(CNN) –
The Xbox Wireless Headset can be the ultimate gaming headset for a world of work at home. That’s because, in addition to instantly pairing with your Xbox, it can also sync to your phone or PC at the same time to allow you to receive calls or listen to podcasts while playing.
Now, we’re not trying to encourage you to hang up during an important meeting to play Halo, but being able to have a single headset to work and play without having to constantly reconnect any devices is a big plus. And that’s in addition to the fact that the new Microsoft headset has great gaming sound and is comfortable enough to be worn all day – all for an attractive $ 99.
Is the Xbox wireless headset mandatory for Xbox players? Here’s what we think after several days of work, playing and talking to him stuck in our head.
For whom it is: The Xbox Wireless Headset is intended for Xbox and PC players looking for an affordable, good-sounding gaming headset that also works well with smartphones.
What do you need to know: The new gaming headset from Microsoft offers impressive audio with a very comfortable design, but the real highlight is the ability to pair the Xbox and the phone at the same time. That way, you can listen to podcasts and receive calls while listening to the sounds of your favorite games.
How does it compare: The Xbox Wireless headset is similar in price and functionality to the $ 99 Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 and the $ 99 SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless, but only the Microsoft headset has Bluetooth to pair with your console and phone at the same time. If you want something more elegant, Arctis 1 Wireless is worth considering.
Like the Xbox Series X console that inspired it, the Xbox Wireless Headset has an unpretentious design built to integrate with your game room or home office. This all-black headset is accentuated only by two green rings on each headset, highlighting its useful buttons on the ear to adjust the volume and chat of the game in real time.
Our only major complaint with the design of the Xbox Wireless Headset is that it looks absolutely huge in our head – this is not a headset that we would use in public as our daily headphones, as we would with the much more elegant SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless. We would also love to see a white version to match the Xbox Series S.
Still, comfort is what really counts when it comes to the design of a gaming headset, and the Xbox Wireless Headset offers it in abundance. Thanks to its lightweight 11-ounce design and thick foam earplugs covered in artificial leather, we had no problem using Microsoft headphones for an entire day while jumping between games, taking calls and listening to music.
The Xbox Wireless Headset simplifies things with in-ear controls, taking a page from the Surface Headphones 2 manual with a large rotating dial in each ear – one to adjust the overall volume and the other to adjust the mix between game and knock volume. – voice chat. There’s also an on / off / pairing button and a mute button for when you don’t want your Call of Duty teammates to hear you munch on snacks.
Dials are a great touch, and we find them much more intuitive than the usually tiny volume buttons tucked between a sea of buttons on many gaming headsets. Pairing was also easy, as we were able to connect to our Xbox, phone and PC in seconds. We are big fans of the Xbox Wireless Headset’s minimalist approach to controls, although a button to switch between sound presets (which we will see later) would have been useful.
PHOTO: Mike Andronico / CNN
The Xbox Wireless Headset sounded great with almost every game we launched, giving us a competitive edge in shooting games and allowing us to absorb tons of environmental details in engaging single-player games.
By playing titles like Halo 5 and Gears 5 on Microsoft’s headset, we were able to easily identify where the enemy’s footsteps and shots came from – a crucial audio detail for those looking to take down their opponent. In addition, sounds like the kick of an assault rifle or the explosion of a grenade had a satisfactory sound for them.
Microsoft’s headset really shone when we played Ori and the Will of the Wisps, an atmospheric platform game like Pixar, with sounds that are as striking as their visuals. The headset’s Dolby Atmos support (which allows for more accurate positional audio) allowed us to be fully immersed in the Niwen forest, as we could hear birds chirping in all directions and distinguish small details, like an enemy splashing in the water. in total clarity. Better yet, the Xbox Wireless Headset was able to preserve these rich environmental sounds without overcoming the game’s beautiful orchestral score.
Speaking of sheet music, the Xbox Wireless Headset offers good musical performance, although it will not compete with a dedicated pair of headphones. Rock songs like Tigers Jaw’s “Cat’s Cradle” quickly blurred, as the guitars and bass blended into an indistinct wall of sound. The atmospheric hip-hop of Kid Cudi’s “Lovin ‘Me” did better, as the Microsoft headset delivered bass sounds to support the undulating melodic chants and synthesizers.
You can adjust the Xbox Wireless Headset to your liking with the Xbox Accessories app on Xbox and Windows 10, which offers multiple microphone and audio output options. Here, you can switch between various sound modes, including Game, Movie, Music and Speech; toggle the headset’s automatic mute feature; and enable microphone monitoring to hear your own voice as you speak.
The difference between the EQ modes was small, but noticeable. The game’s default setting is generally balanced, while Heavy Bass, well … adds more bass. The Movie and Speech presets were useful for highlighting explosions and dialogues in Captain America: Civil War, respectively, while the Music preset is quite subtle and hasn’t done much to improve the relatively poor music output from the headset. It is important to note that the music sounded much better on Microsoft’s headset when played over Bluetooth via a phone or PC than over Xbox Wireless on our Xbox One S.
The Xbox Accessories app offers the Microsoft headset some decent customization options, but comes with caveats. You cannot use the application on the PC when connected via Bluetooth (you will need to connect with a USB-C cable) and there is no mobile application.
The Xbox Wireless headset was rated to last 15 hours of battery life, which is quite consistent with our tests. It took two days of heavy use, including several hours of games and receiving calls, even for us to receive a low battery warning on the Microsoft headset.
PHOTO: Mike Andronico / CNN
The Xbox Wireless Headset offers great overall gaming sound, but it really stands out for its ability to pair with multiple devices at the same time. The Microsoft headset can connect to an Xbox console and a Bluetooth device (such as your phone) at the same time, allowing you to play on the first while listening to podcasts or answering calls on the second. It is a truly incredible resource – especially in a world of work at home.
Thanks to the headset’s dual pairing features, we were able to voice chat with colleagues and friends on Slack and Discord for hours on end, while we could still hear the sweet sounds of us destroying demons on our Xbox. Both audio sources came through clearly each time, and there was no indication of delay or interference. We had to adjust the volume manually on the headset and on the phone to find the right balance, but everything looked great after a few adjustments.
This is very useful for a few reasons. If you’re on Xbox, but playing a multiplatform title like Fortnite with your friends on PC or Nintendo Switch, you can still chat with them, thanks to universal apps like Discord. It also means that you can use the same headset for games and important work calls (without judgment if you decide to do both at the same time), all without having to do any annoying resynchronization anytime you want to switch between your phone / computer and your Xbox. The Bluetooth support of the Xbox Wireless Headset makes it a great option for streaming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles on your Android phone, especially considering the few Bluetooth gaming headsets in this price range.
The Microsoft headset has also held up well in terms of the microphone’s real quality. Several people we spoke with reported being able to hear us clearly, and the voice recordings we made were loud and clear – although they sounded a little robotic. The overall good quality of the Xbox wireless headset microphone is a relief, because the actual microphone is very short, and although it is foldable, you cannot retract it to pull it closer to your mouth. Although there is a practical LED on the microphone to let you know when it’s muted, we had to strain our eyes to be able to see it.
PHOTO: Mike Andronico / CNN
With immersive gaming sound, a wonderfully comfortable design and a reliable microphone, the $ 99 Xbox Wireless headset would be an easy recommendation, even without its extra features. But its ability to pair with your Xbox and phone at the same time really puts you on the edge, turning your Microsoft headset into a device that makes it easier to receive calls or follow podcasts while you play some Gears of War.
The Xbox wireless headset is not the most attractive headset out there, and a few more in-ear control options would be appreciated. If you want something more elegant that also works well with the Nintendo Switch, SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless for Xbox is a valid alternative.
Still, the Xbox Wireless Headset is a fantastic value for Xbox and PC players – especially those who spend as much time on conference calls as on games.