Though the launch of SOCOM: Confrontation may have been a disappointment which will have to wait until next week to be properly reviewed, the pack-in official Sony Bluetooth headset helped to alleviate the pain. Combined with the new headset features that arrived with the 2.5 firmware update in the high-quality chat mode, Sony has managed to bring a quality of voice chat that is at least on par with the competition, if not reaching VoIP evels of quality.
Admittedly, I wasn't entirely enamored with the new headset out of the box. While button placement and the general overall design of the headset is nice, it wasn't quite as firmly fitted as I was hoping it would be. Because the ear piece doesn't snap into place with any real pressure (as a result of it being removable and reversible), the headset simply dangles on your ear. For some, the speaker piece will fit snugly into the ear and keep the entire headset firm, but it took a bit of working and adjustment of the removal rubber guard to get the device on my ear securely.
After overcoming the comfort and stability issues, in-game headset testing proved to be impressive. In both SOCOM: Confrontation and Warhawk, the device performed admirably: far better than the Jabra BT headset I was previously using. While I only managed to sneak a few games in with SOCOM because of the server issues, the chat sounded crystal clear and loud in matches that weren't lagging. However, even slight amounts of latency caused the burst voice transmissions to come in with some distributing crackling. This can be largely attributed to the problems with SOCOM, though, as I had no such issue with Warhawk.
Where the headset really shines, though, is in stand mode. The headset comes with a small, pack-in stand which connects to the PS3 via a short USB cable. When the headset is placed in the stand, it begins charging but it also becomes an active standing microphone similar to the one on the PlayStation Eye. It appears that the headset draws extra power from the USB to extend its range, because testing proved that the distance on the standing headset was insane.
To test it out, I had a friend enter a voice chat with me and put his microphone in standing mode. The two of us started at our systems and began walking away while counting out loud. While I got to the opposite side of my awkwardly-designed apartment before he couldn't hear me, he managed to walk out of his living room, up a flight of stairs, and on to the second floor before I couldn't hear him. The quality remained at VoIP levels throughout as well when using the HQ mode. The lesson learned? Don't put it in stand mode if there's other stuff going on in your house.
Regardless of how you're using the headset, the new UI features are welcome. Switching from HQ mode to normal mode or muting the microphone, and altering the volume all have corresponding display notifications. Real-time notifications come as the headset gets low on batteries, as well.
Overall, the official PS3 Bluetooth headset and the associated firmware features for it are an excellent step towards a new age for voice chat on the system. The unit's build quality is respectable, battery life is on par with the controllers, and the sound quality is impressive. Sony's system has been lacking in the voice communication front since its launch, but these new tools go a long way towards fixing that problem.
Also deceptively lightweight for a larger headset (than my last one which was the Warhawk one which was tiny).
