While gamers tend to focus on their PC’s hardware to get an edge in gaming, the right gaming peripherals are just as important to performance results. That’s why PCWorld reviews every gaming headset available. You can see the fruits of our labor in our regularly updated articles on the best gaming headsets and the best wireless gaming headsets.
In these articles, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and sorted the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, so you can read through and choose the gaming headset that’s right for you. But you might want to know how our expert judges arrived at their decisions. We have summarized our extensive review process below.
How to rate gaming headsets based on sound quality
The sound quality of your headset is important to how you experience your game’s audio. When evaluating sound quality, there’s nothing like listening to it while gaming. We mainly hear two things about him. The other thing is to see if there are any flaws in the sound, and how good the audio fidelity of the headset is.
Signs of a defect include a rise or fall in amplitude, static or popping noises, and/or a harsh sound in the audio profile. Most gaming headsets are already scrutinized by manufacturers for these flaws, and it’s rare to find a headset with these issues. Still, sometimes we discover things and it’s our duty to let you know.
On the other hand, there is often a huge difference in audio fidelity and clarity between headsets. A scale of 1 to 5 is a useful tool when analyzing audio fidelity. The worst sounding headset is number 1. These headsets tend to lack detail across the range, often sounding muffled and unclear.
HyperX Cloud III gaming headset.
HyperX Cloud III gaming headset.
Hyper X
HyperX Cloud III gaming headset.
Hyper X
Hyper X
5 has a headset with richer, clearer sound. It conveys more detail across the audio spectrum and produces deep, commanding bass. Warm and vibrant midtones. Bright and lively high notes.
That said, ambient noise in the audio stream can ruin even the best-sounding headset, so it also depends on whether your headset effectively blocks out unwanted environmental noise. I will consider it. I also hear it through my headset’s microphone.
In general, the best sound quality is often found in headsets with high-resolution 96KHz / 24-bit audio, active noise cancellation (ANC), noise suppression technology, and 3D spatial audio, but always Not necessarily. The Audeze Maxwell Wireless headset is a great example of a very decent headset when it comes to sound quality.
How to evaluate gaming headsets based on design
Headset design is very important to achieve comfort levels. Ideally, you want a headset that allows you to play for hours without having to remove it.
To do this, we analyze factors such as the thickness of the cushions and how the material used in the ear cups feels against your ears. Medium to thick cushions prevent pain, and soft materials such as leather and synthetic leather give your ears a more luxurious feel than mesh materials, but mesh materials are cooler.
Some headsets, such as the Asus ROG Delta S Wireless, come with interchangeable earcups (a plush leather set and a cool mesh set), so this headset gets a perfect score for earcup comfort. doing.
Clamp pressure refers to how hard the headset presses against your head. Ideally, you shouldn’t press the headset so hard that it hurts, or so lightly that it lets in a lot of background noise.
We will also analyze whether the various components can be rotated or tilted to prevent head and neck strains. Headband adjustability allows gamers to find their ideal fit. That is also what we are pursuing.
We also take into consideration how the microphone fits into the headset, whether it’s removable, and whether you can mute the audio by simply flipping it over.
How to rate headsets based on build quality and style
No one wants a headset that breaks after just a few wears. You want a strong headset that will last a long time. Again, if the headset isn’t expensive, expect the build quality to be a little less than perfect due to the cheaper materials.
Anyway, reviewers tried out the headset to see if it had the former or the latter.
Also evaluate the style of the headset.
Admittedly, style is subjective, but our reviewers have worked with enough headsets to decide whether they’re sleek or cheap, trendy or boring, interesting or plain.
How to rate gaming headsets based on features
The best gaming headsets are more than just headphone clones. Here, we are looking for special features that make the gaming device not only easy to use but also effective. Gaming headsets that are good when it comes to control, compatibility, and connectivity often tend to be the best.
Headsets that are compatible across different devices and have more connectivity options eliminate the need to purchase multiple devices. More controls make it easier to use and improve the functionality of the game.
Arseni Palivoda: Dreamstime
Arseni Palivoda: Dreamstime
Arseni Palivoda: Dreamstime
Connections can be wired, wireless, or a combination of the two. Headsets that offer both wired and wireless connectivity, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, tend to be the most versatile. His Bluetooth feature of wireless headsets will be a great boon for gamers, allowing him to freely connect to PC and other devices without the need for dongles.
This is especially true if Bluetooth allows simultaneous audio and allows you to stream a second audio source while gaming.
Since the wireless gaming headset is not tethered, reviewers provide details on how long the headset can last without charging and how far you can use the headset away from your device without losing audio signal. Checking it up.
How to rate gaming headsets based on software
Here our reviewers want to see how much extra functionality you can get from the headset via the included software app.
They are typically impressed by features such as customizable EQ charts, ready-made presets to change audio profiles to suit different game genres and different types of media, spatial audio directional settings, and microphone configuration options. I am. All this allows for optimization. Headset sound during games.
There are so many things I want to try, so I keep tweaking and leaving no stone unturned.
Gaming headset value and final score
It’s rare to find the best gaming headset in every category, but the more accurate it is, the higher it scores out of 5 stars.
A big part of our evaluation process is considering the price you’re asking for the type of features offered. In other words, what is the value proposition for the money? To help with this, we compare each headset to similarly priced competitors on the market. That way, you can be sure that you are getting the best value for money when purchasing our recommended products.
