Elecom Japan announced two new lines of foldable gaming headsets, the 3.5 mm plug-compatible HS-HP20 series, and USB-compatible HS-HP20U series. The two are available in four color options, including black (HS-HP20xBK), blue (HS-HP20xBU), red (HS-HP20xRD), white (HS-HP20xWH). The basic design is common between both models, featuring 40 mm stereo headphone drivers, 32-ohm impedance, 100 mW maximum input, and 20 to 20,000 Hz frequency response; and a microphone that's suspended on a hinged flexible arm, with poly-directional pickup, 2.2-ohm impedance, 100 to 10,000 Hz frequency response, and -46 ± 3 db SNR. The headset can be folded along three joints. Slated for mid-November, the HS-HP20 is expected to be priced at 2,940 JPY (US $37.3), while the HS-HP20U is expected to go for 3,360 JPY (US $42.6).

Genius is an international leading company in computer peripherals launched the Genius HS-410F, is an easy to carry, lightweight, foldable headset with a convenient in-line volume control and rich audio quality. The lightweight soft leather ear pads stay comfortable even after long hours of use. The 3-way foldable structure is designed for easy storage. For online chatting, HS-410F has a convenient in-line microphone and a volume control without using your PC. The in-style ear tattoo pattern design makes you stand out from the crowd. Genius HS-410F also comes in two distinct colors Black or Yellow.

From the workplace to home life and everywhere in between, Plantronics (NYSE: PLT) knows that one of the biggest risks to the performance of electronic devices is exposure to moisture - including rain, humidity, sweat and accidental spills. Plantronics, along with P2i, the world leader in liquid repellent nano-coating technology, today announced an exclusive partnership where P2i's nano-coating technology will be used on select Plantronics devices causing liquid to simply bead up and run off the headset instead of permeating electrical components potentially leading to corrosion damage.

The invisible P2i coating, originally designed to treat soldiers' uniforms as protection from environmental and chemical hazards, has a thickness equivalent to one thousandth of a human hair and does not change the look or feel of the Plantronics product. Its ultra-thin size means it also does not affect electrical conductivity, so the entire product, inside and out, can be treated. Coating every surface of the product adds significant protection against damage from moisture. The new award-winning Voyager Legend and BackBeat GO headsets, including the soon to be released white BackBeat GO headset, include P2i's nano-coating.

Sharkoon presents the successor to their "X-Tatic Digital" 5.1 Dolby Digital headset series: The Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro comes with an improved design, more connectivity options and an additional Microphone Voice Monitoring (MVM) feature.

Designed to meet the needs of Gamers, the Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro delivers its full functional range to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gaming consoles. With Dolby Digital decoder and Chat support, it provides optimal gaming sound with realistic 3D tone and spatial sound location on both platforms. With its Sound Control Unit (SCU) and associated cables the Sharkoon X-Tatic Pro can also be connected to other sound sources like PCs, Tablet PCs, surround sound speaker systems or DVD players.

With the launch of two new headsets, the QH-85 and the QH-90, premium gaming gear provider QPAD aims to broaden the experience for all gamers by bringing Hi-Fi to the gaming scene! There is nothing quite like the fantastic feeling of immersing yourself deep in to the world of your favorite game. Gaming is an audio-visual experience, and many gamers will even argue that sound actually plays a more important role than the graphics, in creating the magical feeling and ambience of a game. We at QPAD believe this too, and that is why we created two hi-fi capable gaming headsets with premium audio performance and excellent ergonomics.

Last week, we came up with our latest front-page poll question, asking our readers which is their preferred audio output when gaming (playing their favorite PC games). Choices included desktop speakers, headsets, and external home audio solutions (such as HT amps, HiFi systems, etc.) Over the course of the week that followed, we accumulated over 1,800 votes to build our sample, which consists of our readers (both registered members of our Forums, and unregistered readers). The interim results come as a bit of a surprise to us.

According to numbers recorded at the time of writing this article, from 1,820 respondents, 808 (44.18%) prefer desktop speakers, a close 719 (39.31%) prefer headsets, with external home audio system being a distant yet significant third option, with 302 (16.51%) of the respondents preferring it.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. today that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft Studios, to create Halo 4 branded Gaming Headsets to be released later this year.

"We are excited to add Halo 4 to our portfolio of world class video game licenses," said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. "Halo is one of the world's most popular video games and these new Halo branded headsets are sure to appeal to the passionate gamer who wants to maximize his or her Halo experience."

Turtle Beach, pioneers and market-leaders of the gaming headset category, is pleased to unveil its new fall lineup at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Turtle Beach has created a 6,000 square foot both that will showcase new products and a dedicated theater showcase featuring an immersive audio experience. In addition, Turtle Beach will also underscore its commitment to competitive gaming by offering attendees a tournament showcase. The tournament area, theater experience and full line of gaming audio products are available via its E3 booth; Los Angeles Convention Center South Hall #2447, from June 5 - 7, 2012.

The Turtle Beach Ear Force theater experience offers E3 attendees a unique and innovative audio presentation to demonstrate the importance of audio in the gaming experience. Through a custom system utilizing a 270-degree screen, three projectors and headset integration the presentation highlights Turtle Beach's advanced audio. As always, hundreds of Turtle Beach headsets will be powering the audio experiences for visitors to numerous E3 booths, including Activision, 2K Games, Warner Brothers, Konami, Project (RED), Snapdragon, Bethesda, Gameloft and many others.

Turtle Beach, pioneers and market-leaders of the gaming headset category, and Major League Gaming (MLG), the world's largest competitive video game league, today announce a multi-year product and marketing partnership under which Turtle Beach will develop the official headsets and audio equipment of Major League Gaming. The first official products offered under this partnership will be MLG versions of the all-new Ear Force XP7 and Z7 MLG Pro Circuit Programmable Surround Sound Headsets for console and PC play, along with the Ear Force TM1 Tournament Audio Mixer.

Slated for release in Fall 2012, working prototypes of these exciting new game audio products and others from the Turtle Beach line will be available for preview in Turtle Beach's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) booth; Los Angeles Convention Center South Hall #2447, from June 5 - 7, 2012. MLG Pro Players will be on hand to help introduce the new products, with appearances in the Turtle Beach booth daily from 2-3 p.m. PT.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset and Vengeance C70 PC case. The new products are the first wireless headset and first PC case in the company's growing arsenal of award-winning Vengeance PC gaming products.

"Our Vengeance wired headsets have built a loyal following by giving gamers a competitive advantage with detailed positional audio, reliable voice communication, and comfort that lasts over marathon gaming sessions," said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager of the Components Business Unit at Corsair. "The new Vengeance 2000 wireless headset relieves gamers from the hassle of accidentally rolling over cables or ripping their headset connector out of their PCs during the heat of battle."

As companies roll out unified communications (UC) solutions, they struggle to keep the cost per user low while trying to achieve widespread adoption. Great sounding, comfortable and easy to use headsets are a must-have in a UC deployment or end users will reject the new communication platform. To bridge the gap between the needs of end users and the cost restraints of IT departments, Plantronics today introduced the new Blackwire 300 corded USB headsets for UC.

For IT departments rolling out UC, a headset is a low priority, but a critical component of the deployment. The Blackwire 300 Series satisfies their need for a low cost, entry-level UC headset that offers a superior user experience.

Easy to deploy unified communications (UC) solutions are increasingly important as more companies must address employee mobility, better utilization of office real estate and an ever increasing need for collaboration. Plantronics (NYSE:PLT) today announced its participation in the Microsoft Lync Hosted Pack Reference Architecture Partner Ecosystem. The ecosystem is designed to support Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Multitenant Pack for Partner Hosting, a special deployment configuration scoped for Hosting or Telecom services providers.

Customers can quickly identify tested options, incorporating audio devices and hosted Microsoft Lync services, which will help speed their implementation times. Optimized endpoints from Plantronics, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, coupled with Microsoft Lync can help deliver a better experience by accelerating UC adoption within an enterprise or an SMB.

Turtle Beach, pioneers of the game audio category, announced today that based on year-ending NPD data for 2011, Turtle Beach was the number one gaming headsets/headphones company with 50% of the market for the year and the number one third party console video gaming accessories company, based on 2011 dollar volume.

The strong growth for the category has led NPD to create a dedicated Headsets category, splitting off from the general Audio category. Headsets continue to be the strongest growing segment in the gaming industry and is expanding rapidly. Turtle Beach led the field with 12 of the top 25 Gaming Headset SKUS in 2011. Overall, Turtle Beach dominated the market, taking an average of 50% market share for 2011, with a 58% share in December alone, a high for the year.

Turtle Beach, the market leading pioneers of the console gaming headset category, today announced the introduction of the feature-packed Ear Force XP400 and XP300 premium wireless gaming headsets. Optimized for wireless game audio and chat on Xbox 360 (and also compatible with PlayStation 3), these headsets debut 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi RF wireless technology that virtually eliminates interference with wireless networks in the home. The XP400 and XP300 can be seen along with the full offering of Turtle Beach products at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1 - Booth #21327, during the International Consumer Electronics Show from January 10 to 13, 2012.

The Ear Force XP400 and XP300 bring the wireless Bluetooth chat of the acclaimed XP500 headset, add the ease of rechargeable batteries and introduce premium features that once again push the limits of gaming headset technology. With the exclusive introduction of groundbreaking 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi technology, these new headsets avoid the crowded 2.4GHz band used by wireless networks, phones and other devices in the home to deliver interference-free game audio. By automatically switching between the 2.4 and 5.0MHzbands and working within the WiFi specification, the XP400/XP300 headsets navigate around other radio signals and coexist within the same spectrum as wireless networks, delivering optimum signal performance.

Turtle Beach, the market leading pioneers of the console gaming headset category, today announced their line of new products being unveiled at the International Consumer Electronics Show this year. Cutting-edge technologies being introduced in these products range from new interference-reducing dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi RF wireless tech, customizable Dolby Surround Sound speaker angles and a new line of mobile lifestyle headsets designed for gamers on the go. All newly announced Turtle Beach products will be available for demonstration along with the full product assortment, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 1 - Booth #21327, during the International Consumer Electronics Show from January 10 to 13, 2012.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced their new line of Vengeance PC gaming peripherals, including three new gaming headsets.

"The award-winning Corsair Gaming Series audio products have built a reputation for providing accurate, detailed audio that makes everything from games to music and movies a joy to listen to, as well as creating the situational awareness gamers need for a competitive advantage," said Andy Paul, Corsair's President and CEO. "Our new Vengeance gaming headsets continue that tradition. Everything from the sleek design and the careful choice of materials, to the obsessive focus on audio tuning is dedicated to the goal of providing a compelling experience for PC gamers who are as passionate about sound as they are about winning."

Tt eSPORTS are proud and excited to release the next edition of their Professional Shock Gaming Headsets, the "One" which is the most advanced headset in the range, which has many amazing features including DTS 5.1 Virtual Surround Sound and Dynamic 40mm Speakers that allow for high quality Bass Enhancement.

The "One" has been designed to produce immense sound quality in-game as well as being able to offer a comfortable solution for gamers with it's multiple Ear-Pad Cushions and leather headband pad to allow for multiple hours of wear for continuous periods of gaming.

Creative today announced a new line of gaming headsets that create a completely 360-degree, 3D audio experience, surpassing even 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound headsets. The new gaming headsets, called the Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Alpha and Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Sigma, are the first Sound Blaster headsets to feature a unique 360-degree audio system, which is also fully customizable. Using THX TruStudio technology created by sound engineers at Creative Labs in conjunction with THX, the Tactic 3D headsets can create audio above, below and all around the wearer.

Wearers can completely customize their audio experience through the software included with the headsets. The headsets will also ship with pre-made audio profiles created by professional gamers such as Johnathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel, as well as members from international professional gaming teams compLexity and Dignitas.

At gamescom, Sharkoon presents two new gaming headsets: With their platform independent surround sound headset and bestselling "X-Tatic Digital," the accessory specialist introduces two new additional stereo models which are specifically designed for use on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gaming consoles.

The Sharkoon X-Tatic SX has a white headband, white ear cups and a light green design application to not only match the Xbox 360, but also provide direct microphone access to the Xbox console and support VoIP voice communications for the online service Xbox Live. The microphone connects through the integrated cable controller of the headset with the enclosed chat cable (3.5 - 2.5mm stereo jack) which then directly plugs into the Xbox game pad. The headset is powered through the console's USB port. Another adapter cable is provided (3.5 stereo jack into 2 x Cinch) to connect with the stereo sound of the Xbox, it is simply attached from the AV Multi Out cable of the console to the audio input of the TV device. The headset cable offers USB connection and a stereo input 3.5mm microphone plug, in which the X-Tatic SX can also be used on the PC.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz" or "the Company"), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider today announced the launch of the AX 180 wireless gaming headset being launched under the Company's TRITTON gaming audio brand.

Based upon the critically-acclaimed wired AX 180, the new wireless TRITTON headset uses 2.4GHz wireless technology to free gamers from wired constraints, allowing total immersion and freedom of movement, while providing the high-fidelity sound quality which gamers have come to expect from the TRITTON brand.

Raptor Gaming rolled out the successor to its LH1 value gaming headset, the LH2. Apart from the base model, the company also rolled out a "Ladies Edition" that comes in soft pink and white. The headsets feature noise-cancellation for the microphones, and have volume controls on the cable. The ear cups can be folded, to help packing. The two headsets will be released to market by the end of June, priced at 29.90 EUR.

Sharkoon is expanding its "Rush" product line to now include two new stereo headsets, which provide a rich sound reproduction during play, but also offer Multimedia and voice applications such as VoIP or TeamSpeak. The compact and lightweight Sharkoon RHS100 with foldable neckband, cushioned ear pieces, and infinitely rotating microphone comes in flat black with bright optical accents in the typical Rush-orange application on both earpieces. With its built-in sound chip, the RHS100 is simply connected via the USB port on a PC or Notebook, replacing an absent or inferior soundcard, and saves time from having to switch the lengthy cable between the PC-speakers and headset. The speakers Bass effect can be controlled on the RHS100 through the switchable vibrations function. The Bass proportion can be regulated by the cable integrated controller between medium and maximum effect. The two meter long cable also functions with an included volume knob and an orange illuminating microphone mute. The required drivers for Windows 7, as well as configuration software, are provided on the Sharkoon website for download.

Creative Technology Ltd. today unveiled the Creative Sound Blaster Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset, a cutting-edge, all-in-one gaming headset powered by renowned Sound Blaster X-Fi technology, and also announced the availability of the Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MkII. Designed with the rigorous needs of gamers in mind, both headsets provide the ultimate gaming experience for those serious about immersing themselves in the game.

Roccat's new "Krone" mouse will retail for around € 69 and offers a lot of interesting features. One of them is the ability for the mouse software to detect which weight you inserted in the bottom of the mouse. Also planned are extensions like a vibration module.