Virtual surround on Xbox One with headphones

My bad, turns out it's only ps4 that supports any usb audio. Xbox needs usb audio certified for Xbox, or that fakes it is certified for Xbox.

 

In my quest for new wireless headphones I've made a few new discoveries...

SteelSeries Arctis 1 for Xbox One - $99



https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-1-wireless-xbox


GameBeats for Xbox One - Bluetooth adapter for your controller - $39, but on sale for the next 2 days for $25.


https://gamebeats.co/products/airbeats-for-xbox-one®-audio-adapter

Tommy McClain

 

Microsoft is finally making its own wireless headset...



TLDW

• Pre-order now from the Microsoft Store for $99.99. Available 3/16/2021
• No cords. Connects Wirelessly to Xbox One & Series S|X.
• Supports mobile & PC via Bluetooth 4.2
• 15 hours on full charge(3 hours). 4 hours on a 30-minute charge - 14-inch(35cm) USB-C cable included
• Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone:X support
• Game/chat audio balance dial (left earcup), volume dial (right earcup)

I love the dials on the side. Much better than the small dials I'm using on my TB. Only thing I'm not sure about is the auto-mute(can be turned off) & the manual mute button. On my TB I like how folding it up out of the way mutes the mic.

Tommy McClain

 

Other interesting aspect related to this, it was in the October 2020 commercials for the Series X. Xbox must be having a laugh at hiding so many things in plain sight.

 

COVID likely a reason for the delay. It's likely they wanted to get these out with the console launch. Certainly would have been better timed for success and as far as I can see, it does look feature rich, and streamers would have had ample time to review it alongside the console

 

Interesting, so a cheaper Microsoft Surface 2 headphone with BT 4.2 instead of BT 5.0. Looks like it also lacks APTX, transparency mode and ANC. Also lacks touch controls on the ear cups. So that goes a long way to explaining why it's so much cheaper.

Audio will have higher latency (BT doesn't have APTX or any other low latency BT codec) and lower quality (no APTX HD, LDAC, or any other high quality codec) when connected via BT rather than directly to the Xbox consoles. On the plus side, it should have low latency and high quality when wirelessly connected to an Xbox console.

Not bad for an Xbox focused gaming headset, especially at such a ow price. 99.99 USD versus 249.99 USD for Surface Headphones 2.

Regards,
SB

 

Looks like you can simultaneously play & chat with the headset on Xbox while still connecting it via Bluetooth to your PC or phone for conference calls or phone calls. Evidently, the team working on it would do this while in meetings. LOL

Tommy McClain

 

Looks nice for the price and features, as long as build quality is decent.

 

The real game is support for Discord and Game mixed into 1 headset. With the movement towards cross play, PC/PS5/Xbox players need a reliable method to communicate to each other.

 

Guess I'm too old to understand Discord. LOL I've got an account & tried using it a few times, but still don't get the fascination with it. 20-25 years ago I was using IRC & Discord doesn't seem like a big leap over it.

Tommy McClain

 

Somebody has the new headphones already & was answering questions...









Unboxing & review via Xbox On...



Tommy McClain

 

Saw the headset sitting on a stand on the Xbox Wire page. Not sure if it's made by MS or not...



Tommy McClain

 

I'm still surprised I haven't seen any cute adapters so the headset can sit on the Series X, as if it's listening.

 

Since the headband is similar to the Surface Headphones 2, I might just get that stand. And since I got the black version, even the color matches.

Also that looks like this stand.

Amazon.com: Headphone Stand Headset Holder New Bee Earphone Stand with Aluminum Supporting Bar Flexible Headrest ABS Solid Base for All Headphones Size (Black): Musical Instruments

Regards,
SB

 

Yes, very similar. Wouldn't surprise me if they used it as a stand-in. LOL

Tommy McClain

 

That would be funny.

I've seen all kinds of stands but my favorites are the officially licensed ones from Geek Made Designs...



I've bought an Elite Series 2 controller stand & added a hanger for a headset for a friend for Christmas. It took over a month to ship it since it's custom-made, but it was well worth it. Highly recommend them if you don't mind waiting a bit.

Anyway, it looks similar to the one below. Notice the spot for the Elite charger.



Tommy McClain