There’s definitely no shortage of headsets for the Xbox Series X|S gaming console. From Razer to Turtle Beach and LucidSound to Audeze, many companies have released (or have compatible) headsets for Microsoft’s next-gen console. Xbox has officially joined the fray as they’ve just announced that the official first-party Xbox Wireless Headset is now available for pre-order.
With support for Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X spatial sound technologies, Xbox boasts “best-in-class” audio performance with the new headset. Chat is also an important feature, and the headset also includes dual beamforming microphones and voice isolation to help drown out background noise.
“We spent a lot of time in the audio testing chambers trying to characterize and understand how the headset reproduces audio in different room environments. It goes in your living room, game room, and dorm room and we want it to sound the best for all types of audio. In the same way, the team studied game-play to ensure great sounding chat, sensitive mic to prevent background noise.”
Erik Garcia, Project Architect and Lead
With a lightweight design, the Xbox Wireless Headset has an inner metal headband, rubberized dial rings for grip, rotating earcup dials for volume and game/chat audio balance, and an adjustable mic that can easily be tucked away when not in use. The headset has a 15-hour battery life, and 30 minutes of charging can give you about 4 hours of battery life to get you through your next session relatively quickly.
The headset can be fine-tuned with the Xbox Accessories app Xbox Wireless Headset USB-C charging cable (14 inches long)on the Xbox One, Series X|S, and Windows 10. The app will allow you to adjust the equalizer settings, toggle bass boost, mic monitoring, auto-mute sensitivity, and even the brightness of the mute light on the end of the microphone.
In addition to directly connecting to your Xbox Series X|S console, the headset features Bluetooth for calls and pairing with your smartphone, tablet, or Windows 10 PC for more flexibility. You can even have the headset connected to your console and a Bluetooth device simultaneously, allowing you to chat on your phone or stream music from it while gaming.
Specifications of the Xbox Wireless Headset include:
| Materials | Headband: inner steel metal band with foam cushioning Ear cushions: oval design with polyurethane leather and foam cushioning |
| Microphones | Mic design: bendable boom with dual mics and Illuminated LED when mic is on |
| Speakers | Speaker size: 40mm Speaker material: Paper composite diaphragm and neodymium magnet Speaker Impedance: 32 ohm Speaker Response: 20Hz – 20kHz |
| Controls | Buttons: power/pair, mute, game/chat audio balance dial (left earcup), volume dial (right earcup). |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth version: 4.2 (A2DP, HFP, HSP) Codec: SBC |
| Battery | Internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery with up to 15 hours of battery life per charge. 30 minutes of charging provides about 4 hours of battery life and recharges to full battery life in about 3 hours when headset is not in use. |
| Weight | 11 oz (312g) |
| Virtual Surround Sound | Supports Spatial Sound technologies like Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone:X on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One |
| Xbox Accessories app | Adjust equalizer settings, bass boost, auto-mute, LED brightness, and mic monitoring |
| System requirements | For use with Xbox X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 devices. On supported consoles, some voice chat features may require Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or Xbox Live Gold (memberships sold separately). Windows 10 use requires Bluetooth 4.2+, Xbox Wireless adapter or compatible USB-C cable. Each sold separately. |
| What’s in the box | Xbox Wireless Headset USB-C charging cable (14 inches long) |
The Xbox Wireless headset retails for US$99.99/CA$129.99. As mentioned, it is now available for pre-order, with shipping expected in a month on March 16.
What do you think about the Xbox Wireless Headset? Will you be picking one up? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Facebook, or MeWe.
