What is the deal with Black Ops 6 'Enhanced Headphone mode' and its $20 paid-tier?

After playing a competitive FPS with headphones, you will realize that you should never ever play a competitive FPS without headsets. All games sound better with your ears squeezed in between a pair of speakers. But, in shooters, being able to isolate background noise, pick up on footsteps, callouts and gunshots, can make you a much better player.

This relationship between skill and audio is the only reason why I read a blog post dedicated to Black Ops 6 audio, and why I raise an eyebrow at a new Enhanced Headphone Mode that promises to maximize audio quality for those willing to spend an extra $20.

Important details: This is not a Treyarch feature. It's a partnership with Embody. Embody is a company that creates "personalized spatial sound" profiles for AI-powered games. The company also offers profiles for Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy 14 and other games. This is the first time that its technology has been applied to an action shooter.

Activision's blurb on the project states that the goal is to simulate 3D sound in headphones, such as Dolby Atmos and Windows Spatial Sound, to "increase the accuracy of sounds played around the world." It does this by creating a HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) profile, which is created by scanning your head and ears to get an idea of how your ears receive audio.

Black Ops 6 includes a "universal" spatial sound profile that is free to use. However, the personalized HRTF feature which Embody claims will take your audio "to the next level" requires a $20 monthly subscription lasting five years following a 30-day test period.

You can pay for a more(?) satisfying audio experience in Black Ops 6. Although I'm not yet ready to call it "pay-to win" audio, the Black Ops 6 audio processing is certainly worth paying for. It sounds like a lot to be said for marginal improvements. I don't think that an extra layer of 3D processing would significantly improve my reaction time. The most important audio information in Call of Duty (gunshots and footsteps) can be read with a standard headphone setup.

It's not that I don't think the game will sound better, or more immersive. 3D audio is pretty cool, but in a game where the soundscape is dominated with the explosions of grenades and constant soldier yelling, I doubt if more subtle directional steps will make a significant difference. I'll try the universal audio profile when it launches and maybelet my ears be scanned if I sign up for a trial without punching in my credit card. The Enhanced Headphone Mode is available on all platforms. If you only want the universal profile, activating it will be as easy as flipping a button in a menu.