Michael Higham
Sometimes the best wireless gaming headset for your specific console or platform is the first-party option – say, the Pulse Elite for PlayStation 5 or the official Xbox Wireless Headset for, well, Xbox. They tend to offer the most seamless experience, and from my time using the aforementioned headsets, I can attest that they sound incredible while bringing useful features native to their platform. Microsoft recently put out a refresh of its flagship Xbox headset, and it’s still a fantastic choice. Even with some of the same shortcomings (and a $10 price hike), it’s a smartly designed headset that brings great sound quality along with some slight improvements to the microphone and battery life.
Xbox Wireless Headset – Design and Comfort
Like the previous model that came out in 2021, this new version sports a sleek and minimalist design without loud branding. It’s even more understated in its all-black colorway, which ditches the green trim around the earcups found on the old version, and is only recognizable as an Xbox headset from the logo on the right earcup. It’s a winning design and I don’t see a reason to fix what isn’t broken.
I still love that each earcup works as intuitive volume dials, with the right one controlling the master volume and the left one handling the in-game and chat volume balance. The chat-mix dial has a tactile notch right at the middle to indicate the 50-50 point for default balance as well. There aren’t many buttons to fiddle with on the headset itself – a small green button doubles up as the power and pairing mode button, and microphone mute sits at the base of the mic itself. The right earcup charges via USB-C, and that’s all there is to it.
The mic sports a similar snake-like design – it curls into the left earcup to rest flush to the headset when you don’t want to use it and unfurls outward when you do. It’s a short arm so it stays to the side of your face without getting in the way of your mouth, yet doesn’t sacrifice its ability to pick up your voice.
Although the frame is made with a study plastic, the headset can bend and contort quite a bit and gives an impressive sense of durability; it doesn’t feel fragile when handling it. This is a fairly small headset, however. I had to extend each arm to its maximum length to get it to fit properly, which I rarely have to do on other headsets – if you tend to have trouble with headphones fitting, be wary. This is one area in which I expected improvement, and while it isn’t a dealbreaker for me, a change here could have addressed one of the headset’s existing issues.
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The headset clamps a bit tightly, but thankfully its padding is superb, letting me wear it for hours on end without feeling any discomfort. The leatherette upholstery of each earpad may make things a little sweaty the longer you wear it, but that comes with the territory of using the material. The headband uses the same plushy padding to let the headset rest comfortably atop my head, and the whole unit sits firmly in place so I rarely had to adjust it once I put it on.
Those looking for a versatile headset may be conflicted, depending on what you’re looking for. For one, the Xbox wireless headset has Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the intuitive dongle-free connection with Xbox consoles. However, this headset does not come with a 2.4GHz dongle. Granted, this is mostly a problem for PC gamers (like me) who would need the low latency and sound quality of a 2.4GHz connection – dongles for Microsoft devices can be purchased separately, but of course adds to the total cost.
Xbox Wireless Headset – Software and Battery Life
With this being the official Xbox headset, you don’t need any external app or software suite to customize its core settings, such as the EQ profile or a simple bass boosting option, when using it on Xbox systems. While you only have access to a five-band EQ, it works fine for tuning the headset properly (which I recommend doing to get the best audio experience).
You also have native access to Windows Sonic, DTS Headphone:X, and a free license for Dolby Atmos, which are programs that bring out more theatrical sound profiles and emphasize spatial audio experience. I don’t find them particularly enticing for gaming, especially for competitive scenarios where a natural sound profile is more advantageous, but it’s a nice option to have for TV and movies.
The Xbox wireless headset’s battery life isn’t impressive on paper, especially compared to the best gaming headset out there right now, although it has improved over the previous model. It clocks in at around 20 hours from a full charge, which is enough to last more than an entire day. You’ll have to plug it in more frequently than even something like the Pulse Elite, but by no means is this prohibitive. To make up for that, the Xbox wireless headset charges very fast, roughly getting four to five hours of battery life from a 30-minute charge when it’s not being used.
Xbox Wireless Headset – Sound Quality
When it comes to sound quality, there isn’t much difference between this new version of the Xbox Wireless Headset and the previous model. And that’s fine, because it sounded great to begin with. Out of the box, the lows tend to get overshadowed by the other frequencies, but a bit of tinkering with the EQ gave me a better and more balanced sound profile with strong bass. While it’s not going to stack up to the rich detail you can hear in something like the higher-end SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, for example, this first-party Xbox offering still packs a punch worthy of its price tag.
I’ve been using the new Xbox Wireless Headset for the past week when playing games on my Xbox Series X, which has included STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Elden Ring, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Having already finished and reviewed STALKER 2, I went back to clean up remaining side missions and poke around areas previously unexplored, and the eerie atmosphere that’s supported by its audio came through nicely when exploring The Zone again; rustling leaves, mutants grunting as they approach, and gunfire from all directions all sounded great. Elden Ring has a lot going on at times, especially in boss fights where its booming orchestral soundtrack clashes with audio cues and voice lines. It can be overwhelming, but the headset handled all of it quite well, even if the audio felt a bit cramped.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 gave me an idea of how it performs in a competitive sense, which can get very hectic with explosions, gunfire, and enemy footsteps coming from all directions. After countless rounds of 24/7 Stakeout (camping in vents and clearly hearing enemies sprinting in adjacent rooms), I spent some time in Search and Destroy, a mode with higher stakes. The headset is clear in producing crucial audio cues that influence your decision-making in intense situations
Microphone quality was passable but fairly subpar on the original model, sounding more like a phone call than a proper headset mic, so it’s nice to see a slight improvement here. It doesn’t stack up to what you get on the Beyerdynamic MMX 300/330 Pro or HyperX Cloud III, for example, but the added clarity at least makes you sound better than the typical person cursing up a storm in a Call of Duty lobby.
There’s a sense of spaciousness that also contributes to clarity and the overall sound quality when it comes to headsets, and you tend to get this from headsets with bigger drivers, specific tuning, or an open-back design. There is a distinct difference in how higher-end headsets create a roomy soundstage as opposed to blaring audio directly at your ears. But even though I notice this difference between tiers of audio gear, the Xbox Wireless Headset still provides a solid sound experience that impresses considering its asking price.
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