I'm more than familiar with Dolby Atmos, having tested more Atmos-equipped soundbars, speaker systems and AVRs than I can count; however, I feel as though I've not been utilising it properly at home.
I've watched my fair share of movies at home that take advantage of the immersive audio format.
But I've been meaning to hook my PlayStation 5 up to my Philips OLED907 TV and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus ever since Sony announced that the PS5 would get full Dolby Atmos support.
So, with a quiet weekend on my hands after a busy week of covering Amazon Prime Day, I found that I had the perfect opportunity to detach my PS5 from my 1440p gaming monitor and give it the proper picture and sound set-up it deserves.
I decided to start Cyberpunk 2077, a sci-fi role-playing game that was lamented at launch for its poor quality, but has since had plenty of updates to improve the experience. While I can't vouch for the gameplay, which still feels a bit clumsy in my humble opinion, I can confirm that it is a spectacular showcase for Dolby Atmos.
One thing that Cyberpunk does fantastically is its world-building. There's a huge sci-fi city to explore with soaring hover vehicles overhead, blaring hologram billboards, and a general bustle comprised of murmuring crowds and cars whizzing past.
That might sound familiar to anyone who knows one of our favourite 4K reference discs. Yes, there are quite a few similarities with Blade Runner 2049 – it seems as though cyberpunk sci-fi and home cinema go hand in hand.
It's already immersive thanks to some pretty fantastic visual and audio direction; however, when I enabled Dolby Atmos on my PS5 – which involves digging through the settings as it's not applied by default – it took the experience to a new level.
It has to be one of the most immersive gaming experiences I've ever had.
I was met with genuinely imposing audio with tangible height effects every time a hovercraft passed overhead, while gunfights felt more tense thanks to bullets flying past within the 3D soundscape.
Bustling bars and shady back alleys brimmed with audio that travelled dynamically as I slinked my way around the city, to the extent that I spent a good chunk of my gameplay just wandering the streets to take in the sonic feast that the game presents.
It made me consider whether Dolby Atmos is in fact best suited to gaming, as the act of moving around in a 3D space, especially one with lots of moving parts and effects, should be more immersive than your traditional blockbuster film. After all, you are literally controlling the main character.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a prime example, as it does an extensive amount of worldbuilding to help draw you into the story and environment. This is aided massively by the fantastic audio design, which is properly brought to life with Dolby Atmos.
Admittedly, this isn't my first Dolby Atmos gaming experience, as I have tried it on Xbox with Forza Horizon 5, which is another shining example of how to implement Atmos into gaming titles.
However, Cyberpunk 2077 takes the crown for me currently, as I think it provides more in the way of height channels, making for a flashier Atmos experience.
There are bound to be more upcoming titles that take advantage of the immersive audio format in interesting ways.
I can't wait to see how it's utilised in Grand Theft Auto VI and the upcoming Battlefield title, so I have no plans to ditch Dolby Atmos gaming anytime soon. Even better than Atmos movies? It might just be.
MORE:
Read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review
Here's how to get the best picture and sound out of your PS5
And check out our picks for the best Blu-ray players
