The Xbox Series X/S wireless headset is getting a bunch of improvements. The newest edition supports Dolby Atmos now and promises over 20 hours of battery life. It will also be $10 more than the existing version, however, which it will be replacing on store shelves.
It’s been three years since Microsoft released its first-party wireless headset for the Xbox Series X/S. At just $100, it was a decent and very affordable overall package, but things have advanced in the years since and the new upgraded version will take advantage of those improvements to hopefully deliver an overall more immersive sound experience across the whole ecosystem of Xbox device platforms, including PC gaming handhelds and smart TVs that can natively stream Game Pass.
Here are the top-level improvements and additional features announced today:
Bluetooth 5.3 is faster and more stable, and should leave less room for headaches connecting between various devices. With party chat having moved to Discord and other platforms, the Xbox wireless headset can still operate across console channels and smartphone audio channels seamlessly (at least in theory). Dolby Atmos support should also add a new layer of spatial audio that could be great in games like Hellblade 2, for example.
But it’s a bit misleading to call it “no extra cost.” While the $10 price hike overall for the device could be chalked up merely to inflation, it’s clear at the end of the day that the entire package, while better, isn’t coming free. One of the most affordable gaming headsets (at least for Xbox since they don’t play nice with other consoles) is now slightly less affordable.
It’s far from the first price hike in gaming this fall. We’ve already seen Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions jacked up ahead of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Sony recently added $5 to the sticker price for new DualSense controllers. Of course, if you don’t mind sounding like you’re calling out plays from the inside a garbage compacter, you can always dust off that old Xbox One Chat Headset.