Microsoft is entering the high-quality gaming headset market with the Xbox Wireless Headset, an official accessory that will launch on March 16 “in most Xbox markets worldwide” for $ 99.99, the company announced on Tuesday in an Xbox Wire post.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is natively compatible with the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One, as well as with Windows 10 PCs. It connects to consoles using Microsoft’s proprietary wireless protocol, so it appears as a controller for the Xbox. The headset also supports Bluetooth, through which it can connect to mobile devices. In fact, you can simultaneously pair the headset with a phone and an Xbox, allowing you to “dial in to a conference call on the phone and play on the console at the same time,” according to Microsoft.
This is Microsoft’s first attempt to compete in a higher tier of gaming headsets. The company previously launched a wired stereo headset for the Xbox One, but the new Xbox Wireless Headset appears to be heading for the same market segment as Sony’s Gold Wireless Headset for PlayStation 4 and its Pulse 3D Wireless Headset for PlayStation 5. The Microsoft said the headset supports the two most common space sound technologies, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone: X, as well as the company’s own Windows Sonic format.
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Image: Microsoft
The Xbox wireless headset features dual beam-forming microphones and voice isolation adjustment, which allows the device to separate speech from ambient noise, according to Microsoft. You can use the automatic mute feature, which depends on these technologies, or click on the mute button. And, as you would expect, you can move the microphone up to keep it out of the way when you’re not actively using it.
With its internal metal band, the headset must be able to handle it. The headband is adjustable and comes with a pad, and Microsoft said it “easily adjusts to varying head sizes”. The spin buttons on your headphones allow you to adjust the volume and balance of game / chat audio (and the Xbox Accessories app lets you tune things up even more with an equalizer and bass boost setting) . Battery life, according to Microsoft, is estimated to be up to 15 hours. Most importantly, the color scheme and design of the Xbox wireless headset does not shout “GAMER”.
Pre-orders for the Xbox wireless headset are now available.