Creative has now released the ALchemy Audigy Edition for Windows Vista. This package makes it possible for Audigy users to take advantage of hardware accelerated DirectSound3D and EAX in Vista. There is a catch though and that is that the package costs $9.99, but it’s still free if you use Windows XP. Creative has thus decided to charge people for drivers for the Audigy series under Vista. This is something that has caused quite a lot of discussion lately. There is no official response to why Creative has chosen to charge for the Vista edition of ALchemy, but there is a (kind of) explanation in the product description at the Creative Labs Store;
“In Windows Vista, Microsoft removed the Vendor Extension mechanism from Vista’s DirectSound implementation. With previous Windows Operating Systems, the Vendor Extension enabled the Sound Blaster Audigy to provide accelerated audio for DirectSound3D games.
Without Creative ALchemy,most DirectSound games running in Vista will be reduced to stereo output without any EAX effects.
Creative ALchemy (Audigy Edition) restores your Sound Blaster Audigy’s ability to process EAX effects, 3D surround sound, sampling rate conversion and hardware audio mixing for DirectSound3D games in Windows Vista.”
Not a real explanation to why Creative charges for the fix though, but there is a workaround. We’ve chosen not to post it here though, but if you want to know more about this you should head over to NGOHQ. You’re on your own after that.
