Ever had family members burst in to your gaming habitat and disturb its equilibrium with the familiar sound of “keep the noise down”? Maybe your partner is just tired of hearing all the explosions and gunshots that accompany your nightly forays into Paris, as Modern Warfare blasts through your 5.1 surround sound setup? These are but a few of the plights we as gamers might find ourselves in, but there is a simple solution to this enigma. Headphones! And what better place to start than Mad Catz co -branded Tritton Primer headset for Xbox 360?
The Tritton Primer is the third of four co-branded headsets currently released by Mad Catz and comes supporting 5.8 GHz wireless technology. After running around my house like a headless chicken trying to find flaws in the technology I was astounded to find that the sound quality does indeed hold its fidelity up to 33 feet(and beyond in some cases). It’s hard to imagine anyone needing so much space to move around when gaming, but what is important is that the option is there. The headsets sound is powered by two 40mm precision balanced drivers and comes equipped with separate volume controls for game and voice chat. I can’t overstate how useful it is to be able to silence blabber-mouths while trying to listen to game audio, or even lower the game sound so you can hear your friends bark orders at you. Both controls are located on the left ear-cup in a behind your ear position. Accessing these in the middle of a gaming session however can take some getting used to. On the same ear you will also have access to your mute, power/sync buttons and a jack for using your fully flexible mic with your Xbox 360 controller. Despite the amazing wireless technology it is a shame that you will be required to plug the Tritton Primer into your Xbox 360 controller to make use of voice chat. However if all you wish to do is listen to game audio, a pair of AA batteries is all you require.
Mad Catz have done a great job in making their headset easy to setup, making it the epitome of plug ‘n play. No fancy degree is needed here just plug it in and go! Everything you need to get started is handed to you inside the box, meaning you have the correct cables whether you are using HDMI, VGA or component. As mentioned previously though, you will need to a supply of batteries to keep the headset functional and it is a shame that a chargeable battery pack wasn’t on offer in this version of Mad Catz co-branded range
On the comfort side there is very little to complain about. Overall the headset feels sturdy, the headband is expandable up to five places and each can comes with 90 degree rotation. Mic position is also fully customisable as is the norm these days. The cans themselves are a bit on the small side however and those with huge ears (yeah, I’m talking to you) might find this headset a tad uncomfortable over long play sessions, but for us they felt just right.
Alas, sound is why you are here and the Tritton Primer delivers. These cans produce a nice crisp solid sound when listening to game audio as you would expect of a headset in this price range. We were also pleasantly surprised at the volume range available with the loudest setting with it almost destroying our auditory ossiculum (yeah, it’s that loud). The soundscape provided is also pretty decent with us able to pick out footsteps from behind, left and right without too much trouble .Things aren’t so rosy in the voice chat department though. This however is more a problem with Xbox Live than the headset itself, as it completely exposes the subpar audio compression available on the platform. This results in a rather tinny lifeless sound that we wouldn’t expect from this headset normally.
VERDICT
The Tritton Xbox 360 Primer Wireless Headset are a great set of cans for those looking to kick ass and chew bubblegum without disturbing the whole household. With good sound, great build quality and a dose of wireless connectivity thrown in for good measure, there won’t be much that can stand in the way of you and world domination. However with the ability to wirelessly chat to your friends, slightly bigger ear-cups and a rechargeable battery pack it could have been so much better.
