CES 2009: Hands-on with Psyko’s 5.1 surround sound gaming headset
posted:
1/9/2009 4:21:00 AM
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5.1 Gaming Headset
This morning, Dan and I had the chance to meet up with a couple of “Psykos” from Psyko Audio Labs in the form of “Sales Psyko” Jason Hay and “Head Psyko” James Hildebrandt. My hands-on was with their latest product, the 5.1 Gaming Headset. Talking with James and Jason, we discussed how PC gamers especially would be missing out on the sweet spots of surround sound or wouldn’t be able to enjoy the quality of a true surround system for various reasons. This is the reason for Psyko Audio Labs bringingforth this product.
The unit itself is fairly large for a headset and, while looking bulky, is actually quite comfortable. This is thanks to the multiple pads on both the headpiece as well as around the ears. For someone, like myself, who wears glasses, this is very important as normal headsets can cause the metal pieces of glasses to somewhat dig into your skin. I didn’t get that sensation putting these on, which is a huge positive.
The headset itself can function as a 5.1 surround system by having the speakers placed strategically to mimic the placement of a surround sound, keeping you in the sweet spot that is so important with surround systems. The sound that I experienced was through a Call of Duty demonstration, which allowed to hear bullets not only feeling like they were going by my head, but I could also hear them randomly behind me and off to the front-left and front-right directions.
Arguably, the best feature regarding this headset has absolutely nothing to do with sound. The earphones themselves actually have hardened plastic pieces covering the main portion of your ear and can be flipped open to provide venting for you. Since the headphones are noise cancelling, this is a nice feature to have if anyone needs to speak to you and you do not want to take the headphones off. While this might seem like a bit of a gimmick, it’s actually a nice add-on to the headset itself.
The unit plugs into a module that allows you to not only control the volume, but the bass as well. The module then runs out via different cables and can go directly into your sound card in the back of the PC. This is both a positive and a negative, however. It’s a positive because it allows for the best possible sound quality, but it becomes a negative since you may have to unplug your actual speakers unless you use an adapter.
The Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset has a suggested MSRP of $249.99 and is expected to be available with limited quality in Spring 2009. This is one of the better accessories that I saw in the first full day of the show being open. The sound is very immersive and provides a realistic environment in the game that you are playing. I had a few different people mention this product in my various conversations throughout the day, which bodes well for Psyko.
The unit itself is fairly large for a headset and, while looking bulky, is actually quite comfortable. This is thanks to the multiple pads on both the headpiece as well as around the ears. For someone, like myself, who wears glasses, this is very important as normal headsets can cause the metal pieces of glasses to somewhat dig into your skin. I didn’t get that sensation putting these on, which is a huge positive.
The headset itself can function as a 5.1 surround system by having the speakers placed strategically to mimic the placement of a surround sound, keeping you in the sweet spot that is so important with surround systems. The sound that I experienced was through a Call of Duty demonstration, which allowed to hear bullets not only feeling like they were going by my head, but I could also hear them randomly behind me and off to the front-left and front-right directions.
Arguably, the best feature regarding this headset has absolutely nothing to do with sound. The earphones themselves actually have hardened plastic pieces covering the main portion of your ear and can be flipped open to provide venting for you. Since the headphones are noise cancelling, this is a nice feature to have if anyone needs to speak to you and you do not want to take the headphones off. While this might seem like a bit of a gimmick, it’s actually a nice add-on to the headset itself.
The unit plugs into a module that allows you to not only control the volume, but the bass as well. The module then runs out via different cables and can go directly into your sound card in the back of the PC. This is both a positive and a negative, however. It’s a positive because it allows for the best possible sound quality, but it becomes a negative since you may have to unplug your actual speakers unless you use an adapter.
The Psyko 5.1 Gaming Headset has a suggested MSRP of $249.99 and is expected to be available with limited quality in Spring 2009. This is one of the better accessories that I saw in the first full day of the show being open. The sound is very immersive and provides a realistic environment in the game that you are playing. I had a few different people mention this product in my various conversations throughout the day, which bodes well for Psyko.
