Amid the sea of impressive peripherals on display here at E3 one of the stand out players is SteelSeries, who are set to unleash a new line of console headsets this July. After going ears on, console gamers have a lot to look forward to with the new X and P series ear cans.
At the top of the heap are the SteelSeries Siberia X800 and P800 Wireless Universal Headsets. These Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound ear muffs offer a comfy and professional quality listening experience with minimal lag. My short listening session revealed the punchy bass response and cutting highs preferred by game audio mixers, while refraining from pinching my ears. A nice readable screen on the transmitter box also makes it easy to adjust EQ, mix, and more with controls directly on the headset. No word on battery life however. The Playstation version will run $299 with the Xbox edition coming in $30 higher thanks to an included adapter.
According to SteelSeries, “The Siberia X300 and P300 are the most comfortable console gaming headsets in the world, bar none.” I didn’t wear the headphones long enough to evaluate that claim in depth, but these phones are based on the extremely popular Siberia V3 PC headphones – which are pretty well loved in the industry. Powerful drivers, a retractable microphone, virtual surround sound, and an automatic suspension headband round out the package for $99 on PS4, $129 on Xbox One.
In the bargain basement, The X100 and P100 offer a solid value for $49/$69. No word on how these puppies sound however.
In all, a solid showing from SteelSeries – stay tuned for our full reviews once review samples start to roll into our offices.
