PANASONIC UNVEILS SOUND-SLAYER FINAL FANTASY^® XIV ONLINE
COLLECTOR’S EDITION GAMING SPEAKER

• Developed with SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.
• Optimised for FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online
• TV Soundbar and Bluetooth Capability

Wiesbaden 25.03.2021 – Panasonic Marketing Europe today announced the European release of a Collector’s Edition SC-HTB01FF SoundSlayer gaming speaker.

Designed in collaboration with SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd., the SoundSlayer enhances the gaming experience for full audio immersion into a player’s favourite games. It provides powerful surround sound with a 2.1 channel, 3-way speaker system with a built-in subwoofer – all in a single compact body.

With state-of-the-art audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos^® and DTS:X and DTS: Virtual X™, gamers can experience the world of games with the intensity and tension the designers planned. The combination of these audio technologies creates a 3D technological foundation and acoustic space that envelopes the player in every direction. It’s optimised for use with FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online from SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd. and provides an unparalleled, immersive audio experience.

Designed in Collaboration with SQUARE ENIX^®

Great gaming, needs great teams

Panasonic’s HTB01FF SoundSlayer gaming speaker is recommended for SQUARE ENIX^®’s online game FINALFANTASY^® XIV Online. It was developed in partnership with two of SQUARE ENIX^®’s talented designers. Sound Director and Composer Masayoshi Soken, worked on the music for FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, and Sound Designer Go Kinuya, was responsible for the immersive sound effects. They teamed up with Panasonic to help create their ultimate gaming speaker.

“As people who work with music, we want players to experience the real thrill of the sounds through a speaker.” Masayoshi Soken, Sound Director and Composer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.

“This gaming speaker lets players feel the sensation of being surrounded by sounds with a single speaker, so we hope gamers will try using it.” Go Kinuya, Sound Designer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co. Ltd.

In addition to working on the sonic performance of the speaker, SQUARE ENIX^® also ensured that the signature FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online branding adorns the SoundSlayer’s body and packaging of the Collector's Edition.

Three Gaming Sound Modes

Great sound, whatever the style of play

The SoundSlayer speaker has three gaming sound modes expertly created through joint development with the FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online sound team.

“We didn’t think we could develop something that would satisfy all gamers with a single gaming mode.” Masayoshi Soken, Sound Director and Composer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd. “So, in addition to the RPG Mode, which is perfect for FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, we also developed the FPS Mode, which is best for first-person shooting…and Voice Mode for picking up character voices.”

Role-Playing Game mode (RPG) - ideal for role-playing games and optimised for FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online. This mode creates a sense of reality and intensity, enabling gamers to feel as if they were inside of the game's virtual world.

First-Person Shooter mode (FPS) - provides accurate audio location which allows users to hear subtle sounds such as footsteps, giving gamers the advantage in first and third person shooter games.

“For example, in FPS games, where aural information is important. Players can win if they’re accurately able to identify where enemy footsteps are coming from.” Go Kinuya, Sound Designer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.

Voice mode - enhances character voices and further contributes to the immersive experience. Recommended for adventure games, where clear dialogue can provide important clues.

Switching between the three modes, based on the game, will create an experience filled with intensity, tension and sense of reality no matter the player’s preferred gaming style.

Special Collector’s Edition

A gaming speaker that looks as good as it sounds

A Collector’s Edition of the HTB01FF SoundSlayer featuring FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online printed body graphics will be available exclusively from Amazon in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Players should hurry, as stocks are limited!

The graphics are based on the game’s iconic logo – which was designed by the famous Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano, who also works on character design and image illustrations for the FINAL FANTASY Series.

Acclaim from CES

With great sound comes respect

The SoundSlayer won a prestigious award for innovation at the world famous CES consumer electronics show in January.

“We are delighted that it has been recognised as a CES^® 2021 Innovation Awards Honouree. And thank you to SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd, for your collaboration to develop a gaming speaker with high-fidelity sound.” Masaaki Suna, General Manager Home AV Group, Panasonic Marketing Europe

Sound Quality Designed for Gamers

Immersive sound, thanks to the latest audio technology

Panasonic’s HTB01FF SoundSlayer delivers a superior gaming experience by combining three state-of-the-art technologies:

• Dolby Atmos^®
• DTS:X^®
• DTS^® Virtual:X^TM.

SoundSlayer’s 3D stereophonic technology and acoustic space adds expressive upward sound to the conventional front, rear, right and left surround sound. This helps the player feel they’re enveloped by sound in all directions – placing footsteps, gunfire and other critical sound effects accurately within the soundscape.

“I’ve actually tried playing games using this gaming speaker, and it really does let you enter the world. You can truly experience a sense of immersion.” Go Kinuya, Sound Designer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.

Compact Form with Big Performance

Compact design hides powerful immersive sound

Panasonic’s SoundSlayer has a compact and integrated form-factor, with a width of 430mm, a height of 52mm, and a 2.1 channel 3-way speaker system with built-in subwoofer.

• High quality speaker system - featuring a full range driver with a 50kHz tweeter capable of delivering High-Res Audio.
• Integrated subwoofer – to enhance bass – one 8cm cone-type subwoofer with passive radiator help SoundSlayer achieve a total 80W output.

“It’s a really beautiful sound. I just asked Panasonic earlier, but apparently the sampling rate of the input source is monitored by the device, and with a high-resolution input, it purely plays the high-resolution sounds as they are.” Masayoshi Soken, Sound Director and Composer, FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.

Consumers can enjoy video games and movies with powerful, immersive sound by simply placing the speakers in front of, or below, a PC monitor or TV without obstructing the view.

4K HDR Compatible

Enhanced with Bluetooth^® and High-Resolution Audio Playback

HTB01 SoundSlayer is also compatible with 4K HDR pass-through allowing users to play and enjoy 4K compatible games, streaming content and Ultra HD Blu-ray^®.

• 4K HDR Pass-Through - users can enjoy uninterrupted 4K HDR and Dolby Vision content with no loss in image quality. This is because the video signal passes through the SoundSlayer from the games console, or Blu-ray player, directly to the 4K TV.
• Bluetooth^® - HTB01 SoundSlayer can connect to smartphones, and other compatible devices, to let consumers listen to music and podcasts in stereo from the comfort of their gaming chair or sofa.

Who is a Gaming Soundbar for?

Enhancing the gaming experience and beyond

Gamers often use headphones, but after a while they can become hot and uncomfortable. SoundSlayer frees-up gamers to play in a totally immersive way, being able to better sense the direction of in-game threats, and for friends to join the fun too.

“We looked carefully at the player experience when designing HTB01 SoundSlayer. We wanted players to feel comfortable as well as totally immersed in their gaming world.” Masaaki Suna, General Manager Home AV Group, Panasonic Marketing Europe. “We also recognise that gamers also enjoy music and movies, so SoundSlayer’s been designed with that in mind too.”

Trademark Notice

FINAL FANTASY^® XIV Online, SQUARE ENIX^® Co., Ltd.,

FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd

FINAL FANTASY XIV © 2010 – 2021 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Dolby, DTX, Bluetooth etc.

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

For DTS patents, see http://patents.dts.com. Manufactured under license from DTS, Inc. DTS, the Symbol, DTS and the Symbol together, Virtual:X, and the DTS Virtual:X logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of DTS, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. © DTS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Bluetooth^® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Panasonic Corporation is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

The terms HDMI and HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC in the United States and other countries.

Functions, function names, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

[ENDS]

About Panasonic

Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. The company, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2018, has expanded globally and now operates 582 subsidiaries and 87 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 8.003 trillion yen (ca. 62.5 billion Euro) for the year ended March 31, 2019. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global.