But wait, there's more! Junkie XL, the Dutch dance/electronic act contributed16 new, exclusive tracks for the game.

The Senses Explode!

Quantum Redshift, a game about racing in the distant future, couldn't settle for antiquated graphics technology. No way. Players wouldn't stand for it. But are we willing to sacrifice speed for graphics? NO way!

Fortunately, the Quantum Redshift designers have given us a product that stretches graphics technology as far as it can go while maintaining the fantastic speed of 60 frames per second. It's really remarkable. Between the super graphics and the Dolby 5.1 sound effects, this game has the potential to really capture the imagination. Are you ready for the future?

Sight
You've probably heard the buzzwords, but do you really know what they mean? I didn't until I started doing some research. The folks at Xbox told me that Quantum Redshift uses three special graphics technologies: bump-mapping, reflection mapping, and multi-pass texturing.

I'll get to the nitty gritty in a second, but what you really need to know about these things is that they make the graphics onQuantum Redshift seem much more realistic.

So, bump-mapping. Let's start there. What is it? It's a graphics technique credited to Jim Blinn, one of the kings of 3-D graphic design. It's a fast and easy way to give a surface realistic bumps and wrinkles. Older methods did the same thing, but inefficiently. The developers of Quantum Redshift have taken Blinn's bump-mapping into the Xbox.

Reflection mapping. Graphics gurus use this to make objects look like they're reflecting their environment. For example, you can see yourself and all the things around you reflected in the surface of a shiny car. Blinn and a co-conspirator, M.E. Newell, conceived of the first method for doing this back in 1976. The technique has come a long way since then. Exclusively for the Xbox, the developers have applied reflection mapping to the Quantum Redshift ships (Single Person Armed Racing Crafts—SPARCs), boosting the game's graphic realism way up.

Multi-pass texturing pulls it all together and builds each image from the ground up, using those two mapping techniques. With multi-pass texturing, images are drawn in layers. Each layer adds dimension and texture to the object. One pass applies the bump-mapping, another lays down the reflection mapping.Quantum Redshift also adds a third layer, a detail texture pass, that pulls out minute details we don't usually notice until they're not there anymore.

All that techno-speak means that they've gone to great lengths to try to make the Quantum Redshift graphics clear and realistic. Considering how fast the game runs, they're on the right track.

Sound
The folks at Xbox are particularly proud that they use Dolby 5.1 for their sounds. Unfortunately, the music for Quantum Redshift is only recorded in stereo, but the game does use Dolby 5.1 for the game sounds. This includes the scream of engines and the boom of weapon charges.

It's true, the fully interactive Dolby 5.1 system blasts you with game sounds from all directions. In order to experience this super, sonic adventure, however, you need to hook your Xbox up to a compatible home theater system using either the Microsoft Advanced AV Pack or the High Definition AV Pack. Either one lets you into all 5.1 channels of high power Dolby Digital surround sound! And you're off! ZooOOooom!

But wait, there's more! Junkie XL, the Dutch dance/electronic act with the U.K.No. 1 hit for its remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation," produced the soundtrack for Quantum Redshift. The band,led by Tom Holkenberg,contributed16 new, exclusive tracks for the game! Check out this article for more info.

Speed
You've got the visual stimuli. You've got the sound roaring in your ears. What else could you possibly want? I know what I wanted. Speed. And lots of it. Quantum Redshift ships zip through the graphical landscapes at an incredible speed, and yet the game manages to keep up without ever losing visual quality or burping. It can do this because it runs at an impressive rate of 60 frames per second!

In the time it takes you to say, "One thousand one," Quantum Redshift has renewed itself 60 times. 60 times!! One thousand one. Say it with me.

You know, I've heard that it's foolish to use a frame rate higher than 30 frames per second, because, according to some people, the human brain can't process information faster than that. Whatever! Whoever said that was just jealous.

Movies in the theater run at 24 frames per second. TV, VHS and DVD productions run at a frame rate of 30 per second. The Quantum Redshift frame rate leaves 'em in the dust! This means you have a much smoother and cleaner visual experience. And yes, the human mind is plenty sharp enough to notice the difference. Maybe our grandparents couldn't tell the difference, but we've evolved since then. Our graphics must evolve too. Don't you agree?

by Violet Leigh