Plantronics GameCom X10

Like the other headsets in the Plantronics GameCom range, the X10 is designed with Xbox 360 online communication in mind. It is a single speaker headset with a noise cancelling microphone and an inline remote control. The sound quality is quite good and the microphone does a good job of removing ambient noise. The only issues with this headset are the mute function on the inline remote control and the colour scheme.

There is really only one way to test an Xbox 360 headset and that's to play some Xbox Live. To give the headset a thorough test, to give it a fair chance at proving itself, to give it the opportunity to either shine or fail, we were forced - literally forced - to play hour upon hour of Xbox Live. We used the X10 in games like Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas and it never failed to deliver. The audio was crystal clear, we had no complaints from our team mates about the quality of our voice, and the design remained comfortable to wear even after long periods of use.

The only complaints we have with this unit are two fold. Firstly, when you switch the headset over to microphone mute, it doesn't do the best job of muting. It greatly diminishes the sound coming from the microphone but it doesn't remove all of it as you can still make out what is being said if you listen carefully enough. The other issue is the design. While it is comfortable, the black and green motif that Plantronics has chosen is more akin to the older style Xbox than the white and green aesthetic of the Xbox 360.

Apart from those minor problems we have no problem recommending this unit to someone looking for an alternative to the official Microsoft option. It is sturdier than the official headset, delivers better all-round performance and is a little cheaper too. Considering the Xbox 360 Premium pack doesn't come with a headset in this region, you may want to consider the Plantronics GameCom X10 when looking to head online for some multiplayer madness.