Creative have just launched their new "SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook" sound solution in Japan (with word that it will reach the rest of us sometime within the next week or so). This is exactly as the name implies, a X-Fi-based sound card designed to work with your notebook (providing it has a residing ExpressCard 54 interface that is).

Given that it offers up to 7.1 audio, an external dongle is required to connect up to the card but one of the pluses is that the card itself sports both headphone and microphone ports so as you dont have to fiddle with the dongle when on the go.

As far as I can tell, most (if not all) of the features of the desktop based X-Fi have been brought across to this condensed offering, and to give you an idea on pricing it is said to be selling for 12 800 YEN ($107).

For further information, the product page is already up on their website folks.