When Metal Gear Solid mercilessly mocked all gamers who didn’t use TVs with proper sound. Stereo audio was key during the engagement against the Hind helicopter.

Veteran gamers have always gone to great lengths to preserve the secrets and hidden details of legendary video games, especially when it comes to franchises as iconic as Metal Gear Solid. It’s no secret that Hideo Kojima and his team pulled off incredible technical feats for their time… and many of them remain unmatched even today.

You might be thinking of Psycho Mantis reading your MemoryCard and forcing you to switch controller ports to defeat him. Or maybe you recall that infamous seagull incident. But you’d be wrong—this time, we’re reminiscing about Metal Gear Solid’s hilarious mockery of mono and stereo sound.

Your TV betrayed your skill level

If you don’t remember or weren’t aware, stereo sound was crucial in Metal Gear Solid when fighting Liquid Snake’s Hind gunship. It helped players detect the helicopter’s position before it attacked. But what happened if you were playing on a mono TV? Well, the game recognized it… and had a little fun at your expense. It wasn’t mean-spirited, but the joke was pretty clear:

“You’ll have to destroy that Hind, Snake. Use your ears, Snake. You should be able to tell where it’s coming from by the sound of the rotor blades. Huh? Snake, you’re not using a stereo TV! /B… Well… there’s nothing we can do… / … I think you’re right. Snake, don’t worry. Just because you have a stereo TV doesn’t make you a better person. You can do it just the way you are! / A mono TV…”

Note: Stereo sound uses multiple audio channels, allowing different sounds to be heard from different directions, while mono sound compresses all audio elements into a single channel.

This is just one of the many small but brilliant details the Metal Gear Solid series is known for. And what better time to revisit these quirks than now, with the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater? The game is set to launch on August 28, 2025, so this is the perfect way to pass the time until then. Do you remember this little Easter egg? Did you experience it yourself?

Source: VidaExtra