Game Guys review: TekNMotion's PulseWave 2 gaming headset

Computer headsets seem to come a dime-a-dozen at stores like RadioShack, Fry's and online retailer Amazon.com -- okay, maybe more like ten-to-twenty bucks for a small one.  But gamers tend to want more than what a simple RadioShack-esque computer headset can handle, hence the competitive market of high-quality gaming headsets.

TekNMotion's latest entry into the marketplace is their PulseWave 2 gaming headset for PC.  It features oversized earcups, a detachable gooseneck microphone and lights on the outside of the earcups.  That's right:  lights.  Three different colors of LED (to be exact) that corolate with how powerful the bass is literally thumping.

Why put LEDs on the outside of the earcups?  Other than the fact that putting them on the inside would be ludicrus, they're supposed to look "cool".  Truth be told, the LEDs are more of a gimmick than anything, but PC gamers tend to like flashy gimmicks like these.  How else would you explain the need to put neon-colored LEDs inside the case of one's gaming computer?

As for the headset's actual performance, it's actually quite good.  Gaming sound is nice and crisp (for the purpose of this review the PC game Storm over the Pacific was played).  The PulseWave 2's simulated 5.1 surround effectivly emmerses the player into the game being played, but the real kicker is the built-in rumble feature which accompanies low-frequency sounds such as gun fire and bomb blasts.  The rumble (along with the bass) can be tweaked from as low as being practically non-existant to the point that it feels like the earcups might rumble themselves off of your head.

Probably the most pleasant surprise with the PulseWave 2 is that even at full volume (the kind that will render a person deaf after about 30 minutes) there was no distortion to be noticed.  The headphones continued to pump out perfect audio and head-shaking bass.

As for the microphone, it's fully detachable from the headset for the times when it's unneeded and/or in the way.  The microphone's left-earcup mount swivels upwards as well to get it out of the way.  Unfortunatly it doesn't swivel all the way around so the headset can be reversed to put the mic on the right side of one's face.  And as for sound clarity, the mic performed very well for both a short Skype call as well as voice chatting in Second Life.

The only thing to say bad about TekNMotion's new gaming headset is that even though the earcups fit nicely around the ears with a little wiggle room to spare, they became uncomfortable after about 45 minutes of wearing them.  This may have been because of the rumble feature, but it very well might be something else.  After 45 straight minutes of PC gaming, though, it's probably a good idea to give your eyes a break from staring intently at your computer screen anyhow.

The suggeted retail price for the PulseWave 2 is $59.99, making it a very affordable option for most PC gamers.  And to make the asking price even more attractive, it's easy to say that the headset vastly out-performs its price-point and could easly be justifiably priced much higher than it is.

Final Game Guys grade: A-

- Game Guy Barry White bcwhite@news10.net

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