Xbox One won’t ship with bundled headset

Microsoft have said that the Xbox One will not have a headset in the bundle, but that the Kinect will provide the console with out of the box ‘in game chat capabilities'.

Xbox Live has long been accepted by gamers as a more ‘vocally active' multiplayer platform than the Sony Playstation Network, due to the inclusion of a mono headset with the bundle.

Yesterday Microsoft Staff announced to ArsTechnica “Xbox One does not include a pack-in headset accessory. Each Xbox One includes the new Kinect sensor, with a highly sensitive multi-array [of] microphones designed to enable voice inputs and chat as a system-level capability, both in-game and with Skype and other experiences.

“For gamers who prefer a headset, we have a variety of offerings that you can find on the Xbox Wire,” they said.

It looks as if the audio of other gamers will be sent through your television or speakers, along with the in game audio. It also would appear that the option to adjust chat volume or mute your voice on the fly may not be offered with the new system. Xbox 360 headsets are not compatible with the Xbox One either, so you can't use your old headset.

The Playstation 4 will ship with a basic headset, although it is a basic, inexpensive mono version. Still, a free included option will be seen as a bonus.

If you want to spend more money then Microsoft will be offering a dedicated Xbox One headset. It is a conventional design with volume and mute buttons within reach of fingers while using the controller. Pictures of the headset were posted on the Xbox site, you can see them here.

Kitguru says: Does this bother you, or are you happy paying more for the headset?

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