Psyko Audio 5.1 PC headset available now

Matt Jancaitis 22 Apr, 2010 at 1:15pm ET Article published in Tech

Psyko Audio Labs are announcing the immediate availability of the Psyko 5.1 PC Gaming Headset System, which they term “the perfect room” due to their belief in its audio prowess and how well the headset is designed spatially. The engineering purports to put the user right in “the sweet spot” of a 5.1-wired room, giving him or her a more immersive gaming experience.

The headset’s design is interesting: the 5 speakers are actually stored in the headband; sound travels through waveguides (their words) to your ears. Due to their positioning relative to one another and the varying distances the sound will travel, the cans will supposedly more realistically recreate the conditions of normal hearing, where sounds arriving on different parts of your head at different times and loudness levels allow your brain to pin down from what angle and from how far away a sound is arriving. The subwoofers, however, are still stored in each ear cup.

The phones come with cloth earcups for comfort and options for open-air or closed performance—you can leave them open to hear other sounds, or close them to get more immersed. The separate headphone amplifier offers direct control of volume and bass levels and a visual indicator of exactly what speakers are firing—either a way to ensure you’re working in 5.1 mode, or another optical sound-tracking mechanism for the truly hardcore gamer. The cans also sport a removable mic boom so you can get it out of the way when it’s not needed.

Are these cans extreme enough for you? They can actually* improve reaction times and kill ratios. According to the press release, they give you an UNFAIR ADVANTAGE. They will “completely shift the current landscape of gaming audio and usher in a new era of fully immersive gaming where audio is now a deadly weapon.”

Or maybe not. If you want to find out, they’ll be going for $299 in the US and Canada (where you might even save a buck!) at shops like TigerDirect, Newegg, CompSource, and Frys Electronics. This remind anybody else of those gaming NICs?

*Not actually.

Comments

22 Apr 2010 ~ 3:42pm _k Dude those killer nics were srs buznish. They sent dudes in lab coats to retail stores to help sell their products. LAB COATS MANG it was f'in science in those cards.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 4:24pm Thrax They look like the awkward lovechild of Xzibit and ECKO. For $299, I'd better get my ears on 'em before a penny leaves my pocket.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 4:36pm Cliff_Forster I'm not going to fib. Ugliest PC peripheral ever.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 4:46pm Snarkasm But they will RAISE YOUR KILL RATIO.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 5:31pm BuddyJ Tried em at CES '09 and liked em a lot. Wish I'd had more time with them. They're INSANELY comfortable. I'd suggest trying them before raising your BS flag.

Will they make you suck less? Probably not. Will you enjoy your games more? Yeah. Getting the weight of the cans off your ears and centered on the headband makes them easier to wear for long periods of time. The vented ear cups are crazy soft and wont leave your ears burning. I really liked being able to pop the vents in the ear cups.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 5:34pm Snarkasm I'm sure the cans are fine. The PR-speak was off the wall with this press release, though. Phew. It was tough wading through it.
22 Apr 2010 ~ 5:48pm mas0n I'm confused, do they actually use live rounds and grenades to achieve realism?

Seriously though, I'd love a good 5.1 headset but can't justify $300.
23 Apr 2010 ~ 12:13am Komete You had me till 299.