November 4, 1999 (TOKYO) -- DiMAGIC Co., Ltd. said it has developed a three-dimensional sound system called DiMAX and will sell a special version for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation2 video game machine in March 2000. The DiMAX system consists of a single unit housing two speakers, a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit and an amplifier. It is capable of creating 3-D sound effects. The DiMAX PS2 model, the version for use with the PlayStation2 machine, is expected to retail for around 20,000 yen. (104.20 yen = US$1) In addition to the PlayStation2 model, the company also plans to release other versions of DiMAX for use with hi-fi stereo systems and PCs. DiMAGIC is a company whose chairman, Haruo Hamada, is a professor at Tokyo Denki University and whose products are based on the results of research projects carried out jointly by Tokyo Denki University and Southampton University in the United Kingdom. The two universities have successfully developed a new type of virtual sound generation technology they have named Stereo Dipole. Stereo Dipole's two most distinctive technological points, and the reasons why it is able to produce its 3-D sound effect, are a new type of filter (signal processing circuit) design technology and the positioning of two speakers close together and near to the user, mimicking the way sound waves move around the user's head. With the speakers positioned in front of and near to the listener's head, the unit can ensure that sound waves reach the user's ears accurately and in the way intended, and can thus be used to create the impression of 3-D sound. The DiMAX products that incorporate this Stereo Dipole technology will allow the faithful reproduction of five-channel surround sound, DVD Dolby AC3 and dts Surround, for example, via just two speakers. Furthermore, they can create acoustic effects for interactive applications such as video games in which multiple sound generators are employed. They are also capable of producing ordinary stereo output when playing conventional CDs. The DiMAX PS2 model, priced at around 20,000 yen, will cost users about half as much as the Playstation2 machine itself, which will be priced at 39,800 yen. DiMAGIC says it will launch sales of the DiMAX PS2 on March 4 next year, the same day that Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is scheduled to start selling the PlayStation2 in Japan. According to DiMAGIC, a number of game software developers are already in the process of planning new titles that will use the potential of DiMAX. The start of overseas sales of the DiMAX PS2 model will be timed to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation2 in the Asian, North American and European markets. At first, it is expected that between 10 percent and 20 percent of PlayStation2 purchasers will also decide to buy a DiMAX PS2. However, as more software titles using the sound features become available, as many as 40 percent of PlayStation2 users could purchase one eventually. DiMAGIC is not the only company developing products with the DiMAX 3-D sound system. I/O Data Devices Inc. and Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd. are also marketing the same products. Thanks to Asian BizTech