$39.95. You'll still also
need to buy a Digital Optical audio cable. Firstly, connect the
Advanced AV Pack to your Xbox, then attach one end of the Digital
Optical cable to the audio output of the AV Pack and the other
end to the digital audio input of your receiver/amplifier.
As with the PS2, you'll need to change the Xbox's settings before you can play in surround sound. Firstly, access the Xbox Dashboard by starting the console without a disk inserted. Scroll to the Settings option, select it with A, and then select the Audio option on the next screen. Now simply select the type of audio you want to use (such as DTS, Dolby Surround or Dolby Digital), and confirm your selection when prompted by the Xbox.
|  The GameCube supports Dolby Pro Logic II |
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4. Hook up your GameCube
The GameCube is the easiest of the three to set-up as all you'll
need are RCA stereo cables, which are already included with the
console. The GameCube is different from the PS2 and Xbox in that
it doesn't actually support a 'traditional' 5.1 speaker set-up.
Rather, it uses Dolby Pro Logic II, an audio format which changes
stereo (two-channel) information into a full surround sound set
up (as opposed to discrete channels for each speaker). If your
receiver/amp supports Dolby Pro Logic II, then all you need to do
is connect the GameCube's RCA cables and ensure Dolby Pro Logic
II is enabled at the receiver/amp end.
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