LG's UltraGear GP9 soundbar has battery power for gamers on the move
LG's first gaming speaker can be used at home or for games at your friend's house.
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LG has unveiled the UltraGear GP9, its first dedicated gaming soundbar, at CES. The all-in-one G9 is designed to complement LG's range of UltraGear gaming monitors and offers battery-powered operation -- a rare feature for gaming speakers. This portability could make it especially attractive to casual LAN gamers.
The GP9 could also appeal to gamers sick of wearing headphones and accommodates in-game chat with its built-in mic. An "Eco-sound" feature supposedly helps the mic pick up your voice instead of the sounds of the game. The speaker has a large analog volume knob on the top and simple controls for mute and simulated surround sound modes -- including specific modes designed for shooter-style and strategy-style games. There's also a headphone jack for quickly plugging in a headset.
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Connectivity includes a USB-C port for computers as well as an optical digital audio input that can work with game consoles. It also has Bluetooth and 20 watts of power.
In addition to the GP9 LG also announced the smaller GP3 which lacks the optical port and has 15 watts of power.
Gaming soundbars and speakers have been around for a few years and have included products such as the Xbox-specific Polk Audio N1, the Creative Soundblaster Stage and, much more recently, the Panasonic SoundSlayer SC-HTB01. However, these are all designed to sit underneath a monitor or TV and stay there.
Pricing and availability of the LG UltraGear GP9 is yet to be announced.
