Munching on Doritos has become a habit for internet gamers all over the world. However, the sound of a loud crunch can be extremely obnoxious and disturbing to other online gamers. So, what’s the answer? It’s Doritos Silent! A free app that was released earlier this month removes the sound of chomping and crunching from audio chat, Zoom, or any other call that involves headphones. Doritos Silent, an AI-powered crunch-cancellation software, was created specifically for professional gamers, as munching and gaming go hand in hand. Non-gamers, on the other hand, can utilize it to avoid the irritation of the crispy crunch while conversing with someone who enjoys eating chips.
“It works on anything that accepts a microphone,” said Dylan Fashbaugh, lead developer at Brooklyn-based Smooth Technology, which worked with Doritos to create the free app. It can be used on any PC, and the company says it will eventually be expanded to other devices. Flashbaugh has been a gamer for about 20 years and is well aware of the frustration of other gamers chomping loudly on chips. “Crunch is one of the most distracting features that could throw someone off their game,” said Mustafa Shamseldin, PepsiCo’s chief marketing officer of foreign foods.
Doritos polled around 3000 people before building the software, rather than relying on the observations of two gaming experts
Doritos polled around 3000 people before building the software, rather than relying on the observations of two gaming experts. The survey, which included people from China, India, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, discovered that gamers enjoy munching while playing, but that the sounds of other people nibbling were distracting. According to the same study, the crunch is the nicest element, which is why consumers like eating Doritos.
“There is something about the crunch that has to do with it, funnily enough,” said Fernando Kahane, the chip brand’s head of global marketing. Many individuals prefer crunchy foods to soft foods because they are more stimulating to eat, which is why chips are a popular snack. “That’s one of the reasons Doritos is so popular with gamers,” he remarked.
“Instead of having to launch new Doritos, we could actually solve that pain point with technology,” Kahane added. Many people were opposed to the concept of making Doritos less crunchy when it first appeared several years ago. As a result, Doritos resorted to artificial intelligence to solve the crunch problem. According to Kahane, the AI program developed for Doritos also works on other food products such as chips, crackers, and even raw veggies.