Microsoft Is About to Attempt Another Xbox Headset

It has to be better than the last one, right?

Photo taken by the author.

I’ve spent three years secretly hoping for the end of Microsoft’s official Xbox Wireless Headset.

It’s one of the worst-sounding, most bloated, bass-heavy nightmare audio products you can buy, with performance that’s fully abysmal compared to its great industrial design. Sadly, my dream has now been shattered by the reality of the upcoming holiday shopping season. It seems that Microsoft is gearing up to launch a brand new refreshed version of their terrible headset, and they’re apparently going to charge ten dollars more for it. I couldn’t be less thrilled.

So, how did we get here?

In early 2021, Microsoft released the blandly-named Xbox Wireless Headset. On paper, it looked totally awesome. It packed in a bunch of features that other companies sold for around $150 — but at a $99 price point. It shouldn’t have failed.

Unfortunately, it had the worst sound performance of any modern gaming headset.

Its impressive features list should have made it the best headset for Xbox-exclusive gamers. It supported Microsoft’s misguided proprietary connection protocol as well as Bluetooth. It had a solid battery life rating. Its industrial design was inspired by the…