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IRL: Linksys E4200, Twelve South BookBook and Turtle Beach's XP400 headphones
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Happy Saturday, kids. This week in IRL Dana and Darren each plunk down their hard-earned cash on some new gadgets, including a dual-band router for Dana, and BookBook's iPhone case for Mr. Murph. Rounding out the trio, Dan Cooper, a casual gamer at best, offers an informal mini-review of Turtle Beach's XP400 headset following some long-term testing.
Turtle Beach XP400 wireless gaming headset hands-on
Turtle Beach announced a duo of new XBOX 360 and PS3 gaming headsets on day one of CES, and we were able to spend a bit of time with one of them, the XP400, on the show floor. It's Turtle Beach's flagship gaming headset, featuring adjustable Dolby 5.1 virtual surround sound, a non-A2DP dual-pairing Bluetooth radio for picking up phone calls during gaming sessions, a 15 hour rechargeable battery and dual-band 2.4/5GHZ built-in WiFi. The actual over-the-ear pieces have a much better layout from previous models, though there are almost as many buttons as there are on the controller you'd be wielding -- with volume up / down, chat volume up / down, mute, Bluetooth pairing, limiter button and tone buttons. The included dual-band WiFi adapter that connects to your gaming console of choice is small and pretty minimalistic in design. The adjustable surround angles feature seems useful but we can't help but to feel it's a bit gimmicky -- we have a hard time figuring out which setting is better. One feature that we really like is the new Limiter function, which allows you to keep the volume relatively high to listen for those footsteps (lower in volume) but won't blow your ear drums out when a RPG rocket (explosion-like volume levels) hits you in the face. The sound was also crisp and loud as we completed our spec-op mission at the Turtle Beach gaming booth, where the headset's noise-blocking abilities proved to be particularly handy. Hit up the gallery below for a close look at the $220 gaming headset set to be available this quarter. Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.
Turtle Beach expands its wireless headset lineup, intros XP400 with adjustable surround sound, stereo XP300
If you'll recall, along with its pre-CES unveiling of new gaming and lifestyle headsets, Turtle Beach promised a bigger "surprise announcement" for day one of the show here in Vegas. Well, it's just spilled the beans on an impressive new duo of Xbox-oriented (and PlayStation compatible) Ear Force wireless gaming headsets. Meet the XP400 with Dolby 5.1 virtual surround sound and the identical, but stereo, XP300. We're told that they're essentially the younger siblings of the company's PX5-rooted XP500, featuring a similar design with totally wireless connection to the Xbox 360 (thanks to TB's Xbox Chat Adapter), and a dual-pairing Bluetooth radio for taking calls while gaming. Furthermore, both headsets actually improve upon the XP500's, in a few key areas including: better button placement on the earcups, a new 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi 2.4GHz transmitter to avoid interference from nearby wireless devices and an included 15-hour rechargeable battery so you won't be hunting for AAAs. While both headsets feature customizable EQs, the XP400 steps things up from the XP300 with tweakable Dolby 5.1 simulated surround sound, thanks to some special work on Turtle Beach's end. Notably, it's the first headset from Turtle with the ability, dubbed "adjustable surround sound angles," and it means you'll now be able to customize the placement of the virtual speakers to your preference, rather than being stuck to Dolby Headphone's usual preset parameters. Both headsets will be available in earlier 2012, with the XP400 priced at $220 and the XP300 at 50 bucks less. If you'd like the full rundown of specs and features, you'd best check out the press release we've kindly embedded just past the break.
