Choosing headphones for audio games Official

Position is everything in an audio game. Whether a wolf is ahead or behind you, and how far away, is told entirely by the sound, so the headphones matter more than any other piece of equipment.

Stereo is the minimum. Any headphones with a separate left and right channel will do for direction. Single-ear headsets and phone speakers cannot place a sound at all.

Open or closed. Closed headphones keep the room out and are better in a noisy house. Open headphones let you hear what is around you, which many people prefer for safety and comfort over long sessions. Both work for gaming.

Wired or wireless. Wireless headphones add a small delay between the game and your ears. For most games it does not matter, but if you notice that footsteps feel a fraction late, a wired pair fixes it. Bluetooth headphones with a low latency mode are a good middle ground.

Comfort over everything. Sessions run long. A light headband and soft ear cushions matter more than any technical figure on the box.

Virtual surround. Most audio games already calculate the three-dimensional position of each sound themselves. Surround features in headphones or sound cards process that sound again and usually make positions less clear, not more. Turn them off and let the game do the work.

Volume. Keep it moderate. Sound placement does not get better with volume, and hours of loud play do damage that does not heal. If you have to raise the volume to hear quiet footsteps, lower the music and ambience in the game's options instead.

Ask in this category if you are deciding between two models; several members have tried a great many pairs.