3D Sound Helps Conference
Attendees Find Prizes
And Learn About Syncro
Hearing Aids

Interactive VR Game for Oticon
Incorporates 3D Sound and Networked Competition
To Actively Demonstrate Hearing Aid Features
At the American Academy of Audiology

Salt Lake City, UT, April 2, 2004 - At the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) conference, StrayLight Corp. launched an innovative 3D audio approach to promoting Oticon's new Syncro hearing aid system. In addition to the high quality graphics featured in all of StrayLight's productions, the Oticon event featured special audio capabilities in the StrayLight VR experience that emphasized Oticon's leader ship in 3D spatialization, noise reduction, and dynamic amplification. Not only did Oticon's booth attendees interactively learn about these features in a real audio environment inside the VR game, but they used multiple networked game stations to compete for valuable prizes, such as flat screen TVs.

The Oticon Syncro game had four individual challenges, each of which demonstrated key features of the Syncro system. Players navigated through complex 3D environments, using both 3D audio and 3D video cues to find their way, solving strategic audiologic puzzles explaining the hearing aid's features, and competing for the best solutions and the shortest time to solve them. In addition to the gaming systems, there were multiple score keeping displays around the booth. Player's scores were tracked through a badge scan system providing real time displays of the top ten scorers. At various times during the show, the high scoring players were awarded valuable prizes.

Oticon prides itself on offering some of the most technologically sophisticated hearing aids in the market. They use multiple proprietary processing techniques inside their products to assist the hard of hearing. StrayLight incorporated demonstrations of these techniques within the Syncro game, drawing on technology and sound data from Oticon's R&D facilities. By demonstrating Syncro's features with actual sound processing which mimicked the hearing aid, StrayLight's VR experience explained these features in a realistic and compelling way, yet keeping it fun by using a game format.

Both Oticon and their booth attendees were so excited about the Syncro game that Oticon commissioned StrayLight to produce the game for distribution on CD for use at home and in the office. StrayLight's game development system made it easy to redeploy the experience on CD. In less than a week, the game was converted, duplicated and distributed on CD to Oticon's eager at-home audience.

StrayLight is the industry leader in custom designed Virtual Reality systems for entertainment, promotions and special events. StrayLight's VR systems have been installed worldwide for numerous Virtual Reality tours and marketing events, and have a proven track record of efficiency and reliability. With product lines ranging from interactive VR game platforms to group 3-D Virtual Theater experiences, StrayLight has developed over 70 custom VR productions. A sample of StrayLight's customers include: ABBOTT Laboratories, Astra-Zeneca, AT&T, AVIS, Bancredito, Blockbuster Entertainment, CableTron Systems, Chase Bank, City of Chicago, Danzka Vodka, Disney Resorts, First Union, Frontier Communications, IBM Corp., Grateful Dead, Hennessy Cognac, Hoechst Celanese, ITT Educational Services, Jim Beam Brands, Kraft Foods, Merck, Nabisco, Novo Nordisk, Oracle, Oticon, Parke-Davis, Pfizer, PGA Tour, Rockwell Automation, Royal Caribbean, Steel Recycling Institute, TAP Pharmaceuticals, UCB Pharma, USA Networks, Visa, and Warner-Lambert.