Gear: Logitech Cordless Headset
By | November 5, 2004

It’s compact, wireless, and you’ll never have to worry about another undesirable episode of snapping it in two. Enter the Logitech Cordless Headset, an alternative cordless solution for diehard Xbox Live gamers, which takes your online gaming experience to the next level.

Gamers will especially appreciate its compact, rugged design which sits snugly on your ear and remains comfortable even after several hours of non-stop play. The unit is powered on 2.4GHz technology, which in theory, offers a clear audio without any interference or delays. What’s especially remarkable is its generous range of operation, allowing you to communicate up to 30ft…although we can’t imagine why you’d want to be so far away from your television, aside from those occasional snack breaks. And much like Nintendo’s GameCube controller, the signal integrity is strong enough that you can even head into another room and talk with friends over AIM (as we did) while you’re awaiting a new game session to load up. (Actually, we just wanted to show off our new product to those who were still talking on corded communicators.)

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Other notable features include its internal lithium battery which powers the unit. An AC adapter is provided, so you'll be able to recharge the unit after extensive use. Ideally, according to the packaging, players can enjoy using the headset up to 6 hours on a single charge. As a precaution, we’d still recommend keeping a spare around the house, especially during those late night Halo 2 sessions which everyone will be engaged in as of next week. We were especially impressed by its overall, flashy design (being the tech geeks that we are) which features an adjustable noise-canceling microphone -- perfect for filtering out unwanted noises and it’s the mouthpiece can be tweaked according to your personal preference.

The headset also features an LED which operates on three settings. By holding the button for 3 secs synchronizes the unit, followed by a series of green blinks on the LED to let you know its ready for use. The LED will continue to blink every 3 seconds serving an an indicator that the unit is still active. Players can mute the headset by pressing the button once; something which we wish more players took advantage of when speaking to offline parties. When it's time to disable the unit from use, simply hold the button down for 3 seconds, which trigges the LED to turn Red and disengage the connection. The receiver, which plugs into the Xbox expansion slot in the same fashion as the other headsets also features an LED which will remain green as long as the unit has a substantial charge. When the charge begins to weaken, it will turn orange -- that's your cue that it's time to give it another jolt of electrical juice.

We put Logitech’s headset into action and logged online with Street Fighter Anniversary Collection and Burnout 3. In the past, we’ve come across players lamenting about online communications suffering from an echo…echo…echo, as if those affected were talking inside of a tunnel. But all of our gaming sessions with Logitech’s headset remained clear, uninterrupted and free of potential transmission delays which most third-party headsets and even Microsoft’s own Xbox Communicator have been guilty of on occasion.

What? Can’t hear me? Hey, you’re coming across too loud -- mind turning that down? At the touch of a button, you can set the volume with ease while keeping one hand on the controller…although, you may want to avoid doing that during in racing games. As an added bonus, you'll also receive a free 2-month Xbox Live trial account, a perfect gift for a friend looking forward to enjoying the online experience.

Although the headset is somewhat on the pricey tip, we can’t recommend a more practical, efficient product. The Logitech Cordless Headset is the definitive choice for all your online communication needs, and we can say with authority that you'll never go back to corded headsets again. Now if only it had the ability to make some of you better players...