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Best PC gaming headset for 2022 – CNET [CNET]
You can’t turn around these days without being told that gaming is bigger than ever. But if you’re new to it, you might not realize how important a good gaming headset is to the experience. You want a good mic for chatting with friends and squadmates; good highs, lows, separation and surround so you can hear enemies creep up behind you and get creeped out by zombies; as well as good balance and tonality to appreciate the soundtrack you paid extra for. So it might be time to upgrade your experience with a top gaming headset.
Plus, it’s still hard to find a graphics card to spend your cash on and you may already be spending a ton of time on video calls, so treating yourself to a new headset can be a way to satisfy your work brain — yes, be that person wearing the huge headset in meetings — and your play brain without blowing a ton of money.
Keep in mind that analog gaming headsets, which connect via 3.5mm jacks, can work with almost any device — a gaming PC, a PS5, an Xbox Series X or Series S, a Nintendo Switch and so on — in addition to regular Windows PCs. But depending on the hardware you may not get the full set of features, such as surround sound, mic monitoring/sidetone and other capabilities that rely on software and a USB connection to function.
Also, if you’re a gamer looking beyond excellent audio quality and want to update other aspects of your gaming rig, be sure to check out our picks for the best gaming mice, gaming keyboards, gaming laptops and other options, like a gaming-optimized router and a fast VPN.
Gaming headset FAQs
Why do I want a ‘wireless’ headset rather than a Bluetooth gaming headset?
Bluetooth lets you connect to most mobile devices as well as PCs and laptops, which makes it really convenient. But it’s also low-bandwidth and slow, which means it may compress the audio (and thus make it sound worse) and introduce delays between the device and the headset. The delays, referred to as latency, can range from just annoying to game-ruining, depending upon how important the audio and your chat is to responding quickly.
Bluetooth also requires that there be a pretty small distance between the headset and device it’s connected to. The best wireless gaming headsets come with a USB wireless adapter, usually 2.4GHz, to create a dedicated, fast, high-bandwidth channel between the headset and the system, and one that can maintain the connection over a larger distance.
How do I hear myself talk?
The ability to hear yourself talk while you chat is referred to as “mic monitoring” or “sidetone,” and some people find it essential for more natural conversation; I find that without it I tend to shout, especially if the earcups suppress a lot of external noise. You generally need to have a USB connection — either a wireless dongle or wired — in order to get mic monitoring to work, and many times it’s dependent on the software utility that’s provided by the manufacturer, at the very least to control the volume of the monitoring so you don’t blast yourself with your own voice.
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