It’s often a difficult argument to say what one person may think is great, where someone else may totally hate something in terms of the gaming world. Like Marmite, you’ll either love or hate using a gaming headset – until recently I fell into the latter category but soon turned to love my ear gear.
My last gaming headset I had years ago was a pair of wired Turtle Beach ear defenders, they were for the PS2 and the setup was nowhere near as straightforward as those around today. I hardly ever used them though as it was such a pain in the butt having so many wires hanging around – needless to say I soon got rid.
Wires – a thing of the past
I’m sorry for those who have no issues with wires (each to their own), but in a world where technology allows us the ability of going wireless – cables are my worst nightmare.
There was not a hugely noticeable price difference between a wired headset and the 420X so if wires are your thing, then hat’s off to you. I got mine at around £99 which I’d say were mid-range priced compared to what you can pay for more expensive models.
The wireless does not impact the sound quality/connection whatsoever unless you go walking into the bathroom and shut the door with the device on – then understandably you might see a difference.
Usability and setup, effortless to say the least
Using a USB transmitter plugged into the back of your Xbox One USB port (or in the side port for those with the original Xbox One), turn on your console, hold down the power button (the Turtle Beach logo of the right ear cup) and you’re ready to go!
A single charge delivers a decent 15 hours of battery life, rechargeable via micro USB.
In terms of comfort, the ear cups have plenty of padding as does the head band, just make sure to adjust to fit your head properly – I forgot this at first and wondered why my head hurt.
It’s all about that bass
There’s nothing worse than using a pair of headphones, whether for gaming or even something as simple as listening to the radio and having a tinny, bland, and an unsatisfying sound being played through your ears.
A press of the small button on the right ear cup delivers functionality such as base or treble boosts, I rarely use this however as I find the sound is perfect without these modes.
Making use of your mic
Although the sound is awesome in terms of hearing bullets whistling past you in COD, or the appealing sound of boosting your followers in Watch Dogs 2, let’s not forget about the online chat capability of this piece of kit.
You have a detachable microphone included which is optional to each gamer, my preference is to only attach the mic when you are playing online – although at the moment I’m playing a lot of titles that are playable offline.
I have found that using the chat function with friends or other players online delivers a crystal clear quality of feedback, and using the dials on the right ear cup allows you to turn input/output of voice up or down. You have the ability to hear your own voice, that way you can see if you’re unintentionally shouting or not.
My most enhanced games – thanks to this new toy
I now religiously use my headset every time I sit down for a gaming session as I find it offers much better sound that my television does, and only adds to the gaming experience.
I recently bought Batman Return To Arkham, and playing Arkham Asylum with this headset was pretty good fun to say the least, most memorable was collecting the interview tapes which actually made me feel as though I was in the same room as the likes of Harley Quinn!
Not sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I received Resident Evil 7 for my birthday last week, and from what others had said I was a little edgy about playing it due to the scare factor.
I first sat down in broad daylight to play this game, although I obviously had my Turtles at the ready, trust me when I say this only made the experience tenser.
Without including any spoilers, sounds inside a house such as footsteps from above, doors creaking, crows squawking, and dripping pipes are only amplified with this headset. At times I have wondered if sounds from behind are in the real world or part of the game. Needless to say, thanks to the420X I’m playing RE7 in stages as it’s pretty realistic.
My verdict
Overall an awesome headset, which is not too heavily priced, delivering a great gaming experience.
Note*** there is now a 420X+ available for a similar price, however I’m yet to see the main differences between the two models.
