Gaming Headset

[mowph]

I'm interested in getting a headset for NS, but unfortunately they don't seem to exist in Japan. This from the country which has brought us peripherals such as the Maracca controller...

I'm thinking of mail-ordering one, but I'd really like some advice on which ones work well first. I game on a laptop, which lacks a game port but does have Mic / Line in. I'm guessing that most of these use USB but having really not ever seen one... please clue me in!

[Pykl]

I just bought my second one and all of the ones i've seen have a mic and sound out plug that go into your sound card at the back of the puter. The one I just bought is Plantronics and seems pretty good. Not a bad price either. Make sure you get two speakers with attached mic.

[Jabberwock]

Yeah, I use Plantronics, a ".Audio 90", which is their top non-DSP model. It's pretty comfortable, with lots of desireable properties. I've also seen lots of positive reviews for them. On the down side... While Sound Recorder recordings of my voice are _crystal_ clear, many people report that I'm totally fuzzy on TeamSpeak or on HalfLife. I dunno if that's my mic, my sound card, some software thing, or what. And Jon and Matt and some others go through lower-end models (which they like better, apparently) really fast, since wires keep breaking. *shrug*

I previously had a Radio Shack one, which spontaneously fell apart in 3 different ways at once, after 2 years of good service.

[zzSleeper]

hrmm..

i've gone through two sets of plantronics headsets in about 3 years because the damn earphone wirings wear out. the stylish one w/o the fuzzy mic thing. aaargggh!

well i can't find my model on their site so maybe they've stopped making... hrmm... this looks pretty sweet, hmm.. maybe i'll try one of these


plantronics is a good brand i think, just had one defective model

[zzSleeper]

hrmm on second look i've found it - DON'T GET AUDIO 60s

[zzSleeper]

damn fuzzy mics

they look stupid, bah

[rooster]

I say don't spend too much money or thought on it. I think my headset is fine and its just the cheapest boom-mic one they had in Radio Shack from the house brand (Optimus) and it was about $8. I originally wanted to get a $40 one if the one I got wasn't too good but I think mine is fine, but on the other hand you'd know better than me how it sounds.

[dklein]

Picked up mine at Future Shop on boxing day. $45, marked down to $25, with a $25 mail-in rebate. Total cost (got the rebate!): $4 (taxes and a stamp).

It services -- it's a cheapy kingston or belkin or something like that. No one's complained, so I guess it must be ok.

[The Nighthawk]

I have exactly the same model as Jabberwock (Platronics Audio 90) which I picked up in December specifically for NS. They're comfortable, and adjustable, with volume control and mute. I have no complaints at all.

Anyone I've talked to who uses them, recommends them.

[[OldF]Komodo]

I bought a $40 RadioShack headset with big cushy earphones, adjustable volume and mic switch. However, the right earphone stopped working after 2 weeks... So I would not recommend it.. Nowadays I have to play NS with that same big headset chokingly wrapped around my neck (just for the sake of using the mic), while I use ANOTHER pair of headphones to hear the game.

I think I'll look into the Plantronics one

[Window]

I went through a cheap pair of something-or-other from RadioShack pretty quick....after about 2 months the sound was all crackly and sounded like I was under-water. I went back, and picked up some sweet KOSS headphones with a boom mic. They are bigger then my old ones, but have AMAZING BASS! Trust me, you havn't played CS/NS until you play it with BASS. Dont know why, but I can also hear things REALLY clearly and pick out where people are coming from without a second thought.

Just so you all know, type 'voice_lookback 1' in your console, you can hear yourself on the mic. I use it all the time, and its a good way to hear what other people are hearing when you babble on. Anyways...just a helpful hint for those who dont know what they sound like....later!

[McRiot]

hrm i've been using plantronics for about 3 yrs now, starterd with a lower model, loved em for about 2yrs but then they busted on me that's where radioshacks extended warntee for the extra 10$ (got a 5year warntee) came in and I upgraded to a newer model cuz they didn't have my old ones any more totally free

-pretty nice, good sound and they're foldable perfect for lan parties

so if these break in the next two years I get another free pair I feel i've got my moneys worth.

[Guest]

I also use Plantronics headphones, and so far only 1 pair I bought broke, and it was more expensive to repair then what it cost to buy it!

I use voice_loopback as well, because sometimes my mic comes unplugged and I need to fix it.

[Furious Gorge]

I think headsets are overpriced and prone to breakage.

Just get solid music headphones with at least a 30mm or 40mm diameter drivers/speakers, and add a cheap desktop-standing mic. Window is absolutely correct! You really haven't played CS/NS if you haven't played it with bass, or in other words, good quality sound. Sometimes, those headsets have smaller drivers/speakers that just don't do the game justice.

And like Window said, it's a lot easier to find out the position/location of enemies with good quality headphones. I've been called a hacker many times in CS simply because of good headphones (claiming I was wallhacking). Although for whatever reason, I'm not as effective with sound positioning in NS. Perhaps too many ambient sounds interfering? Or my cheapie soundcard?

Other advantages? You can use your headphones for other uses, like portable music like an MD/MP3/CD player. It's kinda funny walking around in public with a headset that has a microphone sticking out of it. Also, you only have to replace what breaks down (headphones or microphone), whereas in a headset, you must replace the whole thing if one aspect of it is damaged.

Well, there's my honest recommendation.

[BigDXLT]

This is how you do things the REDNECK way! I have set of headphones I got at radio shack for like $40. The big, good kind like used in recording studios. Then I took the $10 mic I got from my Grampa, and with a bit of duct tape and haywire, made me a headset. (it was supposed to attach to your shirt, but there is no way people would hear me otherwise!)

Reliable? Oh yes. This sucker will never break. Ugly as sin (my roommates always laugh at me...), but hey... function over form right?
(I at least used black ducttape to hold it together. Not as tacky... heh...

I get awesome sound from the speakers (same size of speaker as the stupid things included with my computer), and since it's a dedicated mic (not some shoddy little thing), decent voice quality.

A piece of advice, don't eat while getting used to it. Ketchup is hard to clean off a hack job like this.