Plantronics showed off their new line of gaming headsets at CES 2012 and we had a chance to take them for a spin this week. They worked it out so that I could jump into a live game of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and get my ass kicked. My excuse for dying so often was that I was focused on properly evaluating the headset for Destructoid. No one believed that crap.
My first takeaway was that the Gamecom 780 are quite comfortable. They’re light and have nice head padding under the headband. The earpads are great: soft, but not huge, so your head won’t disappear in them.
Even better was the sound. Voice from other players wearing the same headset came through loud and clear, with no background noise. Maybe it was the noise-canceling mic at work here. The Dolby 7.1 surround was highly effective in CS:GO, with bullets whizzing by and environmental effects buzzing around behind me.
The 780, their top model, is a USB-only set. It features on-headset controls for surround, muting and volume. The speakers swivel so that you can lay the headset flat for transport. This headset is very solid for an MSRP of $79.99. Plantronics tells us that they should be hitting stores now.
Not a USB fan? There’s also the Gamecom 380, which uses standard 1/8″ audio jacks for the mic and headphones. They’re priced at $49.99.
Published: Jan 12, 2012 07:15 pm