Ear Force X2 headset is wireless... sort of

I just wanted to take a moment to respond to your post – first the factual bits:

1) Your suggestion of using your own headset with an adapter that connects to the controller just wouldn’t work – the XBL chat comes from the controller, but the game audio comes from the console – you’ve got to have both connections. Your PC headset would work just fine to hear your XBL chat, but you wouldn’t hear the game at all. You’d not only have the cable we have running to the controller, but you’d have to run RCA cables to the Xbox –across your living room floor – the nerds, as you say, would care.
2) A Bluetooth adapter that sends audio both ways would cost more than this headset, and again, you wouldn’t get your game audio.

If you want to use headphones while you chat online, it’s either our solution or using duct tape affixing the XBL adapter to your headphones and run cables across the room – once you use the X2s, I guarantee you won’t touch the duct tape

If you don’t use headphones, you’re still selling yourself short – that XBL adapter covering up one of your ears is really cutting into the audio experience 360 games offer -- without even getting into the whole ‘turn down the TV so that your Mic doesn’t feedback’ issue.

We created this product because we care about audio and we play games. We wanted to create a better experience, and make it affordable to gamers. We made them light, comfortable, and they sound great.

Playing COD2 with these things is amazing. We’ll get you a pair to try, and I think you’ll agree.

Seth Dotterer
Turtle Beach
http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/earforce/x2/

I think mr. Dotterer makes good points. I personally have always been a fan of turtle beach since there Santa Cruz 5.1 sound system came with my Dell computer way back when. Anyways im definetly picking up one of these in a month or two when i got the money. With a price drop to like 70 i would have bought them yesterday. I always have problems when there is somebody else downstairs watching tv or listening to music or do something loud and annoying not to mention at night time. But one thing this lacks is that it isn't virtual 5.1 surround sound. There is nothing like the surround sound effect when you are playing a game but nonetheless i love the idea and ill probably pick them up.

Good work, Turtle Beach. Im hoping some more innovative 3rd party quality 360 products emerge.

Matt

I think Seth (and Turtle Beach) must have forgotten about one of the main selling points of the 360: standard 5.1 surround for all games! While I'm forced to concede his point that I'm not hearing some of the sound I should be due to the XBL headset covering my ear, I still feel like my 5.1 rig gives me a nice advantage in shooters...never mind the cool factor of hearing a rocket fly over your head in Halo 2!

Give me an all-in-one headset option that simulates surround sound and I *might* be interested. Otherwise, give me one of the two options mentioned in the original post. Or, how about this as a third option: a wireless headset that taps into the wireless signal that's already present between the controller and the console? All the data is already being wirelessly transmitted, you'd just need to intercept it somehow. I'd imagine this would be something only MS could pull off, and not a 3rd party, but it sure would be a pretty solution!

Quick, someone get me a spectrum analyzer!

"1) Your suggestion of using your own headset with an adapter that connects to the controller just wouldn’t work – the XBL chat comes from the controller, but the game audio comes from the console – you’ve got to have both connections."

This was exactly what I was going to say... and my number one annoyance with the XBox 360. It is COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE to use headphones with just the headset microphone. (The original XBox had a setting to send voice to speakers or earphone... why doesn't the 360??)

This solution is the first and only one that allows you to wear headphones and use voice chat.

-Pie

I disagree with the spam above (#1). *IF* you want all game audio sent to you via wireless headphones, their product might work, but that's not what I want, and it's not what Mr. Gant is talking about at the bottom of his article. I want the game audio to come from my room speakers, and have the voice com come through the headset; exactly how it works today with the Microsoft headphones. My only desire is to take that existing system and make it wireless via standard bluetooth gear (option 2 described in the article). And if that isn't going to happen, at least let us use our own headsets (like the Halo2 plantronics rig) with a simple adapter (option 1 described in the article).

If a vendor designs, builds and sells either option, I'll buy it. The hardware described in this article doesn't interest me (but hey, that's just my opinion).

"The original XBox had a setting to send voice to speakers or earphone... why doesn't the 360??"

It does...when you hit the guide button in the game just go to personal settings and select voice, you can even adjust the volume and mute the mic if you are not using a standard 360 mic....next time read the instructions instead of complaining.

Kyle G -

We agree on the 5.1 surround issue - but the cost for putting a Dolby decoder into an external device is high... really high.

This is why Xbox 5.1 speakers cost $400 and the same ones for PCs only cost $80.

In either case - we're not saying that true 5.1 audio isn't the ideal, just that it's not always possible from a price or technology standpoint, and that if you're going to be covering up one ear with the XBL thing and turning down the speakers so that your opponents don't have to hear your game audio in their XBL adapter.

Seth, totally cool of you to show up and comment! That really shows dedication and I don't doubt for a second that your product is as good as you say, just that it isn't what I (or Chappy!) are looking for. While it might be considered vulgar to have something jammed in your ear while 5.1 washes over you from the room's speakers, that's never bothered me before. What does bother me is the stupid little dangle cord between my head and my hands.

Is it nitpicking, yeah, but it also seems like a simple solution. I have a bluetooth headset for my phone, I have a nice wired headset for my computer. I just want a solution to use either with this console. Then people could use their pre-existing Turtle Beach PC headsets and be happy!

You know, I love wireless things as much as the next guy but come on. We're talking maybe 2 feet of cord from ear to controller. You want to clear up some mess? Find a way to transmit the video from my console directly to the tv without wires. That would be R&D well spent.

However, as C. Grant points out, I would like to see an overall headset solution. Maybe Pelican or some other company could make an adapter to use any headset. Just a little dongle with mute and volume controls and a headset jack. That way I could use my old Plantronics headset and keep my volume controls.

What could be so annoying about that tiny little cord that you would pay $50 US to fix it?

If you want a wireless connection between your headset and the controller, check out the Jabra A210 Bluetooth adapter. It will connect a Bluetooth headset with virtually any device that has a 2.5mm jack, including an Xbox 360 controller.

http://www.jabra.com/JabraCMS/NA/EN/MainMenu/Products/Accessories/JabraA210/

It retails on the net for about $45 (US).

I use it with the Jabra BT500 headset, which has a behind-the-ear design that allows me to wear it under a pair of headphones. I don't take that approach anymore, not after upgrading to a surround sound system, but it is a good solution to gamers who need to game quietly.

I would pick up the Ear Force X2 if it had a virtual Surround Sound output. The wireless connection to the controller would be a welcome addition, and is certainly feasible.

It's about time! I've been visualizing this for some time now! It's not exactly worth $100 but for $49? You betcha!

Well I say Bravo to Turtle Beach for it's (hopefully) 1st generation XB360 headset!

While my leanings are to agree with many here that an ideal headset would have either true or virtual 5.1 surround and a wireless connection for voice (I absolutely hate that damn wire getting in the way), this product will be wonderful for those of us in condo's (or apts,/dorms) where cranking up the 5.1 surround would totally be out of the question during late night gaming sessions.

As for price, without virtual surround and wireless com, I think a c-note is a bit high too. But perhaps the quality is there so that might make it worthwhile (I do hope so as I'll surely be buying a set).

No doubt others will follow and this looks to be a great start!

The headset is for people that need an alternative to playing the audio out of the tv or surround sound system to a nice set of stereo headphones so it is quiet for everyone else around and so you can hear your buddies talking on LIVE as well as game audio . I just got these headphones and the main problem is I can not hear my buddies talking over the game audio mix, no matter what I try, my friends sound like whispers compared to the game audio. They sound crystal clear with the game off and just chatting and but is no way to boost voice. The quality of the game audio is sufficient and the headphones serve the purpose of delivering the xbox audio nice and clear just needs to be a better way to seperate voice com and game audio. I played GRAW the and I even turned off the dramatic music but even the atmosphere sounds were loud enough to drown out a normal speaking friend. I am holding on to these headphones just in case I get a solution. May xbox 360 needs a better tool to set the mix out from the RCAs so the earforce x2 can simply deliver the audio but as is this headphone/mic combo does not deliver a good experience for chatting with buds and playing a nice loud game. If they added 5.1 it would probably make it even worse. I would love to be proven wrong becasue I like the feel, look and design of this headset and kudos for this so far, just please show me a way to set the mix of voice and game music.

jg@fatninja.com

Im picking one up tomorrow...for me..late night is key...i bought the last one they had and it was horrible..headphones weighed a ton and u had 2 sit 2 feet from the box...im hoping for a miracle!!!

Well, first of all let me say that I'm glad my birthday is in March.

I haven't spent a lot of time with these, but the time I have spent was well worth it. This was a real solution for me as I was using the duct tape method for the late nights.

The sound is great and it really shows with the background music in G.R.A.W. I will add detail after I spend more time with them, but for now, big kudos!