! I have spent more time playing this game than all my other games combined!! Headphone choices for the Older Gamer
By Jim Hicks
My consoles are in the basement, in sort of a low-tech mancave, and it would take a bit of volume to bother anyone else in the house. Since I am Aged, and there are others in the home, often I can't really use my surround sound system to full effect. In my mind at least, it makes a difference if, in the midst of a game, I think I can hear someone sneaking up behind me.
I liked the spacial awareness I got from my very first surround sound headphones. Though they didn't have a microphone, I wasn't playing online at that point.
But then two things happened: I got a new LCD TV without a headphone jack, and I started playing XBox Online. Now here's where the Aged Gamer get old-sounding. Using the stock XBox Live headphones, I couldn't really hear what anyone was saying. Now, it turns out that a lot of y'all either mumble, scream, or both into the boom mike, and no amount of audio fidelity is really going to help that much, but I didn't know that yet.
So on a whim, I tried these:
I know, the thought of a 50 year-old man wearing these either makes you groan or giggle. But there turned out to be a couple of fatal (for me) flaws. The rigging of these things to the Xbox was a pain, using a patch cord that required that I dig up the adapter that allows an analog audio output from the XBox (I use HDMI to connect). That was just irritating. More confounding was the absence of a volume control on the unit. Well that just didn't make any sense. So I got rid of those and got these after considerably more research:
Turtle Beach makes a well-reviewed X41 which has Dolby 7.1 Surround. Boy that sounds really neat. It also sounds like about $180 on Amazon, a bit too rich for my wallet and my needs. The X31 (around $80) also has a wireless transmitter which connects to the audio-out of the XBox via a piggyback adapter, which just seems cleaner than the wired Skullcandy phones. The transmitter box is powered by one of the USB ports on the XBox. The headphones fit me well, are comfortable, and sound seems pretty decent. There is a button for special effects such as increased bass and spacial separation, but I like my sound flat.
It's hard to tell if the boom mike is helping much. No one ever answers me, even if I think I have something to say. But at least the little soundy icons on the XBox screen move when I speak.
I haven't appreciated much the purported benefit of headphones in online playing. I don't know if there is not enough spacial separation in the online signal, or whether these headphones don't convey stereo separation well. But they do seem to facilitate communications online, and they do seem to allow me to crank the volume a bit, which I'm sure my family appreciates.
For now, I'm happy with my purchase. I believe there were a few new gaming headphones to come out of CES this year like the Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset pictured here.
but for now, I'm content to hear what I've been missing. Perhaps as we gamers age, there will be nifty XBox branded Dolby stereo hearing aids.
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Purchase a XB360 Wireless Headset X31 from GameStop here. Push your XBOX 360 experience to a new level with wireless digital RF game sound and XBOX LIVE communication. Pump up the volume without disturbing others. Hear subtle sound cues that speakers can't deliver — from an opponent sneaking up behind you to your teammate's voice right next to you. Freely move around as you play. Block out distractions and become a better player. |
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Purchase a PS3 Headset P21 made by Voyetra/Turtle Beach from GameStop here. The Ear Force P21 is an amplified stereo gaming headset with microphone designed for use with the Sony Playstation 3. This glossy black double-duty gaming headset incorporates premium sound through USB amplified 40mm speakers and provides crystal-clear communication on the PlayStation Network (PSN). |
The Old Man's Top 5
# 1: ★★★★★Red Dead Redemption is an open-world, third-person, action-adventure game set at the tail end of the American West West era. Action takes place in the first few years of the twentieth century and revolves around the choices that the protagonist, former outlaw John Marston, is forced to make due to his blemished past. |
# 2: ★★★★★Follow-up game to 2007's critically acclaimed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a continuation of the adventures of Nathan Drake, a fortune-hunter with a shady reputation and an even shadier past. Chock full of all the action, adventure, cinematic story elements and beautiful graphics that set the first game apart, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves adds deep online multiplayer options, including co-op and competitive campaigns, and a whole new supporting cast of characters. |
# 3: ★★★★★Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games. This modern approach brings with it new weapons, action and options. Coupled with a variety of gameplay modes including single player, multiplayer and the co-op Special Ops Mode, it is destined to be one of the most popular games of 2009 and a worthy addition to the Call of Duty series. |
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# 4: ★★★★★Get ready to plunge into the lush and deadly world of the Italian Renaissance, an era of arts, riches and murderous conspiracy. Assassin's Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your assassin's art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel. |
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# 5: ★★★★★The third game in the Fallout series, Fallout 3 is a singleplayer action role-playing game (RPG) set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC. Combining the horrific insanity of the Cold War era theory of mutually assured destruction gone terribly wrong, with the kitschy naivety of American 1950s nuclear propaganda, Fallout 3 will satisfy both players familiar with the popular first two games in its series as well as those coming to the franchise for the first time. |
Be sure to check out GameStop's Weekly Ad for any of the games and gaming systems mentioned a oldervideogamers.com.
