Audio junkies and gamers listen up – imagine a device that could easily “upgrade” any stereo headset to 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound. Turtle Beach is lifting the covers on a device that does just that. Today, Turtle Beach is announcing their Ear Force DSS product – a surround sound processor that takes in audio from an analog stereo source (like a stereo headset) and upgrades it to Dolby Pro Logic IIx for virtual surround sound (7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound). With any stereo headset, you can use the Ear Force DSS to get 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound while watching movies and TV (or Internet TV) through Windows Media Center, Blu-ray movies, or playing games all on your Windows PC. Turtle Beach makes some amazing headset products that the Ear Force DSS serves as a perfect complement to such as the Ear Force X31, X11, XLC, Z1 and PX21. The Ear Force DSS and Ear Force headsets are perfect for gamers looking to have impressive audio capabilities while gaming – and work not just with Windows PCs, but also with Xbox 360’s (and PlayStation 3’s) as well.

Turtle Beach sent along an Ear Force DSS for me to try out this weekend. I was traveling this weekend so it actually worked out to be a great weekend for me to try out the Ear Force DSS. I brought along Turtle Beach’s Ear Force X11 headset with me. And of course I had my Dell Studio 15 (“The Goat”) with me too. I didn’t bring any movies or TV shows to watch but I’ve been really into Batman: Arkham Asylum lately. I had Batman: Arkham Asylum installed on my laptop and intended to do a little gaming this weekend. Incidentally, Batman: Arkham Asylum has Dolby as a partner – even better! I didn’t want to bother those around me so I connected up the Ear Force DSS and threw on the Ear Force X11 headset.

Wow. With the DSS, the sound coming out of the headset while playing Batman: Arkham Asylum was amazing. In particular, Mark Hamil’s voice as The Joker truly stood out in the game, with the creep-factor amplified. I also found I could hear a lot more of the background sound effects than I was used to hearing. And the audio for explosions and weapons fire and throwing batarangs were enhanced within the game thanks to the built in bass boost.

The DSS is a pretty small, basic device. You connect it to your PC (or Xbox) to power the device. It also serves as a USB pass-through where you can connect a USB device to the USB-in port and it will connect the device to your PC as if it were physically connected to your PC. There are several display lights on the top of the device that tell you what the device is doing. You’ll notice in my photos above that the light for “PLIIX” is lit up. This means the device is processing the audio input to Dolby Pro Logic IIx. There is an output volume control and an input audio control. You can also control the level of bass boost (I mentioned bass boost above). And there are 2 buttons: a power button on the side and a Dolby Bypass button on the top. The Dolby Bypass button lets you turning off all audio processing – and is a good way to hear what the audio would sound like without any processing by the DSS. I used this to see the difference between having the audio processed or not while playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. I really did see a difference too!

Admittedly, as I wrote this blog post I also enjoyed listening to music from my collection in Zune with the Ear Force X11 headset and the DSS. The audio in this situation was also very impressive.

Again, for someone who wants impressive high quality audio when playing movies, TV, or games on your Windows PC, the Ear Force DSS is the perfect device to let you hear everything you want to hear (and maybe more).

The Ear Force DSS will be $89.95 (MSRP) and is available starting today from the Turtle Beach Web site. It will also be available soon at other online retailers and major US and Canadian retail stores.

The Games on Demand “Spring Sale” continues this week with BioShock 2. BioShock 2 is available at 25% off ($37.49 USD) now through tomorrow March 15th 5pm Redmond time (Pacific). If you purchase both BioShock 2 AND the Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack add-on pack through Games on Demand, you will receive a free gift of 800 Microsoft Points!

Remember, to take advantage of these deals and Games on Demand, you need to be running the Games for Windows – LIVE client which can be downloaded here.

Last Friday I posted about the first of a series of hot deals that will happen at the end of every week this month. Last week it was a hot deal for Batman: Arkham Asylum. This week it’s Street Fighter IV. Starting today and running through to Monday March 8th 5:00pm Redmond time, Street Fighter IV will be available through Games on Demand at 50% off. That’s $19.99 (or 1600 Microsoft Points). Keep checking this page for hot deals for game titles available through Games on Demand. Remember, to take advantage of Games on Demand, you will need the Games for Windows – LIVE client installed. You can download it here.

In a few previous blog posts I’ve done over the last couple months, I talked about or mentioned the awesome Games for Windows – LIVE game Batman: Arkham Asylum. In early December, we introduced Games on Demand for Games for Windows – LIVE with Batman: Arkham Asylum as one of the showcase titles. Today, Batman: Arkham Asylum officially kicks off a month of sales for game titles on Games on Demand! And these sales are going to be hot. How hot? Well, Batman: Arkham Asylum is on sale today at 75% off the regular price putting the game at only $12.49 (USD). This deal for Batman: Arkham Asylum goes to March 1st 10am PST.

To download Batman: Arkham Asylum, you need to have the latest Games for Windows – Live client installed on your PC. You can download the latest version here.

As I said above, this deal for Batman: Arkham Asylum officially kicks off a month of sweet deals on games offered through Games on Demand on Games for Windows – LIVE. At the end of each week throughout March, a new deal will hit – so keep your eyes peeled on www.gamesforwindows.com for those deals as they hit.

One more thing – the SideWinder Gaming folks will be giving away a new SideWinder X4 keyboard (or maybe 3) via their Twitter account. The SideWinder X4 isn’t out yet so this could be your change to get one before anyone else!

Unveiled at CES in early January, Dell today is launching the highly anticipated extremely portable gaming laptop: the Alienware M11x. At CES, the M11x won both CNET's Award for the Best Gaming Product at CES 2010 and IGN’s Award for Best Computer. The M11x is one of the smallest gaming laptops hitting the market with an 11” design. Dell literally went and packed in the power of a 15” laptop in an 11” design with this PC. And it weighs in at less than 4.5 pounds. Dell recently did a blog post called A Brief History of the Alienware M11x which gives some more perspective and back story to the PC.

The M11x can be configured with (and up to) the follow specs:

• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
• Processor: Up to Intel Core2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz, 800 MHz, 3 MB)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M - 1GB GDDR3
• Memory: Up to 8GB - DDR3 1066MHz
• Hard Drive: a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive or a 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
• Network: 802.11 b/g/n & Optional Internal WWAN
• Ports: HDMI / VGA / 3 USB / Media Card Reader / FireWire

The keyboard integrates back lit keys which are fully customizable through the exclusive Alienware Command center, featuring AlienFX software. The Alienware M11x will be available in 2 color options: Cosmic Black or Lunar Shadow (Silver).

You can order the Alienware M11x today starting at $799. Dell is working to bring this PC to international markets, including South Asia. Look for Dell to announce more details when those plans are finalized.

If you’re a gamer and want a PC with some impressive specs yet retains a great deal of mobility – the Alienware M11x is the perfect PC to take a look at!

Are you a gamer and into sports and a fan of the Olympics? I was just sent along word that Vancouver 2010, the official game for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, is now available via Games on Demand through Games for Windows – LIVE.

The game is pretty much a sports simulation, with courses modeled after Vancouver 2010 Olympic venues. You can participate in 14 events to try and win the Gold Medal.

To purchase Vancouver 2010 today, just fire up the Games for Windows – LIVE client and hit the Marketplace to purchase and download the game. If you don’t have the Games for Windows – LIVE client installed, you can grab the installer here.