Gaming Headsets

What to Look for When Choosing a Gaming Headset

Gaming Headsets—Design

• Over-ear gaming headsets feature a padded head bridge, ensuring comfort when worn for long periods. They reproduce sound well but, due to higher weight and larger size, are less portable.
• Gaming earphones usually have a lighter and smaller design (they are more portable and easier to carry). Compared to similarly expensive around-ear gaming headphones, they are not as comfortable.

Gaming Headsets—Connection

• Wired gaming headphones (3.5mm Jack, USB) provide better sound reproduction compared to similarly expensive wireless gaming headphones, though your freedom of movement is limited by the length of the cable.
• Wireless gaming headphones—(Bluetooth and Radio frequency)—connect without a cable for greater freedom of movement (Bluetooth headphones have a range of about 10-30 metres from the playback device, radio frequency up to 100 meters). Wireless headphones have a built-in battery and need recharging.

Gaming Headsets—Construction

• Closed-back gaming headsets let almost no sound out and cancel ambient noise.
• Open-back gaming headsets - provide more faithful music reproduction (less distortion), let sound out but do not reduce ambient noise.
• Semi-closed-back gaming headphones are a compromise between open and closed headphones. They let some sound out of the headphones while cancelling some ambient noise.

Gaming Headsets—Useful Features

• Volume control allows you to adjust volume without pausing your game.
• 7.1 surround sound headphones let you hear where individual sounds are coming from.
• A detachable microphone is handy when you want to enjoy listening to music without the microphone getting in the way.