SteelSeries, the leading global manufacturer of gaming peripherals, in partnership with ArenaNet, the world's premier developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), today announced a new line-up of gaming peripherals for Guild Wars 2.

Created in collaboration with ArenaNet, the line-up includes the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Headset, a slim profile, on-ear headset design that delivers a quality, immersive audio experience, and the Guild Wars 2 Gaming Mouse, an ambidextrous mouse that features seven programmable buttons, red illumination, and industry-leading technology. Both products are highlighted by the distinctive look of the Guild Wars 2 logo. The Guild Wars 2 QcK Mousepads are available in three designs, including the stylized dragon logo and the heroes Logan Thackeray and Eir Stegalkin. The Guild Wars 2 Gaming Keyboard rounds out the product line-up with an entirely new design that features SteelSeries Engine software for ease of use and advanced functionality as well as game-specific shortcuts; additional details about the keyboard will be unveiled later this year.

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.

Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, today announced the addition of a custom headset to its Collector's Edition gaming peripheral suite. Inspired by tactical aviator headsets and armed with total audio immersion, the Razer BlackShark delivers the full force aural intensity of Battlefield 3, EA and DICE's military shooter masterwork, the fastest-selling game in EA history.

Battlefield 3 is the most physical, dynamic and progressive shooter experience on the market. Now with the Razer BlackShark, gamers will be able to take to the skies feeling like a genuine attack helicopter pilot with complete circumaural ear cups designed to facilitate an authentic auditory in-game experience. Razer's superior sound-isolating technology blocks out undesirable ambient noises and, for moments of truce, the Razer BlackShark comes with a detachable boom microphone for use on-the-go.

The gaming peripherals brand of Cooler Master, CM Storm, announced its latest high-end gaming headset, the CM Storm Sonuz. The Sonuz is an analog stereo headset that takes input from conventional 3.5 mm jacks. The cushioned around-the-ear headphones (inner diameter of 97 mm) are backed by φ 53 mm drivers, with 45 Ω impedance, 10-20,000 Hz frequency response, 98 dB ± 3 dB SNR, and 200 mW maximum output (RMS).

The microphone, on the other hand, is suspended on a hinged arm. It has a frequency range of 100-10,000 Hz; -47 dB ± 3 dB (@ 10 kHz) sensitivity, 58 dB SNR, and an omni-directional pickup. The headset's combined cable is 2 m long, and is braided. A volume + mic-toggle pod sits in the middle. Apart from the headphone cans, the headband is cushioned. The CM Storm Sonus will be likely priced a notch above the CM Storm Sirius, at around US $115.

Turtle Beach, pioneers and market-leaders of the gaming headset category, proudly announce its expanded lineup of premium quality headsets, all of which are now available online and at major retailers. Following the success of the XP500 - the world's first gaming headset with full wireless Xbox LIVE Chat- Turtle Beach is expanding the line and building upon its first generation. Details on the latest offerings include:

● Ear Force XP400 Wireless Dolby Surround Sound Xbox 360 Headset with Wireless Xbox LIVE Chat; MSRP $219.95

● Ear Force XP300 Wireless Stereo Xbox 360 Headset with Wireless Xbox Chat; MSRP $169.95
- Designed for the hard-core gamer, the Ear Force XP400 and XP300 include a rechargeable battery, 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi technology, 50 mm speakers and dual-pairing Bluetooth technology that provides wireless Xbox LIVE chat for a truly wireless gaming experience with premium audio quality.

Rosewill, the world leading hardware solution provider, announces their latest 5.1 channel vibrating gaming headset, RHTS-8206, that will enhance the Rosewill gaming headset family. The addition of this headset will raise Rosewill's gaming footprint to new heights by expanding their already extensive gaming components. Featuring a virtual 7.1 digital surround sound environment and large 40mm Nd-Fe-B magnetic drivers, this headset delivers deep bass, smooth undistorted highs, and crystal clear vocals. The vibrating feature will make your music and games come to life and give you a more immersive experience. However, having premium sound is nothing without comfort.

Equipped with soft ear cushions and weighing less than 1 pound, the RHTS-8206 is built for extreme comfort. Marathon gaming sessions will feel like a breeze with the type of comfort that these headphones provide. Storage is also made easy with 90 degree fold flat ear cups and a flexible, detachable boom has been added to give you unlimited adjustment for that perfect setup. The microphone is unidirectional that reduces background noise for clearer conversations.

Taiwan-based Genius is an international leading company in computer peripherals introduces the new PC Headset HS-400A, which is great for VOIP chatting and also has a great appearance.

HS-400A features a graffiti pattern and a vivid preen which catches everyone's eye. From the inside the in-line volume control and adjustable, microphone lets one adjust it to the liking. The headband and ear cups are also adjustable and provide great listening experience. HS-400A is a great choice for practical solutions.

SPEEDLINK, specialist in high-quality and stylish sound solutions, presents its very first circumaural stereo headset that's also perfect for mobile use with smartphones: the AUX.

Notebooks, tablets and smartphones make music and digital communications portable. This new freedom and the increasing variety of sound sources call for a totally new generation of headset. The AUX Stereo Headset from SPEEDLINK is the perfect synthesis of a set of stylish headphones and a convenient microphone headset - and connects to practically any device thanks to its ingenious cable system. It connects to smartphones like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy series - and an ever increasing number of notebooks - via its conveniently short cable featuring a 4-contact 3.5 mm jack plug, while a really long adapter cable is included featuring standard headphone and microphone jack plugs for desktop PCs. This means the headset is always there when needed, yet it can be connected in seconds when at home.

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."

When you are on the go, you want to listen to your tunes without being tangled or tied to your Smartphone or music player. Plantronics today announced its smallest, lightest, wireless earbuds available, the BackBeat GO. Now music lovers, mobile gamers, and podcast and video fans can listen to their Bluetooth enabled device, in stereo, all without the hassle of cords.

The BackBeat Go boasts the ideal combination of style, premium sound, comfort and convenience all with the simplicity of wireless earbuds. Made for use with smartphones, tablets and MP3 players, the extremely compact and lightweight BackBeat GO includes deep, rich, stereo sound, noise reduction technology for improved call clarity and inline controls that allow you to take calls, skip tracks, and adjust volume all at your fingertips.

Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today a new range of licensed Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier products, due for release to coincide with the upcoming Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier videogame from Ubisoft, expected to launch in May 2012.

Due for release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system from Sony, the new range of licensed products includes the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Pro GamePad and the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 7.1 Surround Sound Headset.

Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. stated, "We're excited to be a part of the Tom Clancy's franchise and look forward to the release of our range of licensed Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier products."

Wrapping up the week (and the month), Creative Technology has sent out word about the upcoming arrival of a new gaming headset, the Draco Junior (model HS-430). Targeting users with an 'active lifestyle', Creative's headphones weight just 81 grams and have a behind-the-ear design, 30 mm Neodymium drivers, leatherette ear cups, a removable noise canceling microphone, a 2.5 meter cable with volume controls and a mute switch, and a gold-plated 3.5 mm connector.

The Draco Junior has a recommended price tag of 27.99 Euro and is expected to become available in mid-April.

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.

Announced early this year, at CES 2012, Plantronics' GameCom 780 Gaming Headset has now become available for purchase in Europe. The 780 offers a 7.1 surround sound experience (thanks to the Dolby Headphone and Pro Logic IIx technologies) and features 40 mm drivers, ultra-comfortable ear cushions and headband, a noise-canceling microphone, on-ear volume and mute buttons, built-in spin-joints (that let the earpods lay flat for easy storage), and USB connectivity.

The GameCom 780 can be bought for 49.90 Euro.

Razer finally put an end to the six month saga of availability Tiamat series gaming headsets. CEO Min-Liang Tan tweeted that the headset has started shipping worldwide today, and that stocks are limited, but that Razer is working hard to make them in sizable quantities. Announced in August 2011, availability of the Tiamat series of "true 7.1 channel" surround gaming headsets was slated for December, but was faced with delays, first to late-January, then to February.

Possibly one of the world's best wireless Bluetooth headsets just got even better. Sennheiser's award-winning Mobile Music wireless series now have the X-factor. The new MM 450-X and M 550-X combines the latest Apt-X technology for superb sound with a long list of premium features that make the headsets a blast to listen, talk and travel with.

Why settle for less than the best, when you're on the move? Sennheiser now adds X-factor to its two new flagships in Sennheiser's wireless Travel Line series, the over-the-ear MM 550-X and the on-ear MM 450-X. The latest apt-X technology has made wireless conversations and listening to music even better. By compressing sound at a four times higher rate, apt-X delivers a fuller and wider audio spectrum.

Roccat Studios released a new package of its Kulo USB surround gaming headset that packs donut-shaped earpads. Made of soft velvet and cushioning, these replacement earpads make extended gaming sessions with the Kulo more comfortable. Being an on-ear headset instead of around ear, Kulo applies pressure on the pinna, which could be unfomfortable after a few straight hours of gaming. These earpads help spread the pressure more evenly, even if they don't necessarily turn the headset into around ear.

Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. along with Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, reveal today peripherals and gear created for the highly anticipated Action RPG Mass Effect 3.

Fans of the Mass Effect series can arm themselves for the all-out galactic war with the Razer Mass Effect 3 Edition peripheral line which includes a Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Vespula dual-sided gaming mouse mat, Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, Razer Onza Tournament Edition Xbox 360 controller, and Razer Chimaera Xbox 360 gaming headset. The cutting-edge peripherals will give fans of the series a competitive advantage in the epic battle to save the galaxy from the ancient alien race known only as the Reapers.

Genius has now launched its newest gaming peripheral, a headset called Cavimanus (codename HS-G700V) which features (virtual) 7.1 channel surround sound, a vibration function (that should be fun), 40 mm drivers, a large, padded headband, a foldable unidirectional microphone, a built-in volume knob, blue LEDs, and USB connectivity (via a 2.5 meter cable).

The Cavimanus also has a frequency response of 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz, a sensitivity of 95 dB, an impedance of 32 Ohms, and bears a recommended price tag of $79.90.

Market release of Razer's Tiamat 7.1 channel gaming headset has been delayed yet again. Originally slated for Q4 2011, Tiamat has been a troubled product launch for the otherwise consistent Razer. In December, Razer apologetically announced that they were facing development setbacks and had to delay market launch till end of January, 2012. Well, we're now at the fag-end of the month, with no Tiamat launch, yet. Instead what we got is another announcement by Razer, saying that the product launch is further delayed to some time in February, 2012.

Announced at the beginning of this month, the Cyborg-branded F.R.E.Q. 5 Gaming Headset made by Mad Catz has now become available for pre-order. Priced at $149.99, the stereo headset features a durable metal headband, large earcups, 50 mm drivers with Neodymium Magnets, a detachable noise-canceling microphone, on-ear controls, and a 2-meter long USB braided cable (a 1m cord with a 3.5 mm jack is also provided).

To place your F.R.E.Q. 5 order just see this page. Availability is slated for spring.

The Mad Catz team has this week announced the F.R.E.Q. 5, a new gaming headset bearing the Cyborg brand which promised robust stereo sound and extended listening comfort. The headset features a lightweight but durable metal headband, large earcups, 50 mm drivers with Neodymium Magnets, a detachable noise-canceling microphone, on-ear controls, and a 2-meter long USB braided cable (a 1m cord with a 3.5 mm jack is also provided).

The Cyborg F.R.E.Q. 5 is set to ship this spring but its price tag was not revealed.

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.

Kicking off CES, SteelSeries the leading manufacturer of premium-quality, competitive gaming peripherals, today introduced the Siberia v2 Frost Blue Headset. The super-bright, blue LED lights glow through the outer mesh grill on each earcup, the Siberia v2 Frost Blue's lights and soundscape can be customized through SteelSeries Engine software.

It has an incredibly lightweight, over-the-head suspension design with an active noise-cancelling microphone and circumaural earcups that feature 50 mm driver units, covered by grey leather cushions for a noise-dampening sound.

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.