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Turtle Beach keeps tweens boasting with Ear Force X41 Xbox 360 headset
Just over a year after Turtle Beach gave whining teenyboppers a decent Xbox 360 headset to annoy mature gamers with, the outfit is hitting back with the third-generation. We should caution you that these are far from a major upgrade, but those just now looking to take the plunge into cord-free bragging should find plenty to appreciate. The Ear Force X41 cans claim to handle Dolby 7.1 channel surround sound, but given that there are precisely two ear cups here, we're somewhat (read: tremendously) skeptical of said claims. At any rate, the RF-based headphones now sport a dedicated Digital Signal Processor along with a feature that will likely entice young brats and frighten those with actual jobs: Chat Boost. As you can imagine, this enables users to automatically jack the volume of the Xbox Live chat as the game gets louder, which -- in our experience -- is probably not a good thing. Those with the patience of Job can buy in anyway for a nickle under $200.[Via TG Daily]
Win Left 4 Dead and a Turtle Beach headset from Joystiq
Just a quick pointer: Joystiq is currently giving away a copy of Left 4 Dead and a pair of Turtle Beach Ear Force X3 Headphones. These bad boys generally sell for $100, and they allow players to block out the pesky, distracting sounds of the real world (lawn mowers, spouses) in order to better immerse themselves in something much more important: video games. Trust us when we say that sound is especially important in Left 4 Dead (as anyone that's been vomited on by a Boomer can tell you). The headphones also include a microphone so you can still chat during Xbox Live gaming sessions. Oh, and we should mention that they are wireless.Head over to Joystiq for your chance to win.
Turtle Beach keeps series alive with Ear Force X4 wireless headphones
Be honest, you were terrified that Turtle Beach would leave the awesomely titled Ear Force series sitting in lurk at X3, weren't you? Thankfully, that's not the case at all, as the Ear Force X4 wireless headphones have just been revealed. Designed with Xbox 360 gamers in mind, this headset / headphone combo promises to provide Dolby 5.1 surround sound out of just two earcups (we're still checking on the velvet-lined part), and more importantly, the Chat Boost Dynamic Talkback Expander "automatically adjusts incoming XBOX Live chat levels during loud game moments" to keep you from going deaf when NewbX1337 gets all whiny on you. Can't say we're thrilled by the $199.95 price tag, but these are available now for those who are.[Via IGN]
Turtle Beach intros Ear Force X3 Xbox 360 headset
Turtle Beach has just expanded the headset options for Xbox 360 gamers even further, with it today introducing its Ear Force X3 unit, apparently the first wireless headset to boast independent volume control of amplified chat and game audio. You'll also get a "dynamic talkback expander" feature to automatically adjust incoming Xbox Live chat levels during loud gaming moments, along with features like automatic shut-off, bass boost, and a stereo expander to provide a "wider sound field." Of course, while they're designed for the Xbox 360, you can also simply use them as a standard pair of headphones with any other device. Look for these to start shipping early next month with a retail price of $99.95.
Turtle Beach's AK-R8 eight-speaker USB surround sound headphones
If we had a revolution for every surround sound headphone that promises us one, we'd all be so directionally aware we wouldn't know what do with ourselves. Today's "revolutionary" headphones come to us from Turtle Beach, who promises to turn the very waveform on its head with this new Ear Force AK-R8 "True Surround Sound" headset. Lucky for Turtle Beach, it has indeed packed a couple of notable features into the AK-R8, including a whoppin' eight speakers, dual mics to monitor outside sounds, and a USB audio interface / sound card that includes a 10 band EQ and positioning abilities to (theoretically) get that big room system feel without all the calls from the neighbors. The AK-R8 also includes a removable boom microphone for chatting up your frag buddies, is Windows only, includes an optical S/PDIF adapter for tapping into your sound system, and should be retailing now for about $150.
Wireless Wii headphones from Turtle Beach
There's really nothing here that's Wii-specific at all, but we'll play along anyways. Turtle Beach just launched its new Ear Force W3 wireless headphones, which include an audio splitter cable for routing audio to the AC-powered wireless transmitter. The headphones run on a single AAA battery, include a few Wii design cues and retail for around $60. That audio splitter is a nice little addition to make home theater integration less of a pain, but otherwise these Turtle Beach headphones are Wii ready only so far as they're trying to cash in on the Wii's success. And who can blame 'em?
Review: Ear Force X2 Wireless Headphones
After questioning the usefulness of the X2 wireless headphones when you still need to tether them to the controller for Xbox Live play, Turtle Beach kindly offered me a pair to review, assured I would change my tune. They were right ... and a little bit of wrong. The headphone quality is exceptional, but I still have reservations about the headset functionality. Read on for my full review of Turtle Beach's Ear Force X2 wireless headphones.
Ear Force X2 headset is wireless... sort of
After complaining about the lack of a decent wireless headset for the Xbox 360, we got tipped off to Turtle Beach's horribly named "Ear Force X2" wireless headset. We should qualify "wireless" however: the XBL functionality of the microphone and earphones still uses a cable attached to the controller. The only wireless part of the unit is the ability to transmit the system sound to the headset from the console, useful for those of you who live in a one-room apartment with a baby crib located just next to the television. I suppose the argument is that the controller is already wireless, so who cares about a little cord? Nerds, that's who! We know it's possible, we already have better headsets, both wired and cordless. We want to see two things: A third-party adapter that connects to the controller, has volume and mute support (preferably the button-style like the original Xbox) and a standard headphone jack for our wired headsets. Secondly, a third-party Bluetooth adapter that connects to the 360 controller, offers volume and mute controls, and sends audio wirelessly to and from a wireless Bluetooth headset. Why has nobody made this yet? If you're still interested, the Ear Force X2 begins shipping March 20 for about $100. [Thanks, Doug]
