Alienware AW988 radio gambling Headset headset

Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use Alienware is back in the headset game for the first time in nearly a decade. The last time we saw an Alienware headset , the Obama Administration was in its first year. Alienware appears to have used its time wisely in creating the Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset (model AW988) (See it at Dell) (See it at Amazon UK) . From build quality to sound quality, this wireless gaming headset hits the mark. It offers the sturdy yet sleek design that you expect from Alienware along with two-zone RGB lighting and lag-free 7.1 surround sound. I have a few nits to pick, however, and at $200 they are quite pricey, but then again, this is Alienware we're talking about so it's not a huge surprise. Alienware AW988 – Design and Features The Alienware AW988 feels about as far from a cheap, plastic headset as you can get despite its reliance on plastic materials. The headband and the earcup supports are made of plastic, but they feature a soft-touch coating that has a pleasingly smooth, rubberized feel to it. The headband integrates its padding beneath the soft-touch coating for a seamless, sleek look. The padded band is comfortable, but I still prefer the ski-goggle-strap headband of the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless and SteelSeries Arctis 7 . Like most headsets, the Alienware headset uses a telescoping mechanism for size adjustment. With roughly 1.25-inches of adjustment on each end of the headband, the headset offers ample size adjustment for heads of all sizes. Alienware AW988 – Software Alienware AW988 – Performance and Gaming Purchasing Guide Like the SteelSeries headsets mentioned above, the Alienware has some heft to it, which the suspension feel of the SteelSeries ski-goggle-strap helps to mitigate. The headband’s padding is comfy, but it still feels a bit on the heavy side. It weighs 13.25 ounces, which is about the same as the Arctis 7, however.Two other things about the earcups that you’ll like: they rotate so you can more easily rest the headset around your neck or lie flat on your desk, and inside the left earcup is stamped with a big L and the right earcup with a big R so you can easily tell which is which as soon as you grab the headset to get to gaming.Part of the reason the Alienware headset is on the heavy side is the headband doesn’t end where the earcups begin. Instead, the headband terminates on either end in an earcup support that’s the same size and shape on the earcup itself. The earcups connect to the headband not from their tops but from their sides. The earcups feature two-zone RGB lighting, which is one zone more than you usually get from a headset.On the left earcup support, you’ll find a number of controls. The alien-head centered on the side of the earcup acts as the power button. On the back edge there's a volume dial, mute button for the microphone, and a game/chat volume mixer that lets you adjust the volume levels of your chat against the sounds of your game. The volume dial is of the basic notched plastic variety; for a premium headset, I’m surprised Alienware didn’t opt for a wider, rubbery volume dial like you get on the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, which is easier to locate and control.On the bottom edge you’ll find a button to switch between three EQ modes (gaming, music, movie) and two ports -- a micro-USB port for the charging cable and a 3.5mm jack for the auxiliary audio cable for use with mobile devices and console controllers. The charging cable is braided, an appreciated touch to help combat tangles and knots. The 3.5mm audio cable isn’t braided but offers the next best thing -- it’s flat like linguine to prevent tangles.The headset offers helpful voice prompts when you connect to your computer, switch EQ modes, mute the microphone, and when the battery gets low. Alienware rates the battery life for the headset at 15 hours, though I suspect that you’ll get less with the RGB lights enabled. I used the headset off and on for days without needing to recharge. A battery indicator LED on the left earcup turns on and shines red when you when you hit 10%, at which point you’ll receive an audible “Battery low” warning. You’ll hear repeated “Battery critical” warnings when you get down to 3% battery remaining and below, useful reminders to charge your headset. You can continuing using it while it charges, however. The battery indicator goes from red to yellow to green as you charge the headset, but the yellow and green lights don’t shine when the headset is unplugged and in use.The microphone design deserves some kudos. The boom mic folds up and rests in a slot when you don’t need it so that it practically disappears. Folding it up also mutes it if you don’t want to blindly search for the mute button. The mic’s design offers the best of both worlds: like a detachable microphone, it can disappear when not needed but it stays attached so you can’t misplace it.The headset use a 2.4GHz wireless connection via a small USB dongle to connect to your computer. In another clever design point, the headset features a small notch in the underside of the right earcup where you can store the dongle to take with you (and, more importantly, not lose).With the Alienware Headset Center software, you can tweak the headset to your liking. It lets you set EQ levels for the gaming, music, and movie profiles. And there are five separate gaming profiles you can configure for Shooter, Strategy, Role Play, Racing, and a general gaming profile labeled Alienware. There’s a separate section for tweaking the microphone where I found the Noise Suppression effect to be highly effective in bringing my voice to the forefront of the mix, an important feature since many headset mics make it sound like you are speaking from somewhere deep in a cave.There are two other sections that I don’t have much use for. One lets streamers add audio effects to their shows, and the other overlays a small circle along the right edge of your game and acts as sort of a radar to let you know from which direction sounds are coming.Finally, there is the lighting section that offers the usual effects including Pulsing, Breathing, and Morphing. You can tweak the brightness and tempo of the effect, which is handy. To get two-zone lighting, however, you’ll need to choose the Basic Color option that shows a static color (or colors). You’ll also need to leave the software running to enable your chosen lighting effect.Overall, the Alienware Headset Center software is well organized and easy to use, but it is PC-only. It features a small battery icon in the top right that shows you the percentage remaining for the battery when you mouse over the icon. In preferences, you can set the time of inactivity before the headset powers off; it’s set to 30 minutes by default but you can select between five minutes and never.The Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset offers the most convincing 7.1 virtual surround sound I’ve heard. I was impressed with the 7.1 sound of the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless and the SteelSeries Arctis 7, but I was better able to locate sound with this headset. The sound field seemed huge. It was very useful on larger, more open maps on CS:GO and Overwatch to locate the enemy. The overall sound was also impressive; it produced deep, rumbling explosions as well as crisp rifle and pistol fire.Music playback sounded great on YouTube and via a wired connection to my iPhone, with a balanced mix of treble and bass. Unlike other gaming headsets, the mix is not tipped toward the low end. Plus, if you don’t like the sound, you have the ability to tweak the levels with the Alienware Headset Center software.Thehas as MSRP $229.99 but can be found for $199.99 direct from Dell.com.