The Power/Sync button is atypically long and cylindrical, making it quick and easy to locate by feel when the headset is worn, and its aforementioned neon-green colour allows for easy identification when it’s not on your head. There are only two buttons, Power/Sync and Mute, both of which reside on the lower-rear side of the ear cup. It’s the headset’s simplicity of operation that is truly deserving of awards however, as the ergonomics have been intelligently thought out.
As for comfort, the headset is lightweight, the ear cups are cozy but seemingly spacious enough to fit around most ears, and the clamping force provided by the metal-reinforced headband is strong enough to keep the headset from slipping off, even during sudden, forceful movements. Its compact frame, uncomplicated layout and limited number of buttons (just two) strikes just the right minimalist chord of “less is more” and keeps the device from looking too busy or awkward when sitting on one’s head. Its primarily plastic and synthetic leather construction won’t turn as many heads as the just-announced Xbox-licensed B&O Beoplay Portal headphones, but at the same time you won’t attract anywhere near the amount of attention that PlayStation’s sci-fi inspired Pulse 3D headset would draw should you dare to step out on the street with it on. That said, if it were not for the presence of the bendable boom mic on the left ear, one could probably get away with wearing this headset out in public without looking too conspicuous.
MICROSOFT XBOX WIRELESS HEADSET GAMING SERIES
The engraved Xbox logo and non-glow fluorescent-green detailing on the outer ear cups and power button, set against the otherwise completely uniform carbon black look of the device (perfectly matched to the colour of the Xbox Series X by the way) ensure that the headset cannot be mistaken for anything other than an Xbox product.
Like many Xbox products that Microsoft has been putting out recently, the Xbox Wireless Headset immediately won me over with its simple, understated yet simultaneously cocksure design sensibility. And after a couple of weeks playing with the end product, I have to say that it’s an impressive first outing. Nevertheless, my interest was piqued enough that I was compelled to pick one up, even if only to see what Microsoft was capable of when it tried its hand at creating a bespoke headset for its Xbox brand.
MICROSOFT XBOX WIRELESS HEADSET GAMING BLUETOOTH
Now, I’m not an audiophile, but over the past 20 years as a hardcore gamer I’ve racked up what I’d like to think is a modest amount of experience with wireless surround sound, wireless gaming and Bluetooth headsets in the $100-$300 price range, both as a customer and as a former consumer electronics sales consultant, so going into this review I had few illusions about what a device like the Xbox Wireless Headset stood to offer at just $130 CAD. Now with the arrival of the Xbox Wireless Headset there is finally a third, much-welcomed option, and better yet it offers almost all the key features of the 700 Gen 2 for the price of the 600. In fact, up until just a few weeks ago if you wanted a wireless surround-sound headset for Xbox that didn’t break the bank, your only practical options were the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 at $130 CAD or its bigger and more versatile brother the Stealth 700 Gen 2 at $200. Look a little more closely however and you’ll find that there are very few affordable, surround-sound capable options out there that are under $200 CAD, and practically none if they aren’t made by Turtle Beach. Much like when Sony released the original Wireless Stereo Headset for the PlayStation 3 (which begat the Gold, Platinum and PULSE line of PlayStation headsets we know of today), Microsoft at first glance appears to be providing a solution in search of a problem, given that there is already a plethora of Xbox-licensed wireless gaming headsets already out there in the market from well-known peripheral manufacturers such as Astro, Razer, SteelSeries, Turtle Beach and others. I know this because Microsoft has finally taken a page out of its direct competitor Sony’s handbook and designed its first official Wireless Headset for Xbox Consoles, aptly named the Xbox Wireless Headset. There’s no doubt about it now Microsoft, and more specifically Xbox, is feeling itself with its Xbox Wireless Headset.
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