Creative to unveil World of Warcraft headset at BlizzCon
by Mike Schramm 
Aug 18th 2009 at 10:45AM
Creative Labs posted a World of Warcraft-related teaser yesterday, and today WoW.com is proud to deliver an exclusive reveal: they're promoting a brand new product called the Sound Blaster World of Warcraft headset. This will be a state of the art gaming headset available in both wired and wireless versions, complete with all of Creative's high end gaming audio technology, including THX TruStudio PC Surround, which they say is the "most advanced 'virtual' 3D surround" on the market today. Creative's CMSS is already recognized by many as the best virtual surround sound in gaming, and THX TruStudio PC is supposed to sound even better. The headset also features Creative's VoiceFX technology (so you can disguise your voice with a few different effects), and they say the wireless version of the headset will feature an uncompressed signal that sounds terrific as well.The headset itself is designed in coordination with Blizzard, and the ear cups (which are complete over-ear) actually feature lighted glyphs, available in Horde or Alliance flavors at launch (with other designs released eventually), and illuminated by programmable RGB LEDs. They have their own software interface, so you'll be able to choose from 16 million colors. Price isn't set just yet, but we'd expect it'll be in line with other high-end headsets, from $100 to $150 depending on what options you go with.
The headset releases in November, but Creative also sent us the pre-prototype render at right, and they've updated their teaser with a picture of the Alliance glyph. Creative tells us they'll have the headset on display at BlizzCon, so if you're there this weekend, stop by their booth and check it out. And be sure to stay tuned to WoW.com -- we're working on a way to give you the chance to win one of these for yourself.
BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Gzuss Aug 18th 2009 10:48AM
I like that the actual microphone piece it detachable, though I still don't understand the need for the voice modifier? We all learned in halo 2 that voice scrambler+people= fail/10 haha
Mailia Aug 18th 2009 10:55AM
Because I totally need to sound like a robot / man / woman / someone who has taken few balloons too many / etc. in the guild Ventrilo as I raid.
Summer Aug 18th 2009 1:47PM
Female player speaks in Vent... gets stalked for next eternity.
olzer Aug 18th 2009 10:52AM
Looks awesome :-D
Too bad my headset isn't broken and is fairly new...If it wasn't i'd be coming for this one when it's released :D
Agerath Aug 18th 2009 10:52AM
Lol, why? Who needs a 150 dollar headset to play WoW?
Calavera Aug 18th 2009 11:00AM
A good question actually, but if you use your headset often it might be worth putting some cash on it - and if you are a WoW player, then why not get a WoW-flavored headset.
Myself I own a Steelseries Siberia headset, and it works wonders.
I'm hoping this isn't the 'exclusive' Mike was talking about on the latest podcast, it almost seems like an ad to me...
James Aug 18th 2009 11:30AM
For $150 these better sound amazing. More likely they won't be all that great and you'll be better off spending the money on headphones that aren't a gimmick and come from a company known for quality. Try Grado SR60s or Sennheiser HD497s (if you can find them). Both are under $100 and both sound great.
No microphone or USB interface though. But I don't see the point of a USB interface unless you have a laptop with a noisy (as in electrical noise) microphone jack.
jealouspirate Aug 18th 2009 11:58AM
$150 is not that much money for a high quality pair of headphones, there are many that are much more expensive.
It's not just about being able to talk, it's about high sound quality as well. For example, Bose quality headphones can be around $300, and that's just for listening only.
All in all, I think this is an interesting idea for WoW players who appreciate quality sound.
theRaptor Aug 18th 2009 12:04PM
@jealouspirate
And who says these have good sound quality apart from the manufacturer?
The fact they are slapping branding on them would make me think they are in fact lower quality than equivalently priced headphones. The whole point of this type of branding is to sell the product on the power of the brand not the power of the product.
I play WoW at home, so LED's on the side of my head are entirely superfluous.
jealouspirate Aug 18th 2009 12:14PM
@ Raptor
It says right in the article that many people (ie: not the company) already consider another headset of the same brand to be of extremely high quality.
Mr. Tastix Aug 18th 2009 12:13PM
It seems like a high-price but it sells. Look at the high-end "gaming" keyboards, they range from $300-600 in my local currency (roughly $200-400 USD). For the same price I could upgrade my bloody graphics card, and I'd rather do it.
The "exclusive" or high-price for peripherals you don't need can only be justified, at least to me, is that they're an addon. You don't NEED them, you can even find high-quality goods for less price but what you're paying for may be extra features as well as the BRAND name.
I don't need a $200 keyboard but I'd like to have one, because I know the company that supplies them has high-quality goods. Goes the same with speakers, headsets and mice. If you really wanna pay that much for those goods go ahead, but do so knowing you can perform just as well with practically any other peripheral.
theRaptor Aug 18th 2009 12:43PM
@jealouspirate
"It says right in the article that many people (ie: not the company) already consider another headset of the same brand to be of extremely high quality."
Bzzzt. Wrong.
They talk solely about the surround sound system as being the best. Which it might be as headphone surround sound is generally gimmick and crap. That means "many people" (weasel words*) could rate Creative headphones general sound quality as the worst in the world and the article would still be correct.
If you go do some reading about headphones you will quickly find that anything marketed as for gaming is actually a really poor quality product (as most games have terrible sound and you don't notice the poor quality). I use shitty headphones but I at least know they are shitty.
* Weasel words are things like "many people" or "it is commonly known" with no evidence backing them. Press releases are usually absolutely loaded with them. Those of us with a technical mindset and experience with consumer electronics have alarms go off every time we read them without a link to a quality independent review.
gundamxzero Aug 18th 2009 12:34PM
Im sure they tacked on an extra 50 just because it has wow branding.
Agerath Aug 18th 2009 12:50PM
You guys are missing my point. Nothing in WoW requires a high-end headset.
WoW does not support 3d sound.
It's not like in a first person shooter where you need to know where the enemy is in multiplayer or heighten the realism in singleplayer.
The only people who buy this are gullible fanboys who just have to have the latest wow accessory, like that brick of a mouse they released last year.
Leviathon Aug 18th 2009 2:13PM
I always have found that the more expensive headsets are also the ones that tend to break quicker. It's pretty funny when I buy a 60 dollar headset and it breaks 5 months later due to a wire or something going but then I buy a PS2/PS3 USB headset for 10 dollars and it works for 2 years.
halophoenix Aug 18th 2009 6:46PM
I know there's a lively discussion about this already, but just speaking as someone who's been through a ton of gear himself and has reviewed other devices, I can say that it's worth putting some money into your headset if you want a good, high quality balance between voice quality and audio quality.
I mean, don't get me wrong - if you're not picky about that kind of thing, you could totally get by with a cheap pair of Logitechs, but I've been down the road of buying a headset prized for its voice quality (a pair of plantronics) and being completely unhappy with the audio quality when I tried to listen to music or play games while someone else was in the room on the phone or something like that.
So then I grabbed the Saitek Cyborg 5.1 headset, and loved the audio quality, but the voice quality left a little something to be desired. I would have probably kept those if they hadn't broken at one of the earcup/headband joints...and then did it again when I got a replacement pair.
So I decided to drop some cash and picked up a pair of Sennheiser PC-350s. Analog, but they're fabulous and sound great when I'm gaming or just listening to music, and when I'm talking in vent or using push-to-talk in an FPS my voice isn't killing the people on the other end with static, popping, or mismatched volume.
I've been reviewing a pair of Razer Megaladons for an outlet I write for and they're turning out just as well - but again, all of those really good options are expensive. Even the Saiteks I mentioned are about 60 bucks these days, and those broke on me!
Hoggersbud Aug 19th 2009 11:27AM
>WoW does not support 3d sound.
Untrue. 3D sound support is in the game. You may not notice it on your system, but I've noted several times that something was going on behind me, or to the left, or the right, and been able to react.
Johan Forn Aug 18th 2009 10:57AM
Any bigger and my neck won't be able to support the massive weight..
Chilblain Aug 18th 2009 11:56AM
Play more WoW and fatten up your neck.
DY357LX Aug 18th 2009 11:00AM
Well done to the MANY of you who predicted this yesterday.