Nearly half of gamers (47%) say the sound of someone else munching on crisps over the headset is the worst sound to hear while playing – but now, a new AI technology has helped to “silence” the crunch of a tortilla chip.
Popular tortilla chips brand, Doritos, has launched “Doritos Silent” – a one-of-a-kind, AI-powered software, that allows gamers and others to chomp away while wearing a headset, without making a sound for anyone else listening.
The software, which has been in development for six months, analysed over 5,000 crunch sounds, in order to separate these from the sound of someone's voice.
The result is that the sound of munching is “cancelled out” down a microphone, while still maintaining voice audio – which is great news for the 86% of gamers who like to tuck into a snack while playing.
The software was created by Dylan Fashbaugh, founder of Smooth Technology, who is a keen gamer himself.
And it comes as research into 2,000 adults, who play games, found that 35% are left frustrated when they hear someone snacking into the microphone.
Three in ten (29%) believe these sounds impact their playing performance, or that of their teammates (15%) – and 18% have even been tempted to log off as a result.
“Doritos Silent” is now available to download from the brand's website, and use on PC headsets free of charge. Once installed, you simply turn it on, and it can work in conjunction with any software that supports voice chat.
Dylan Fashbaugh, of Smooth Technology, said: “I jumped at the opportunity to create the first-ever “silent” tortilla chip. As a gamer myself, I can testify that nothing throws me off my game more than the sound of someone else tucking into a tasty snack.
“After trialling more than 5,000 crunch sounds, and carefully training the software to remove the sound, this launch means everyone will be able to enjoy Doritos, whilst cancelling out the crunch.”
Of the 2,000 gamers surveyed, via OnePoll, 36% said they often eat when gaming – rising to 44% of 18-24-year-olds.
However, it is not just gamers who would benefit from the new crunch-cancelling technology – as it would allow people working from home to crunch through crisps while dialling into a call, should they wish to.
A separate poll of 2,000 adults found that, in general, almost half (46%) dislike the sound of other people eating.
More than a third (35%) find someone else crunching snacks distracting – and 41% feel self-conscious of making too much noise when enjoying crunchy snacks themselves.
A spokesman from Doritos said: “It’s been hard to keep this one quiet, but we are finally able to reveal the launch of our “Crunch Cancellation” technology.
“We know that the nation loves the satisfying crunch of our tortilla chips, but listening to someone else enjoy them can be off-putting.
“That’s why we set out to develop the first-ever AI-augmented “silent” snack – and after months of expert development, people across the country can finally crunch down a microphone without making a sound.”
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