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Built-in Audio Devices

Audio Devices represent all the physical and virtual outputs provided by each supported platform. Wwise supports several Audio Devices by default. Some are not available on all platforms. If you design a game for multiple platforms that don't have the same capabilities, you might need to use the Link/Unlink feature to redirect the audio to a proper output. This can be done by changing the Audio Device property on the property page of any of the master busses in your Master-Mixer Hierarchy.

To see the platform-specific details of a default Audio Device, see Default Wwise Audio Devices in the SDK documentation.

You can also install third-party plug-ins to add additional virtual outputs. See Third-party and custom Audio Devices.

Refer to the following list for the supported outputs.

System

Default audio output offered by the system. This is where you would expect any audio to go, on all platforms.

Communication

Output designed for chat or remote communications. This may be a headset or a virtual device. It is supported on the following platforms:

  • Windows

  • Xbox One

  • Xbox Series X

  • PS4

  • PS5

DVR bypass

Some platforms have a DVR function that allows the gamer to record gameplay and publish it. This raises a few legal issues regarding the copyrighted music that might be part of the game audio, or user-replaceable music. While the game studios have the rights to use the music in their game, the end-user doesn't have the rights to distribute it in any form. Thus, the platform requirements usually state that user background music should not be recorded. This virtual Audio Device allows a separate mix that is not sent to the DVR, but mixed in the main output afterwards. It is supported on the following platforms:

  • Xbox One

  • Xbox Series X

  • PS4

  • PS5

Controller speaker

Some platforms have a speaker on the game controller. You can have one output per player. It is supported on the following platforms:

  • PS4

  • PS5

Controller headphones

Some platforms can connect headphones to the game controller. You can have one output per player. It is supported on the following platforms:

  • Xbox One

  • Xbox Series X

  • PS4

  • PS5

Auxiliary

It is supported only on PlayStation 4. Consult the manufacturer documentation and the SDK documentation to learn more.

No output

This is a virtual device that outputs nowhere. It can be useful for testing and is supported on all platforms.

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