Turtle Beach Ear Force XO Xbox One Amplified Stereo Gaming and Mobile Gaming Headset

Product Information

Turtle Beach have now brought out an entry-level Xbox One headset of their own, the XO ONE, to directly oppose Microsoft’s stereo headset. But how does it compare to other sets in the Turtle Beach range, and to Microsoft’s effort, in price and performance, the two biggest dealmakers and dealbreakers. Importantly for the XO One, mic monitoring is also supported, so no longer will that Barbara Streisand record – the one you think no one but you can hear – be broadcasted to those unfortunate enough to encounter you online. Mic monitoring is toggled with the small Turtle Beach logo button on the headset adaptor. There are gaming headsets out there that cost as much as a new console. But, are these premium cans really necessary for those who aren’t interested in one-upmanship?

XO One - Microphone Not Working - Turtle Beach Corporation XO One - Microphone Not Working - Turtle Beach Corporation

In terms of build quality, the XO ONE is immediately appreciable as an entry-level product, particularly when compared with the more advanced models in the product line. Where the XO FOUR and XO SEVEN sets possess a reassuring heft and sturdiness, the ONE, whilst light and comfortably worn for extended gaming sessions, does feel a little loose and delicate, far less fit to absorb the unexpected impacts that come in the heat of some particularly enthused multiplayer battles.

But for games like Destiny, Ghost Recon: Wildlands or their ilk, or any flavour of MMO, it sounds decent enough to let you play to your full potential, and is sufficiently comfortable to let you play games for much longer at a single stretch than you really should.

Turtle Beach - Ear Force XO One Amplified Gaming Headset and

The detachable mic is bendable but reassuringly resistant, so it will hold its position after you’ve worked out just the right placement in relation to your mouth. It’s lightweight and compact, so won’t obstruct or irritate when cramming wotsits in your gob during lobby time between matches. The light build makes for a comfortable-wearing headset, with no excess of weight hanging from the ears and a soft strip of padding on the underside of the headband preventing the set from creating a bald patch or eroding the top of your skull through those weekend marathons. The XO Three doesn’t look or feel cheap, and we were happy to wear it for several hours at a stretch. Perhaps if you’re on the fringes of a pro-career in Call of Duty or Rainbow Six: Siege, you might want to gain an edge by splashing out on a headset with more sophisticated surround-sound. But with Windows Sonic for Headphones doing its stuff, the XO Three’s sound became much more dynamic, with that atmospheric bass rumble which gamers love coming into play. One minor complaint we had was that the top end sounds a tiny bit hollow (rather than warm), but for the price, the XO Three sounds simply spectacular.

As a new console finds itself exploding into the mainstream, so too do the peripherals to go with it. And as consoles have become such an everyday thing, it was only a matter of time until dedicated gaming headsets aimed at the console market followed suit and over the past few years, the market has been expanding, particularly with the increased interest in eSports that has followed the proliferation of the console.