Xbox confirms it hid new headset ‘in plain sight’ last year

Microsoft’s newly announced Xbox wireless headset was actually shown for the first time in late 2020.

As spotted by Twitter user Patrick Maka and confirmed in a response from the official Xbox account, the headset was worn by Get Out and Black Panther actor Daniel Kaluuya in an Xbox Series X/S trailer which first aired last October.

“We don’t always hide things in plain sight… but when we do: it’s awesome hardware,” the Xbox account tweeted.

Prior to the launch of Microsoft’s current-gen consoles in November 2020, Xbox boss Phil Spencer also hid Xbox Series S in plain site on his bookshelf during interviews.

Microsoft revealed the new Xbox wireless headset earlier on Tuesday ahead of its release on March 16, 2021.

Priced at $99.99/£89.99, the new first-party accessory promises to deliver “best-in-class audio and chat performance, outstanding design and comfort, and unique experiences that are tailored for each gamer”.

The headset supports spatial sound technologies including Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone: X.

It can be used wirelessly across multiple devices including Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and can connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth.

Using the Xbox Accessories app on consoles and PC, players can customise equaliser settings, bass boost, auto-mute sensitivity, mic monitoring and the brightness of the mic’s mute light.

Microsoft said it plans to evolve the headset over time via wireless updates delivered from Xbox consoles.

Xbox’s platform development boss recently teased “exciting” new features coming to Series X/S, stating that what’s been released so far is “just the beginning”.

Speaking on the latest official Xbox podcast, director of program management Jason Ronald said that these new platform announcements will be made as early as “over the coming months”.

Further reading

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Xbox development boss teases ‘exciting’ platform updates: ‘This is just the beginning’

Jason Ronald says his team is currently updating Quick Resume, broadcasting and more