After I’ve been playing Battlefield 1943, I’m amazed at the level of sophistication of the sound—from the detail of airplanes squealing as you dive-bomb to the distance thuds and pops of far off AA guns and rifle fire. In a (rare) moment of stillness, you could even hear birds chirping.

What’s even more amazing is that the same rifle fire sounds totally different when heard close by. Is this all done via hardware?