HOLLAND, Mich. — To most of us, the sounds in a video game are a standard part of the experience. We use that sense to get a feel of the environment, and can even use it to find a competitive advantage.
“You can turn and see, you know, where that sound is coming from," Tim Murphy explained.
Murphy knows, what we believe to be a fundamental gaming experience can be considered a luxury to gamers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"There’s no sound. You have no indication where the firefight is," Murphy said.
As the CEO of AirDrop Gaming in Holland, and a former radar technician in the Navy, Murphy blended his background to find an innovative solution.
Audio Radar is Murphy's patented tool that turns surround sound into a visual format.
"This works with people; it works with vehicles, anything that makes sound in a video game," Murphy said.
The radar box basically intercepts the game's HDMI signal and tags the audio to light up different channels around your screen through individual light bars, kind of like an actual radar.
“So each channel represents a location within the game," Murphy said. "Now you can see those and take action.”
As the product slogan indicates, you can now "See the Sound."
Murphy started making the product in his garage, all by himself, running the first market tests in 2019.
Those who participated made it clear: Audio Radar would be revolutionary.
"He's like, 'Tim, I didn't even know I made this much sound in the game,'" Murphy said, recounting an interaction he had with Dom Bearwood, a member of the deaf community. “He saw these actions for the first time. He's like, 'Jeez, if I'm trying to sneak up on somebody, I just can't run and jump down the stairs. ...They could probably hear me coming.'”
Fast forward to 2023, Murphy is still the only AirDrop Gaming employee, but he just shipped out his first 200 units.
"The feedback has been awesome," Murphy said. "I've been nervous about this for, I don't know, a couple of years. So, it's good to finally see people are, you know, opening this up, using it. They're getting the benefit that we hoped they would get using Audio Radar.”
Murphy said mass production starts in March. You can already preorder the product on AirDrop Gaming's website.
It costs $399 and comes with the radar box, six light bars, cables, connectors and a standard power supply. It's compatible with XBOX (all versions), PlayStation (all versions), PC, Switch (all versions) and any HDMI source from a gaming console.
Murphy said that's a price he hopes to reduce at some point in the future, especially as the products picks up popularity.
In the meantime, Murphy and AirDrop Gaming have a booth at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in a couple weeks, which is the largest electronics show in America.
Murphy mentioned the product is "fully supported by Logitech," as AirDrop Gaming is "testing units with them now!"
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UPDATE from Tim Murphy after the article was published Tuesday evening:
"It was great for Fox17 to help drive awareness for Audio Radar - but I need to make a correction/addition to the story.
Yes, it is correct, I am the only employee of Airdrop Gaming | Audio Radar (on paper).
But, I am surrounded by a team that made this possible, without them, Audio Radar would not be here today. Any startup takes a village, ours included:
Family, friends, colleagues and ultimately, the customers and backers of Audio Radar.
"Here is a high level view of how many people have supported this project:
2+ Mechanical engineers
5+ Software engineers (embedded software and firmware)
4+ UX/Interaction designers
5+ Attorneys (patents, trademarks and business)
2+ Package designers
2+ Graphic designers
4+ Marketing specialists
4+ Video producers
2+ Photographers
1+ Social media manager/producer
25+ participants 2022 Audio Radar Design Sprint
2 - Investors
1 - Fractional/Volunteer CTO
2+ Interpreters
25+ Manufacture engineering team & suppliers
3+ Customer support team
4+ Logistics team
...and more
"Special thanks to:
The 200+ Indiegogo backers and pre-order customers of Audio Radar
Andrew Foley - CTO of Audio Radar (CEO Atlas Headrest)
Frank Hoogland
Ryan Philips - Magnum Engineering
Danny Gaydou - Nextpoint Design
Ken Orr - Orrbit Design
Matthew Mader - Effective Embedded
Randy Boerema - LakeFX Media
Amanda Choco - Surge/Lakeshore Advantage
Spindance
Logitech
Robert Space Industries
Charlie Rowlands
Danijel Stamenic
Dom Bearwood
Jamell Bond
My wife Kerrie and kiddos that have supported this venture for many years!
Like I said, a village. : )"