Creative Labs has announced two new products that may fuel new trends in gaming: DVD and AC-3 audio. For gamers who don't yet have a DVD drive, the devices don't look any different than normal CD-ROM drives.

　　DVD offers more information on a single DVD than several CD-ROMs yet offers compatibility with other CD-ROM formats. Creative's third-generation DVD kit - the new PC-DVD Encore 5X - with Dxr2 (DynamicXtended Resolution) technology gives gamers fast access to their games with 32X speed along with compatibility with CD-R and CD-RW discs.

　　Right now, DVD-ROM games are still a little scarce with only a few titles to date but this was the case back when games began to move from floppy disks to CD-ROMs as well. Older gamers may remember how CDs changed game installs. Now that games with multiple CD-ROMs have become more and more prevalent, DVD is the obvious choice for gaming's next evolution.

　　The 5X Encore kit only comes with a DVD enhanced version of Wing Commander IV. With the Dxr2 decoder card, you'll be able to access a vast array of DVD movies from your local video store and with video out, you can plug your TV (S-video or composite) into the back of your PC for TV DVD viewing. If you already own a hefty audio setup with AC-3, you'll be happy to know that you can attach your PC to your audio system as well.

　　While there may not be much of a push for gamers to get into DVD movies with special versions of DVD discs being coded for PC users - the likelihood of a game developer offering a game or demo through a DVD movie disc will happen sooner or later. Developers like Psygnosis, Gremlin Interactive, Lionhead Studios, Ubi Soft, and Electronic Arts already have some form of DVD-ROM Dolby sound planned for their releases so its only a matter of time. So what's the damage if you're interested? The 5X Encore with everything includes sells for US$249.99.

　　On the audio front, Creative also announced its DeskTop Theatre 5.1 speaker system gives the ultimate speaker setup for those who want AC-3 but don't want to deal with all the expensive parts. The DeskTop Theatre 5.1 contains four speakers similar to those offer with the Cambridge SoundWorks FourPointSurround or PC Works speaker systems but adds a larger center speaker and a AC-3 decoder unit that does the actual decoding. The speakers when paired with the new 5X Encore DVD sounded as good as you'd expect from Cambridge SoundWorks. At $299.99, the speakers may be a little pricey for games who don't really care about watching DVD movies word on the street from Dolby's site indicate that Lionhead's Black and White, Psygnosis' Lander and Hardwar from Gremlin Interactive all are set to use Dolby Digital sound.

　　We asked Creative about a possible upgrade for early adopters who went out and purchased the FourPointSurround speaker system and if Creative would offer some sort of upgrade with the center speaker and decoder. Creative said that while it would be a good idea, the way the speakers connect to the unit would not allow an upgrade like that to happen. So if you're dying to have a DeskTop Theatre and already own a FourPointSurround, you're outta luck.