To say we were impressed by Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Headset in our review would be a bit of an understatement – and pleasingly, it looks as though one of the best Xbox Series X headsets is about to get even better.
One of our biggest criticisms of the Xbox Wireless Headset was the weak mic monitoring. As it stands, the mic monitoring is incredibly subtle, and we were hopeful Microsoft would raise the level via a future update. Thankfully, it looks like that will be the case.
In the Xbox Insiders release notes, those in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will be able to test a new firmware for the Xbox Wireless Headset that increases the mic monitoring levels, and also lowers the volume of status tones. While we didn’t have an issue with the latter, it’s great to see Microsoft is addressing this feedback so promptly.
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Mic monitoring lets you hear your own voice back, so you don’t have to resort to shouting at the top of your lungs when you’re in a party chat. It’s an incredibly useful feature that can be turned on or off, and with the Xbox Wireless Headset offering impressive passive noise isolation, the mic monitoring level certainly needed a boost.
A new standard
For the price point of $99 / £89 / AU$149, the Xbox Wireless Headset offers phenomenal sound quality that can be tinkered to suit your preference. It’s also packed full of great quality-of-life features like auto-mute, handy audio cues when you’re turning the headset on and off, and a light that shows whether your mic is active or not.
If you’re an Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or Xbox One console owner and after a wireless headset, you’d be hard pressed to find a competing product that looks, sounds and is as feature-packed as the Xbox Wireless Headset for the same price.
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