What is the Black Ops 6 ‘pay to win’ audio? Embody subscription explained

Call of Duty players are concerned by the news that they can pay for a customized audio profile in Black Ops 6 that’s set to offer a significant advantage, so here’s how it all works. 

Audio is extremely important in FPS games like Call of Duty, so players spend hundreds of dollars on the best headsets and earbuds. Players haven’t always been impressed with CoD’s audio and have used settings like Loudness Equalization to get an advantage. 

Black Ops 6 is set to bring major improvements to audio, helping players pinpoint enemy locations through audio alone. There’s been some controversy though, with the news that you can pay to have in-game audio. 

What is Black Ops 6’s audio subscription?

Black Ops 6 has partnered with Embody, a third-party audio company, to develop an Advanced Headphone mode that prioritizes the most important in-game sounds. There’s a free version for everyone, but you can also spend $20 to get even better audio with custom profiles. 

This Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) technology considers your head and ear shape and adapts the audio so it’s the best it can be for you. It’s spatial audio but you can pay to tailor it to suit you.

It was announced on October 14 that players could use Embody’s “Immerse Spacial Audio technology to increase the directional accuracy of sounds played in the world.” This default option is the game’s Enhanced Headphone mode but “players can choose to enhance this HRTF experience even further” by creating a Personalized profile. 

However, it wasn’t confirmed until a few days before launch that the Personalized profile would actually cost money. You can try it for free for 30 days, but then it’s $20 to have it for the next five years. 

Embody

This has sparked a ton of backlash, with content creators and players calling out the change. “Selling better audio in a game that *checks notes* has historically had horrific audio is certainly one of the decisions of all time,” tweeted streamer TacticalBrit. 

“If you don’t have this audio bundle I bet you get cooked,” said another Twitter/X user, with others calling it “pay to win” and “pay to hear.”

Does Black Ops 6 have pay-to-win audio? 

How much of an advantage this paid Advanced Headphone mode will actually give you remains to be seen but you can try it out for a month to see what difference it makes. 

It’s been described as “the gold standard for maximizing directional perception when you’re listening on headphones,” with the paid package enhancing it further, so expect at least some advantage over those not using it in multiplayer. 

Dolby Atmos is similar, where you can pay $10 for improved audio across everything on your Xbox, PlayStation, or PC – not just Call of Duty. Embody’s package is designed specifically for CoD so it might be better for Black Ops 6.  And of course, PC players have access to Loudness EQ, but HRTF seems far more advanced. 

So you’re ready to go for Black Ops 6’s October 25 launch, you can check out the preload and release times, as well as how to unlock every gun.