Rude Gameware Primal Xbox360 Headphone- Review
Sept 2011 – Continuing our review of gaming headphones, we had a chance to test the Rude Gameware Primal Gaming Audio Wireless headphones and microphone for the Xbox360. These headsets were tested in both single player mode and multi-player mode using on-line chat in the gaming platforms.
Rude Gameware – Primal Wireless Headset for Xbox 360
Review Summary:
Pro – Eupports multiple consoles, clear sound no RF interference, autopower down for extended battery life
Con – microphone picks up some ambient sound, IR needs line of site for sound
Overall – The headsets were comfortable and worked with the TV and all consoles (PS3, Xbox, Wii) and DVD/Blu-Ray players. Very good for overall headset to large display experience..
Review Details:
The Primal Gaming Audio Wireless Headset for the Xbox 360 (“Primal”) is a stereo over the ear product, that has a seperate microphone that connects to Xbox360 controller. The primary application for the headset, is for getting TV sound wirelessly for both gaming and general use. The 3.5mm stereo plug on the IR transmitter can connect into a standard headphone jack to provide an IR wireless connection or can plug into the provided 3.5mm jack to L/R RCA plugs for connecting to the TVs audio output. This allows the headphone portion to be used for normal TV viewing, playback of recorded media (DVD/Blu-Ray/DVR) or any brand of console. Systems like the Wii do not normally support headsets, and this allows the function, and thus it is a single headset that can support all three major gaming platforms.
The first thing we found was the unique design of the headsets. They have dual IR receivers to support not loosing the sound when you turn your head. They also have a nice power control system that auto powers down the headsets to save the battery when the system is not outputing sound. The headsets run off of AAA batteries which in our tests lasted in excess of the 20 hr testing time on the first set of batteries. The transmitter uses either AAA batteries or the included charger. The sound is very clean, crisp and responsive when listening to music of watching videos. The headset stays in place and does not tug on the ear and has a local volume control.
Rude Gameware – Primal Microphone for Xbox360
To test the units with the we connected the microphone to the Xbox360 wireless gaming control. The microphone is a very sturdy unit with a 2.5mm plug for the control unit. The microphone did a very good job of picking up the voice of the user and eliminating room background noise for the chat sessions in the games. There was however, some background noise from the keypad and button pressing of the controller itself that was picked up by the microphone.
Unlike other game headset systems tested, this configuration connects to the audio out of the TV and the headphones themselves doe not connect directly to the consoles. As a result, you can use composite video, component video or HDMI connections from the gaming consoles to the TV without impact.
Like some of the other over the ear headphones tested, there were some comments about “fit” from those with glasses for either standard viewing or 3D viewing. With the light frame on the headphones, and the size of the ear covers (middle size – over the ear but not excessively) , there were some issues of “slipping” and tilting when the use had double glasses (regular glasses and 3D glasses) which caused some static to appear in the left ear for one of the testers. Most found the design comfortable for extended use periods (beyond 3hrs in a session).
This makes the Primal a the preferred product for those that have multiple platforms and seek a headphone product for general use with a single purchase product. It proved to be useful in a group from a single transmitter, and the ability to buy additional microphones for secondary controllers for heavy duty gaming up to about 3 hour sessions per use. The clarity of the headset and mic combo, work well with an auto-balance of sound level between sound track, in game voice tracks, and two way chat.
Testing Environment:
The Console hardware was provided by Microsoft and was a new Xbox360 S console with the Kinect. The Xbox was tested with the network connection both as the default 802.11g wireless and with a wired internet connection. The console games used to test the headsets were Batman: Arkam Asylum, Halo 3: ODST, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Call of Duty: World at War. The tester were multiple people, who range from intermediate to advanced gamers, using the product for typical 2 hour game play sessions.
The reference sound from the gaming system, is that from the Xbox360 connected via HDMI to a 5.1 surround sound Sony receiver driving Klipsch KL-7502-THX in-ceiling speakers and a Klipsch SW-450 10″ subwoofer. The games were viewed and played back on a Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U THX Certified Plasma TV with HDMI v1.3 inputs.
