Whether chatting with friends while playing online games, or you just want a private theater experience, headsets are becoming increasingly popular among console gamers. Sony even built the functionality into the PS4 controller and included a headset–albeit a cheap one–right in the box. It may be simple to plug any $10 set of earbuds with a microphone in, but ease doesn’t mean they’re the best option available.
I resisted headset audio for years. I was the guy that used headphones to chat, but insisted on game audio coming through my surround sound. Eventually I relented to moving game audio into the headset, but only when I was playing online with friends and had to. The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset is one of the first headsets that has made me actively want to use a headset for my gaming audio all the time, not just within the confines of online play, but also to enhance the soundscapes of single-player games. PS4 users get a wireless USB headset that connects to the PS4 using a dongle. Yes, this will take up one of the few USB ports on the console, but the PS4 doesn’t have any additional options (Xbox One owners get the benefit of a direct connection to the console via Xbox Wireless, no dongle needed). It’s a clean wireless connection that I never encountered any problems with. Even walking into my kitchen, which often causes stutters in audio coming through the DualShock 4’s audio port, didn’t cut off the connection. ...