In a uncommon deal, my favourite gaming headset is 28 p.c off for Black Friday

The reality is, most gaming headsets aren’t nice values. I’ve examined a ton of them for our purchasing information, and whereas the area has improved over time, it stays far too centered on branding and advertising. Too a lot of what passes by my desk comes off as overpriced in comparison with a superb set of “normal” headphones in the identical vary, each in audio and construct high quality. If you’ve gotten a pair you’re keen on, extra energy to you. But usually talking, this stuff tax you for the notion of being specialised for gaming. In actuality, most are simply OK headphones with a mic, a brand and possibly some fancy RGB lighting hooked up.

All that stated, there are all the time exceptions to the rule, and some headsets have stood out as really being well worth the cash. My present favourite is the Turtle Beach Atlas Air, which is at present on sale for $130 at various retailers as a part of a Black Friday deal. That’s the cheapest it’s been since February, $50 off its MSRP and $20 beneath its avenue value over the past month. When it’s discounted to this extent, it’s the uncommon gaming headset I’d name a stable cut price.

The hook with the Atlas Air is that it’s one of many few wi-fi headphones (not to mention headsets) with an open-back design, that means its ear cups don’t fully seal off your ears from air and outdoors noise. Pairs like this aren’t for everybody: They each let in and leak a number of ambient sound, so should you don’t use them in a quiet room, you and anybody close by will most likely be distracted. On the flipside, this is usually a constructive should you don’t need to be fully shut off out of your environment. More notably, they’ll produce a much more spacious and pure sound than closed-back fashions. Games really feel extra like they’re taking place round you rather than being confined to an area in your head.

All of this holds true with the Atlas Air. Going from this pair to a standard headset typically makes it really feel like a piece of the world has been lopped off — large boss fights in video games like Elden Ring or Final Fantasy XVI sound extra slender, and it turns into more durable to gauge the place precisely an opponent is coming from in a aggressive shooter like Counter-Strike 2. It helps that the Atlas Air can also be tuned effectively. It’s not as dynamic as the most effective non-gaming open headphones, and like most open-backs it doesn’t get tremendous deep bass, so explosions and gunfire lack a bit growth. But it’s balanced and easygoing, with a leap within the treble that helps dialogue and footsteps sound clearer.

The headset itself is exceptionally comfy past that. It’s light-weight at 0.66 kilos, and the massive reminiscence foam earcups clamp down gently with out trapping a lot warmth. The battery lasts a stable 50-60 hours on a cost, and whereas the mic isn’t the very best I’ve examined, it nonetheless helps you to come by way of clearly. It all works with PC and PS5 by default, and you’ll pair with a Switch or Switch 2 over Bluetooth. There’s no Xbox wi-fi help, sadly, although you may at the very least use an included 3.5mm cable. And although the plastic design isn’t precisely “premium,” it hasn’t developed any form of cracks or creakiness within the months I’ve used it. For $130, it’s completely nice.

There are different issues to nitpick: You can’t pay attention to 2 gadgets linked over the USB dongle and Bluetooth concurrently; you need to ignore Turtle Beach’s companion software program as quickly as you replace the firmware; and there isn’t a lot room to regulate the headscarf, so sure heads could wrestle to seek out the most effective match. The design can also be form of ugly, if I’m being sincere. Still, in an samey market, the Atlas Air stands out. If you understand you may dwell with the trade-offs that include any open-back headset, it’s a novel worth at this value.