SoundBlaster manufacturer Creative Technology issued a press release regarding their new Sound Blaster X-Fi sound cards, powered by the Xtreme Fidelity audio processor. The cards feature up to 64MB of onboard RAM and support up to 128 hardware voices. They also feature fairly steep price tags, with the "Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS" model (obviously targeted towards gamers) retailing for $279.99 and the "Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro" for a staggering $399.99. What with graphics cards already commanding the premium they do and with the upcoming dedicated physics processors and now this, PC gamers could be in for some seriously expensive upgrade options in the near future.

"Sound Blaster X-Fi heralds the beginning of a new epoch in audio, where X-Fi enabled audio products will eventually and completely replace the old hi-fi equipment in the home. ...With the arsenal of high-end audio products, technologies and intellectual properties that Creative owns, you can expect Creative to release more and more audio product lines that support this new Xtreme Fidelity audio standard."