Microsoft Xbox 360 Bluetooth Headset - Review

This Bluetooth headset was released back in 2011. Before its release Microsoft had been selling another wireless headset, pictured below:

Upon the release of this headset, it looked quite cool in the package. Many users purchased this headset for $59.99, typically the price for a newly released game! After arriving home to try out their brand new headset, it was discovered that this headset was not in fact worth the money. I have personally experienced the issues with this microphone. One of which was the fact that this mic had a very hard time picking up my voice, in other words, I had to nearly yell in order for other Xbox live users to hear me properly. Here is a picture of the microphone in its package:


Out of the box, the main issue you will notice is the poor sound quality. After using this microphone for around 3 months, and then returning to the older wireless headset (pictured above), I found that I was able to hear everyone much more clearly through the old headset. In any case, right away, I was not very fond of this headset.

An important question; so this mic has its downfalls, does it get the job done? Well, yes; I used this mic for a year, and I still do use it sometimes. However, this is only because my wired headset had quit working, and I really had no other option (as I did not actually own the previous wireless headset). So yes, if you have nothing else, this mic will get you by, but I would honestly use the standard wired headset before this product.

Alright so we know this mic has a lot of issues, are there any good features? Yes, in fact; out of everything, one good feature this mic has (that the older version did not) is its ear clip (the piece that hooks around your ear). The older mic had a similar style, but it was:

• Not removable
• Made of rubber (which was good for comfort, but it fell off easily).
• A tad smaller, and did not hook completely around the ear.

The removable plastic hook on the Bluetooth mic should do a good job of preventing the mic from falling off. One problem with it; because it is made of plastic, depending on how long you wear it, you may begin to feel some discomfort, which is a whole new issue. On another note, the mic will come with a couple extra in-ear sizes, so it fits just about every size ear. Otherwise, the other upside is the fact that this mic also has a Bluetooth feature, meaning you can use it for something like your phone as well. Keep in mind that does not fix the sound quality, or the fact that you'll have to nearly yell into the mic.

Would I recommend this product? No; if you're going to be spending $30 - $60 on a mic, I'd either go with the older wireless mic or a high end headset, such as turtle beaches. If you're really determined to get a wireless mic, definitely go for the older version, you will be much more satisfied. I would not worry too much about the older version falling off, because I have never personally ran into that problem. However, I have seen it happen on numerous occasions, in my opinion, as long as you don't shake your head relatively fast, you should be fine.

All in all, on a scale of 1 - 10, I'd have to say this mic deserves a 5. It fills half the scale because it does not fall off, and it gets the job done. The other half of the scale is quality factors that are not needed per say, but an average user would expect any mic of that price to include. Basically, I would not use/purchase this mic unless I was getting for free from a family member, friend, etc. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed this review!

Note: Apparently the MW3 version of this headset is relatively free of these problems.