Closer Examination

The larger (and better) of the two microphones, the one you will connect to your PC and consoles, is affixed to a braided 2.35-meter-long cable of high quality.


At 35 centimeters down the cable, you'll find a small module with a switch that activates and deactivates the microphone. The module is light enough not to drag the headset down, so there was no need for it to be outfitted with a clothes clip. Still, I found myself missing that clip a bit because it would allow me to place that switch exactly where I wanted, so I could reach for it and turn off my microphone without looking.


The headset's volume dial includes no such difficulties since it's a part of the left ear cup, always at your fingertips. Its wide range makes it easy to finely regulate the sound volume.


The boom microphone's cable terminates in 3.5-millimeter connectors for the headset and the microphone itself.


The boom microphone is not foldable, and there is really no way to get it completely away from your face. If you are bothered by it being in your peripheral field of vision, you can bend it downward. The microphone is flexible enough for it to be positioned the way you would want it to be with a single movement of your hand. At the same time, it's rigid enough not to change positions as you move your head or whatever else you might do while playing. The head of the microphone can also be freely rotated to make it even easier to direct towards your mouth.


The smaller in-line microphone, the one you will use while connecting the Roccat Cross to your phone, is on a 1.2 meter long, rubberized cord. The microphone itself and the corresponding button are placed 20 centimeters down the cable. The connector is a TRRS one, of course, which is necessary given the headset's and microphone's simultaneous operation when connected to a phone's 3.5-millimeter port.


Even though Roccat's "Important Document" booklet claims that the button under the in-line microphone can only be used to answer and terminate phone calls on Android phones, I've had no problems using all of its other functions reserved for iOS devices according to the booklet on my OnePlus 2 (Android 6.0.1.) phone.

Specifically, when listening to music, a single press functions as a play/pause button. Double-pressing this button will skip ahead to the next song, while holding it down will activate Google Now. One additional function is available on Apple devices - pressing the button three times will take you to your previous song.


The connector on the left ear cup is U-shaped, but only to help with the correct orientation of the supplied microphones and to lock them in place. Fortunately, the width of the area around the connector itself is enough to fit all standard 3.5-millimeter audio cables without issue.

It's surprising that the box doesn't contain an adapter that would convert the 3.5-millimeter headphone and microphone connectors into one with a TRRS connector, which is essential for connecting the boom microphone to the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One gamepads. This is a cheap add-on costing no more than a few dollars, which makes its exclusion even weirder, especially considering how much Roccat boasts with the multifunctionality of this headset.

Maybe Roccat meant for consoles to be used with the in-line microphone cable which includes the TRRS connector? If so, this is a bad decision because the quality of this microphone is - quite expectedly - drastically lower than the boom microphone's quality.