Sporting the EMU10K1 chip, the X-Gamer is a very powerful sound card. EMU's chip boasts over 2 million transistors and is rated for 1000 MIPS, easily besting the Vortex2 chip, which processes 600 MIPS. For this reason the DSP on the Live! can be upgraded via software instead of an expensive hardware solution.
Creative Labs targets the gaming community using the bundle that is included with the card. With a total of three full games, the software included with the Live! card is worth as much as the hardware. Let's take a look at was has been included.
Decent 3, Need for Speed 4: High Stakes, and Thief: The Dark Project are all included with the X-Gamer sound card. Also included are the Marine and Alien demos from Alien vs. Predator, showcasing EAX in all of its glory. With 76 games supporting EAX as of December 8th and many more in development, EAX has certainly made an impression on the gaming community.
As far as playtime goes, the package included with the Live! X-Gamer is enough to keep any gamer busy for days, as I was quickly hooked on Need for Speed 4.