The Xbox One Vs. PS4 Headset War Begins

Last week, after Microsoft's DRM reversal put it on more equal footing with the PlayStation 4, we took a fresh look at the differences between the two, but we missed one incredibly important feature — headsets. The PlayStation 4 comes with a mono headset. The Xbox One comes with none.

[xHeavYx]

I'm just glad I'll be able to use my $250 headset on my PS4 and not have to buy a new one

[aceitman]

ok so in other words spend more money buy a head set cause if u don't , everyone in the room or the room next door will hear the crazy people that curse and scream like crazy . what a joke , ms use we have a head set in everybox against ps3 and now look . flipity flopity yes u do ms. and its not right for gamers .

[tigertom53]

this video 2:55 into the video shows what the new Kinect can do about clearing up audio and only focusing on your voice as well as only listening to the player talking and nothing else.... https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Heartnet]

Lol there mono headset with the worse ear piece ever will not be used by many and if it is i think it will be of low quality..

have you seen it? they didnt even make the ear piece have that piece of rubber to make it stay in ear slightly comfy......

and yeh kinect can act as a microphone but havng voices coming through TV will be terrible xD but kinect mic will be better than that sony piece of garbage xD

[aceitman]

@ tigertom53 what I am mainly talking about is using Kinect as a headset other people in the room or the room next to u will hear all the cursing and dumb stuff people say over the Kinect speaker or tv wherever the sound from who is talking in game.

[The_Con-Sept]

@heartnet. The PS Eye already does that with its directional microphone. plus over 40% of PS3 users bought the official PS Bluetooth headset. Then another 20% of users have their own bluetooths that are not the official one paired with the PS3. Then then another 15% have the PS Eye like I do for Mic chat.

The kinect will be the same as the PS Eye. It will try to only listen to you, but the instant it loses track of you it will catch the dogs bark.

[JamieL]

Dude you can say that all you want, but I have not used a headset since I bought Kinect. It works great, but I do see your point about everybody being able to hear the conversations, that is a drawback if there are people around to hear it. I tend to play alone most the time and if anyone is watching me, they more than likely can handle little punks with dirty mouths. I guess my point is Kinect works great as a mic, and it IS in every box.

[Dee_91]

I already have a pulse headset so this doesnt really effect me

@Heartnet
Why would you need a stereo output with one earbud?Its not like all of the audio from the game is going through that mono output its only the voices from other players.

[darren_poolies]

@Heartnet
Oh so you've used and tried it out have you?

[loulou]

meh,i have an astro mixamp and sennhieser pc360s for gaming with my pals, and a set of akg q701s for when i want to play on my own.

i will just buy the new adaptor cable that astro will release very soon

[abzdine]

seems like i can use whatever headset brand on PS4! that's another +1 for PlayStation!

[Death]

it's a plus if all headsets have the same audio quality. PS3 and PC is a mixed bag at times since there are so many different sets that dont have the consistancy many desire.

[gedapeleda]

well xbone does look to have a better headset, the one on ps4 looks like cheap shait you get with a phone.

[Crazay]

Ya I'm more than a lil pissed about my $350 headset and it's non compliance with XBoxOne as of now. I think TurtleBeach is going to make an adapter though.

In all honesty, though...if I had to take a standard blutooth headset vs a wired one like in the picture, Blutooth wins out every time.

Goddammit TB - I need an adapter.

[BattleTorn]

Same with Astros!

I don't really place blame on MS, cause what do they care if our 3rd-party headset don't work...

But the 3rd-party companies that sold them to us should be talking to MS for us

[HammadTheBeast]

Pretty sure this is exactly what MS and the headset companies were aiming for, it forces you to buy a new mic, and in turn more money for them.

[Crazay]

@Battletorn

I put the blame equally on both sides of that conversation. MS for not adding blutooth to the system and the manufacturers for being dinks and not supporting those of us who plunked down some serious $$$ for their wares in the past year or 2.

Mostly it's a lame ass ploy to sell more units but if you think about it, selling a simple adapter for say...$35 probably has a higher gross margin than a whole new headset. Also, proving to your current customer base that you have their backs it builds customer brand loyalty. Why can't these idiots get that in their goddamn heads?

[NegativeCreepWA]

I'm glad it doesn't support bluetooth, I of my biggest gripes about multi player on the PS3 is the lack of noise cancellation in nearly every mic, except the official one. The amount of background noise in games is annoying.

[LackTrue4K]

lol...even if you did go with a Bluetooth headset, your out of luck...cuz XboxOne does not support Bluetooth!

just another way to count each penny out of there customers...

@ NegativeCreepWA.
what backgound noise, if there is background sounds its cuz another online player is using an open mic like an Eyetoy/Kincets and its catches the sound off his speakers.

[Crazay]

@Sistersback

thanks for the insight tips...without you to explain to us the lack of something about the Xbox One that we were already speaking of, I don't know what we'd do without you.

You clearly are the most interesting man in the world. Please...do us all a favor and move along.

[admiralvic]

@ BattleTorn

They do care, since you can't run a successful business just thinking of yourself. Some people like these headsets and there has been a number of Xbox exclusive (same with PS, so they're not special) headsets because there is a market for it. If anything, the lack of that ability might sway some people, which M$ can't really afford with the higher price to begin with.

@ HammadTheBeast

Unlikely, since it would only work once and people are going to gain / lose trust off of how each company handles the change. Like if Astro can accomplish the change with a firmware update, TB can do it with a 10 dollar adaptor (omg, their evil plan was successful at gaining my $10 dollars. Oh no!) and Mad Cats / Tritton says you're SOL... well guess which company is going to get trashed and praised going forward.

Anyway, if companies wanted people to update their headsets, they would just push for more licensed special editions. Like Sony probably got a few people that were never interested in headsets thinking about the GTA V ones, since they supposedly offer the best GTA sound experience. Same with the CoD fans and so on and so forth.

[NegativeCreepWA]

Actually bluetooth mics are always open both ways like using a phone, if you played on both services as much as I have you'd notice the difference in the amount background noise.

The only exception is the official Sony bluetooth mic that has noise cancellation built into it.

[Fluke_Skywalker]

@negative
The Sony one is not the only one with noise cancellation many Bluetooth headsets have it. It's just that most people use cheap guff they bought for their phone 10 years ago.
All new decent Bluetooth headsets have noise cancellation.

[Retroman]

"HEAD SET WAR" really??

why dose it even matter anymore???

it is a online communication device only, non greater than the other by MS or SONY.

[Stryfeno2]

But fanboys don't care...they will turn anything into a war.I'm guessing next it will the paint quality between both consoles.

[ABizzel1]

There are a lot of things to compare and debate about, but which headset is better isn't something anyone should care about. That being said as the article mentions it's still surprising that the X1 doesn't come with a headset considering the backlash Sony got for not having one from PS fans and 360 fans, but let's see if they'll treat MS the same.

@xHeavYx

Completely agree, there's no excuse for M$ not allowing Blue Tooth syncing so you can keep your current headset. It's nothing but greed and trying to make money for themselves and their partners at the COMPLETE expense of the consumer.

[JamieL]

Why would MS put 2 ways to communicate in the box? You can use Kinect and it works fine. If there is an easy way to communicate in the box, why would you add another?

[ABizzel1]

Because the integrated mic in camera has NEVER worked thus far. It's nothing but horrible feedback, and eventually a feedback loop is created and you'll everyone will be screaming cut your mic off.

Also if anyone else in is the room Kinect will pick up their voices and conversation.

On a potential aggravating note, what if someone says "Xbox Off" during the middle of the game and turns everyone system off using voice commands.

It's just not the right thing to do, and they should have used Blue Tooth so people could continue using their current headsets.

Just another of the many reasons to go with PlayStation first this generation and see how things go for M$ and Nintendo, or when to upgrade my PC.

[JamieL]

Again, I've been using Kinect for communication since it came out and NONE of the stuff you just listed has EVER happened to me.
Also you say "It's nothing but greed and trying to make money for themselves and their partners "

Well why the hell is Sony charging for MP now?, something the Xbox has ALWAYS been bashed by your kind for. That’s just Sony giving the gamers what they want right?

News flash: These COMPANIES are in it for the money fool. Stop acting like only MS is driven by greed. This world is driven by greed, and stupidity apparently.

[ABizzel1]

I've seen the Kinect feedback loop in action, so maybe you have your Kinect in a separate location away from the TV; however, that's not the case for some people.

The Kinect does pick up audio from everyone in the room, and worse of all it forces ALL audio to come through the TV.

Sony admitted they're charging for multiplayer to improve their servers and prepare for Gaikai support. And since you want to go there, EVERYTHING else is still FREE. Want to play MMO's online FREE because they're not included in "Multiplayer", want to download use web browser FREE, Cross Game chat FREE, Netflix access FREE, F2P games FREE, EVERYTHING is still free besides games that label themselves as MULTIPLAYER, and best of all all accounts on that PS4 will have access to the same PS+ benefits, and it's not like PS+ just gives you online.

Yes all these companies are in it for money, but a company that succeeds is one that offers a product and service consumers feel is worth their dollar.

But again you went completely off topic, as this was about mics and Kinect, not Sony's business practices.

[JamieL]

Look you can justify any of the cons I listed just like I can discredit the pro's you listed in our own heads, I mean what's the point. Bottom line is businesses are in it to make money, and right now MS is better at it. Disagree with that.

[RM-TatoTiburon]

i'll wait for a wireless headset wifidirect

[WeskerChildReborned]

Doesn't PS4 come with a headset? At least it's convenient for people with no headsets but i agree, i'll be using my headset as well.

[JUDALATION]

The XBOX ONE does not even come with a headset out the box so this is not even a fair contest. Xbox forces you to use KENECT as your speaker! But you cant hear teammates with kenect!

[JamieL]

Bullshit, yes you can. Any settings you use on the 360 headsets, are usable with Kinect. Where did you come up with this? It's strait up incorrect. I've been using Kinect since it came out, in place of my headset, and I can always talk to my teammates, even mute the other team and only talk-hear my teammates. The ONLY difference is everyone in the room can hear the people talking. Stop spreading incorrect fud.

[BallsEye]

I'm glad all the headsets for x1 are the same high quality headset. It's perfectly clean sound and there is no background noises. I will never forget playing killzone on ps3 where people are able to use any random headset. I couoldn't stand it! Dogs barking, people walking,eating, babies crying, whatever, so many background noises and crap quality it made me turn off voice communication completely. Sony should force only high quality headsets.

[CRMzova]

hell yea im gonna be using my PX5s mono just wont cut it in today's sound and voice standards

[Philaroni]

^ This guy.

[Software_Lover]

Headset wars? Really?

[JC_Denton]

It's a Kotaku article. Be thankful it's not H3@ds3t W@Rz.

[Software_Lover]

.......... I bubbled you up. If that were the headline I would have crapped in a bag and mailed it to them.

[iceman06]

@Software_Love and JC_Denton...I bubbled you BOTH up. JC, because that would be just about right! Software_Love because you might just be on to something!!!

[vikingland1]

@software_Lover
It's ridiculous ain't it? next they will have wars over which console has the blackest black case.

[StockpileTom]

Well it IS Kotaku you could still do that anyway.
http://www.shitsenders.com/

[Software_Lover]

I........... I.......... I just cant believe it.

***site added to my favorites for the future***

[Popoffboy187718]

No war with the headset u gotta buy that. The real war- ps4 ear bud vs kinect

[Godmars290]

A few sites have tried to push Kinect versus PSeye4, automatically giving it to Kinect.

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

That earbud looks like it'll be thrown in the trash.

[NegativeCreepWA]

I know, that ear bud looks like crap, I'll be using my 360 mics with the PS4. Ear buds without rubber inserts are extremely uncomfortable.

Of course everyone here will defend the piece of junk.

[StockpileTom]

Pulse Elite... isn't that enough? It's the longest lasting headset for me; all the wired ones break within a few months of use heavy use.

[febreeze1]

The original pulse for me lasted 2 years. Broke down last week while the last of us headset deal at gamestop was on lol

[kingPoS]

The original may be a dust magnets, but their very very durable. The pulse elites, I love how you can take them anywhere like regular headphones and not worry about looking out place.

The hidden mike helps out a lot to keep you from being stared at when in public. lol

[McScroggz]

Both are cheap, but the PS4 comes with the earbud headset so although it means little I definitely give the edge to PS4.

[thezeldadoth]

lol. N4G...of course Ps4 has the edge, somehow you guys always give it the edge.

[McScroggz]

Explain to me what is wrong with my logic? I said both are cheap, insinuating that neither are really worth using unless you don't plan on using a headset much. However, the fact that the PS4 comes with a headset while the Xbox One doesn't is just inconvenient, especially since the input for the X1 is proprietary so I assume you won't be able to just use whatever headset you already have.

But of course, I'm just being some irrational Sony fanboy that's taking another cheap shot at Microsoft right? No way I'm using actual logic...

[ms14]

The kinect has been shown to be a more than able microphone in some E3 demo's.

[buynit]

Yea if you like to hear everyone talk through your tv or radio.

I like kinect i have no problems with it other then it should not be used as a mic to chat during a game..

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Obviously it's "capable" but *nobody* who takes in game communication even a little bit seriously, for themselves and for their team mates, uses a damn camera to yell across the room to speak.

[theWB27]

So you never get excited during one of your game sessions and yell into the mic? You speak as quietly as you would in a library? You don't have to yell to talk to the Kinect. You didn't have to yell for the first iteration.

I'd imagine during your battles your voice is a bit more elevated, excited...wait wait I'm sorry. This is just another silly notch against the X1. Did you buy a PS3? How did you solve your headset problems then? Cause it didn't solve the lack of a headset with another, capable peripheral.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

@thewb27

You are trying WAY way too hard, my friend, and this stupid ass "everyone who has the slightest criticism for kinect or Xbox is a sony lover fanboy" is really tired. And I would imagine that anyone with a PS3 who wanted to chat, bought....a headset. Whowouldathought? You're confusing capable with superior.

[theWB27]

You'd imagine everyone who wanted to chat bought a headset. Whowouldathought?

But you're here commenting on an article complaining about Micro not including a headset. Oh the irony is strong. I do go after people who choose to nitpick on anything Micro related. I like to keep the sides even. And not once did I call you a fanboy.

I stated-PS3 had no alternative to the headset, you had to buy one to chat.

X1-although it doesn't include a headset you still have an alternative.

So according to your logic- just go buy a headset with the X1 if you want it.

[porkChop]

Yeah, when you're just doing voice commands. It's going to be horrible for online chat just like any webcam is. The people playing will hear everything around you and it'll sound like crap.

[Popoffboy187718]

Sony should have done this with ps3 , but hey better now then never.

[buynit]

Sorry but for some reason ms decided to not join that war, i dont know whats up with those guys..

[True_Samurai]

The kinect now cancels noises. So that annoying TV background while playing multiplayer is now not a problem and you don't have to yell across the room lol

[Angeljuice]

Noise cancellation seldom works properly (unless you pay BIG money).

[Tundra]

The PS4s earbud looks bad imo but thankfully the port isn't proprietary like the Xbox.

Kinect as a voice communication device is also bad. You have no way of stopping the feedback unless your tv is on mute. At that point, you can't hear anything or anyone else. Either way you'll be buying yourself a headset.

No one wins here.

[Adityac]

Ok, I'm a hardcore PlayStation fan and everything but I have to say... the headset they give us with the PS4 is just pure shit lol, mono ear pod... Yes I know it's free and all but... couldn't they have included a better one? Lol something like one of those pulse headsets or the GTA V headsets.

[S2Killinit]

well you could just buy one or better yet, use one that you already have. I think the purpose of including a "cheap" one is so that it wouldn't add to the cost of the console, keeping it affordable to all, while at the same time allowing everyone to communicate online. I think it was a great decision. As for me though, I'll be using my Playstation branded headset with surround sound, that I bought for my PS3.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

The Pulse Elite retails for $150. You don't want that bundled with the system.

[Adityac]

True dat

[MooseWI]

One earbud, that's kind of weird. I'll stick with my Astros..

[Holeran]

Does anyone know if PS4 will support the Pulse headphones and the earlier version because I own both, one set downstairs and one set upstairs. I truly hope they will have the same surround sound decoding and not just stereo like if you use them on a computer.

[febreeze1]

It's an usb adapter.... no doubt that it will work.

[Angeljuice]

Apparently it does.

[Supermax]

Good things I can use my turtle beach headphones on my Xbox one.

[sync90]

Jesus! does everything to do with next gen have to be a war?

[Lockon]

Wait you can't use your headsets on the Xbone-80? LOL Woooow. Glad My Trittons will to work on PS4.

[inf3cted1]

Turtle Beach X12

I win.

[S2Killinit]

does this mean that if you don't buy a headset now, you have to listen to all the kids screaming profanities, or will there be a way turn it off? I actually wont be having this problem (since I'm PS4 all the way) but I think it would be helpful for those that want to purchase an xbone.

[PositiveEmotions]

Great now a war between headsets omg

[assdan]

So he's disregarding the headset because he doesn't like headsets. Why did they have this moron right this article.

[SilentGuard]

Another step backwards for MS along with a non-removable hard drive and power brick. Kinect is not a suitable replacement for a headset: it will pick up background noise, force anyone else nearby to hear whats being said, and not seperate the gameplay sounds from the chat. Kinect might be ideal for Skype, but not for multiplayer gaming. How easy will it be to mute or adjust the volume on Kinect? Wireless headsets should be standard for next-gen consoles. At the very least MS could toss in a cheap wired headset since the console is $500.

[DivineAssault]

whoever buys xbox one over ps4 is going to regret it

[Max-Zorin]

Headset war? Really? The world is truly coming to a end.

[d4sholil1]

Lol...Sony, how about slashing the price by $35 for this whack headset...Its already going to fall out of my ear. That is not creating value for me...This was part of your marketing strategy; haven't you looked at other companies who specialise in headsets. This is maybe 2001?

[KontryBoy706]

at least the PS4 comes with a headset... meanwhile the XB1 doesn't come with one and headsets of this gen don't work with it. Seems like Microsoft are the ones in 2001

[d4sholil1]

I was referring to the type of headset being 2001. = )

[KontryBoy706]

The PS4 uses a nonproprietary 3.5mm headphone jack headset. So you could simply plug in your iPhone headphones your nice Beats by Dre with a mic or what ever headphones you use with a mic and be good. Also unlike XB1 you can rightfully use your current expensive headphones you already invested your money in.

[airgangstarr]

gonna have to figure out how to get my astros to work ridiculous is a optical so hard to add to the console

[Kidmyst]

Wait, MS doesn't give us what we need to play out of the box? Atleast this time it has Digital optical out and no adapter needed for that like my 360, and Wifi is built in. No cheap headset? I guess we can't have everything. I'm hoping my Sony PS BT Headset will work fine with the PS4 though.

[ziggurcat]

since when was there a headset war?

oh, wait... since kraptaku said so...

[MaverickStar7]

So we can all use our Xbox 360 headsets on the PS4 controllers. Nice.

[jd6187]

I love the ps4 headset Idk why people are complaining when your on your cell phone you have the phone to one ear. This is the same way you pop It in either ear and talk away with friends meanwhile your bose surround sound rocking for the BF4 simple and great.

[UNGR]

I would have had to get a new Pair of Astro's for the new consoles anyways. I don't like the cheap sets you can get, I always get the best headsets. I wonder if the Astro's would be universal this time around, with a quick exchange for people who own both, and want to switch between them frequently. One can hope.

[BabyTownFrolics]

any word on the cost of the xb1 headset. I will be using my ps3 bluetooth headset for the PS4 I guess.

[TEZ-RaViNlUnAtIk]

ps4 have NFC?

[wishingW3L]

I almost always play in boxers so the PS4 mic will not work for me since you need to have a shirt on to attach it to it. XB1's is big and tacky but more comfortable and versatile.

And I don't know about you guys but when I wear earphones for more than half an hour it starts to hurt a bit, so headphones are much better. I hope I can still use my old motorola bluetooth with the PS4.

[vigilante_man]

Oops. MS dropped another one. So they included one with the 360 but not with the XB1? Sounds a daft omission to me.

The biggest problem is the custom port on the XB1. PS4 will use normal headset sockets which should really be the standard. Greed is kicking in here. tut, tut, tut! MS will get a share of any headsets sold because they will own the licensing for that port.

I hope both will still work with blue tooth headsets.

[Argus9]

Oh great, another next-gen "war" to get fanboys at each others' throats. There's no "war"...I seriously doubt a headset is a buying point for either console.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

I already have a headset, but if I had to choose one, it'd be the ps4 mono earpuds. Too many experiences where the over the head top headphones would break on me. (mainly because of my annoyingly large round head shape).

[Father__Merrin]

ps4 comes with a headset and you can use any other you want including most bluthooth sets and all mics that use the standard jack, xbox1 lmao its a rippoff

[My_Outer_Heaven]

Already have a great $250 headset that I use on PC and PS3 but the fact that PS4 includes headset like the 360 did is a wise choice. It means cross game chat is available now with every console sold.

Kinect 2 bundled with Xbox One is a stupid idea... and its makes the price higher.. In fact the extra $100 is a lot of money for a console with less powerful hardware and a camera that seems to be worth about $50.

The PS4 Eye looks epic compared to the Kinect 2.. just look at the video ad!

[princejb134]

i wonder why MS didnt include the old headset
there $20 dollars so im assuming ms probably pays like $1 to make it

[Foxgod]

I cant even wear the ps4 headset :P, my hearing aids prevent me from using ear plugs.

[Yeezy]

Sony #Stay #Winning! will be using my beats as a headset.