Amazon is offering Amazon Prime members an older generation Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh USB Power Bank, which also includes a 65W USB PD wall charger for only $49.99 shipped after you clip a $10 off coupon on the product page. That’s over 50% off its original $110 MSRP. This is close to the highest capacity power bank you’re allowed to bring on airplane carry-on, and it also boasts 60W of USB power delivery to charge your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, or ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld.
Anker PowerCore 737 25,600mAh Power Bank for $49.99
Includes a 65W USB PD wall charger
The Anker PowerCore 737 can be used like any other power bank; it does a fine job of charging any of your standard mobile electronics. It has two USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port. This is one of the largest capacity power banks that can be brought onto an airplane as carry-on. It can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED over 5 times, iPhone 15 Pro Max over 5 times, Steam Deck over 4 times, and an ASUS ROG Ally over 9 times. The power bank is physically larger than smaller capacity ones and weighs in at 1.3 pounds.
The USB Type-C port supports up to 60W Power Delivery. That’s enough to charge the Steam Deck (35W) and Nintendo Switch (18W) at their maximum charging speed. It’s also very close to the maximum charging speed of the ASUS ROG Ally, which caps at 65W. The two USB Type-A ports support up to 18W of total charging, which is enough to fast charge a Nintendo Switch.
What’s unique about this deal compared to some other similar deals we’ve posted is that this one also comes with a USB Type-C wall charger that supports 65W of Power Delivery. There’s no need to buy another wall charger or scavenge one from another power bank you might have sitting around.
The Anker 737 is our pick for best Steam Deck / ASUS ROG Ally charger
We picked the newer Anker 737 as our favorite portable charger for the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally portable gaming handhelds. Both the ROG Ally and Steam Deck suffer from a short battery life when gaming on the go. For instance, when playing most games at 60 FPS, you’re likely looking at four hours of battery life, at most. We even found games like God of War or Spider-Man would tap out in under 2 hours on the Steam Deck. At the end of the day, you’ll never get the full potential out of your Steam Deck or ROG Ally if you’re not equipped with a decent portable charger.
Developer 11 Bit Studios has announced an upcoming playable demo of The Alters, the team’s alluring and unique new survival game. Check out the stellar new trailer above, and then play the demo for yourself on Steam on June 10 until June 17.
So what is The Alters? Well, we encourage you to watch our recent hands-on preview below, but in short, you play as Jans. But not just one Jans. Lots of Jans. See, you’re a miner on a hostile planet who must pull in versions of yourself from other realities in order to survive. But they’re not mere clones. Rather, they’re you but they’ve lived their own completely unique lives, and as such they’ll bring different looks, skills, and personalities to your tall task at hand.
Our exclusive month-long IGN First coverage starts now with the demo announcement trailer at the top of this page, and it continues tomorrow with exclusive gameplay footage from the very demo you can play for yourself on Monday.
And be sure to check back all June long for lots more coverage of The Alters as our June IGN First “cover story”! Check out more of The Alters on their Steam page.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
Shenmue fans are so desperate for another game in the long-running action adventure series they bought an advertisement in New York’s famous Times Square to campaign for Shenmue 4.
Fan website Shenmue Dojo launched a campaign on June 4, 2024 to “support the continuation of the series and attempt to spread global awareness to find [developer] Ys Net a potential partner for Shenmue 4.” Part of this campaign involved renting a 15-second advertisement on Times Square, which can be seen below, that displayed a handful of characters from the series alongside “#LetsGetShenmue4.”
“Shenmue fans do some insane things to try and get recognised,” an X/Twitter post from Shenmue Dragons said. “Are you watching Sega?” While a 15-second advertisement at Times Square can cost as little as $40, a fanbase paying to promote a series over its developer or publisher is still an unusual move.
Broadcast live during our #Shenmue Day stream, #LetsGetShenmue4 hit the streets of New York with a full on 15 second advertisement on Times Square! 🏙️
The effort paid off too, as Shenmue was trending on X/Twitter around the advertisement and campaign. “Thank you to everyone that helped to show their support with the timed mass tweets/posts today,” Shenmue Dojo wrote. “It was very much appreciated and proves that together, as a collective, we can spread the awareness that we are not going to sit back without a fight. We will continue to strive until Shenmue 4 is a reality.”
The campaign began after series creator Yu Suzuki told Shenmue Dojo he’d potentially make Shenmue 4 if he found a publishing partner to fund it.
Shenmue follows a teenage martial artist called Ryo Haz as he hunts his father’s killer in 1980s Japan and China. Shenmue 1 and 2 were released in 1999 and 2001 respectively but the franchise then went quiet for almost two decades before Shenmue 3 arrived in 2019, partly funded by a Kickstarter campaign.
“I want Shenmue 4 to be enjoyable for newcomers,” he said at the time. “To make that possible, the most important thing is to make it enjoyable without knowing previous events in the story.
“I don’t think that a new player wants to know 100% of the story. 20% or 30% could be enough. In Shenmue 3, we implemented a digest movie that teaches the player the main events of the previous games, but for Shenmue 4 I want to integrate that part into the main game. It would be great if the player could naturally learn about previous events just by playing the game. For example, rather than watching a separate movie, having playable flashbacks could be a way to do it.”
“I want Shenmue 4 to be enjoyable for newcomers.
Suzuki also said he’d thought about making a prequel instead of a sequel, but didn’t indicate anything was being actively worked on. He has other projects in the works too.
In our 5/10 review of the last game, IGN said: “Rejoining Ryo Hazuki’s quest to avenge his father is exciting, but Shenmue 3 feels like a game that has ignored the innovation and progress of the last 20 years of video game development.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
GTA Online is getting its own take on Dog the Bounty Hunter with the game’s next major update.
Developer Rockstar Games announced this summer’s update to the hugely popular GTA Online lets players set up their own bail enforcement and bounty hunting business. There’s very little to go on at this point, not even a release date, but already fans are getting excited by the prospect of living out their Dog the Bounty Hunter fantasy within the virtual world of GTA Online.
Elsewhere, players will get to “conduct a range of off-the-books enforcement activities” across Los Santon for Vincent. There are new tools and props to create custom Drift and Drag Races in the Creator, and “much more” later this month.
Here’s the official blurb, per Rockstar:
This summer’s action-packed GTA Online update also delivers a collection of new rides to covet and collect, boosts to payouts across a number of existing modes and missions, including Taxi Work, Open Wheel Races, Operation Paper Trail, and more.
Creator upgrades include the aforementioned expansion of custom Drift Race tracks and Drag Race circuits, and new units in all tracks — from drivers doing donuts and bouncing lowriders, to crowd animations, and more.
The summer update also makes various improvements to GTA Online, including an increased Sell Mission timer to make it easier for solo players taking on Biker and Gunrunning sales, snacks automatically replenishing when launching most missions, and buffing defensive and armor capabilities for the Sparrow and Bombushka.
“As we continue to monitor and balance payouts to ensure all mission types are fun and rewarding, we will be increasing base payouts for players taking part in Open Wheel Races, Taxi Work, and many Contact Missions,” Rockstar said.
The GTA Online summer update comes amid increased excitement around GTA 6. So far Rockstar has dropped a solitary, record-breaking trailer for the game, due out fall 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Rockstar is yet to detail its plan for GTA 6’s version of GTA Online, or say what becomes of the existing GTA Online once GTA 6 comes out. Until then, however, GTA Online remains hugely popular, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars for parent company Take-Two each quarter.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Supergiant Games has released Patch 2 for the Early Access version of Hades 2, which adds more night time encounters, refreshes the UI, and more.
Outlined in a Steam post, Supergiant first thanked fans for playing this early version of Hades 2 and for providing feedback which influences patches. This second update arrives less than three weeks after Patch 1 but features dozens of changes, improvements, and bug fixes.
Balance changes take up a large part of the spoiler heavy patch notes, available below, but Supergiant has also made larger gameplay changes including the ability to encounter up to one additional Olympain each night, increased the invulnerability duration after Death Defiance, and the option to press and hold to continuously harvest Crescent Pick outcroppings.
Hades 2’s menus and UI were also updated to include several new icons, the Chaos Trials have been reduced in difficulty, and some resources are now easier to come across in certain areas. As for weapon and ability buffs and nerfs, Nocturnal Arms, Keepsakes, Daedalus Hammers, Hexes of Selene, and more are all affected.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Even in its Early Access state, Hades 2 is just about everything one could ask for in a sequel to one of the best roguelites of all time. Featuring excellent refinements to its roguelite progression, a fantastic new main character in Melinoe, and two unique sets of levels that have you fighting foes on the surface and in the underworld.”
Hades 2 Early Access Patch 2 Notes
General Gameplay
You now can encounter up to one additional Olympian each night (as in the previous game)
You now are likely to find one more Boon or other major reward while in Erebus
Increased invulnerability duration after your Death Defiance effects activate
Improved rewards of Ash and Psyche can now be found in Oceanus and the Rift of Thessaly
You now can press-and-hold to harvest repeatedly from Crescent Pick Outcroppings
Toula should now stay closer to you in Encounters, especially in the Fields Mourning
Nemesis no longer offers Death Defiance items if you do not need to refill the effect
Reduced Gold cost of Selene’s Boon and Path of Stars in Charon’s Shop
Minor adjustments to the order in which Olympians may first appear early on
Normalized chances of finding Fishing Points in various regions
Nocturnal Arms & Abilities
Witch’s Staff: Special knocks foes away, but is slightly slower; Omega Special is faster
Sister Blades: Special staggers standard foes longer; Attack visual FX better match the hitbox
Umbral Flames: Attacks are stronger and faster; Omega Attack channels faster and uses less magick; Special gives a speed boost, but has reduced damage; Omega Special can be channeled while moving
Moonstone Axe: reworked Special provides a lingering barrier; Omega Attack channels slightly faster; Omega Special channels faster
Argent Skull: Omega Attack channels faster and hits a larger area
Aspects of the Nocturnal Arms
Witch’s Staff (Circe): adjusted activation and duration of Serenity effect; Serenity now adds Omega bonus damage that scales with this Aspect’s rank
Witch’s Staff (Momus): reworked; each of your Omega Moves automatically fires several times in succession from where you use them
Sister Blades (Artemis): you will Block again if the effect recharges while you are channeling; Block now takes priority over Dodge and similar effects
Umbral Flames (Eos): reworked; Omega Attack now fires a slow shot that occasionally creates damage blasts and also copies your Specials
Moonstone Axe (Melinoë): reworked; now adds Power and Max Life
Dark Side: slightly increased Magick-spend requirement; slightly reduced cast time
Foes & Encounters
Chronos: various fixes and adjustments; there should be fewer cases where he’s patently unfair
Infernal Cerberus: minor adjustments to some attack patterns in the first phase
Eris: grenade attacks no longer wildly bounce around
Polyphemus: reduced effectiveness of Mutant Sheep
Goldwrath: reduced accuracy and tracking of beam attack
Queen Lamia: slightly increased Armor; increased speed; other minor changes
Reed-Stalker: increased projectile speed and target distance; reduced rotation speed
Mourner: slightly increased rotation speed; slightly increased speed while attacking
Lamia: slightly increased life and Elite armor
Dire Shambler: reduced tracking speed between attacks
Hippo: self-destruct area should more closely match the visuals
Level Design & Environments
Driftwood resources are more common in the Rift of Thessaly (a further increase since last patch)
Burning Oil Slicks in the Rift of Thessaly will extinguish after Encounters, though may be reignited
Adjusted Oil Slicks in some locations in the Rift of Thessaly
Minor fixes to several locations
Fated List of Minor Prophecies
Clearing Original Sins no longer requires choosing the very rare Barren curse from Chaos
Chaos Trials
Trial of Heartache: reduced difficulty and adjusted based on Aspect changes
Trial of Haste: reduced difficulty and adjusted based on Aspect changes
Oath of the Unseen
Vow of Forsaking: no longer helps ensure you quickly get Duo and Legendary Boons
Menus & UI
Added many new UI icons for Keepsakes, Weapons, Well of Charon offerings, and more
Insight Into Offerings (Cauldron) now also lets you check each Olympian’s list of offerings in the Book of Shadows while choosing their Boons (or the equivalent with other characters)
With the prior change, adjusted default key binding for Rarify; some custom bindings have been reset
Added a warning when you are down to your last use of Death Defiance
Opening the Book of Shadows should show entries for nearby characters more reliably
Removed the Unused Grasp notification when exiting the Altar of Ashes while at a high Grasp limit
Updated Pitch-Black Stone screen to use Aspect-specific icons
Adjusted input action bar layout at the bottom of the Boon Screen and similar
Added borders to icons for Selene Hexes on the Gifts of the Moon screen
Added informational pop-up when using F10 to report bugs
Other minor changes
Art & Visual FX
Reduced some full-screen flashing or strobing, such as from time-slow effects
Music & SFX
Added SFX for when certain active abilities such as Serenity are ready to use
Updated placeholder SFX for various Keepsakes
Updated SFX for projectile collisions with Umbral Flames (Moros)
Voice & Narrative
Unique voice lines should play more reliably when certain incantations are revealed in the Cauldron
Added voice lines when using Phase Shift (Selene) vs. Chronos (or trying to…)
More voice lines should play when confiding in Frinos in certain contexts
Miscellaneous
While brooding over the family portrait in the Crossroads, you may now snap out of it sooner
You now can fully control the game using keyboard only if you rebind Attack and Special
All timers now pause while in the presence of Charon
An Anvil of Fates will no longer be offered in Tartarus if you have not found a Daedalus Hammer
In the Hades Flashback, adjusted timing of hint for players who don’t realize they are in control
Reduced requirements for the incantation Power to Pause and Reflect to be revealed
Melinoë now respawns in the center of her magick circle near her tent (she was a bit off before…)
Improved compatibility with more types of controllers
Updated text for various upgrades and abilities
Bug Fixes
Fixed Double Up (Poseidon) sometimes doubling Mystery Boons; clarified description
Fixed Nightmare resources dropping unexpectedly in Chaos Trials
Fixed Omega moves occasionally becoming unresponsive after being chomped on by Polyphemus
Fixed deadliest attack of Chronos occasionally hitting when Melinoë was in a supposedly safe point
Katsuhiro Harada, chief developer of the Tekken series, has offered a fascinating insight into the making of the fighting game franchise’s characters, specifically their dialogue — and in the process revealed why one Tekken character in particular became popular despite saying nothing at all.
Harada tweeted in response to one user who asked about a line of dialogue spoken by the character Reina in the recently released Tekken 8, but the answer went on to describe the process of adding dialogue to Tekken characters, kicking off with Bryan and Yoshimitsu in 1997’s Tekken 3. Before that game, Tekken characters did not speak, but it was felt that with the demise of the arcade scene in the West and a shift toward consoles, there was a need to strengthen characterization.
This is when Bryan’s famous “Muwahaha!” laugh comes in, but only when the camera was not pointed at the character’s face as much as possible due to hardware limitations.
“So I decided to include dialogue such as laughter or yes!! in the throwing scene where Bryan turns his back to the camera’s gaze and in the scene where Bryan is down (and Nina stomps),” Harada said. “I also wanted to express Bryan’s character as both a sadist and a masochist.”
“I also wanted to express Bryan’s character as both a sadist and a masochist.
Subsequent Tekken games released on more powerful hardware added more characterization, although, as Harada points out, there’s an irony in Bryan becoming a character known for not speaking much at all. Another Tekken character who does not speak is Dragunov, and Harada offered an insight into how that came to be — and revealed his surprise at the character’s popularity despite his silence.
In short, Dragunov was designed as the “negative” to Lili’s “positive”, with the expectation that Dragunov would not be a popular character, whereas Lili would be. Indeed, Harada asked the developers to “keep his personality down, keep him plain, and he doesn’t need to be so popular.”
And so, Dragunov does not speak in Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, the 2005 update to Tekken 5 in which he was introduced. This also helped lighten the load on the development team, as Dragunov had few facial animations, very little lip-sync, and no more dialogue to localize.
Harada said he was nervous about Dragunov because he had become “soooo plain and brooding.” But then something unexpected happened: “the sober Dragunov, who did not speak at all, on the contrary, became popular among Tekken players because he was unique.”
The conclusion: times have changes, Harada suggested.
“In the 90s, if you didn’t have characters speaking dialogue as soon as possible, ‘they wouldn’t have any characterization!’ I thought.
“But I see, in a world where it is normal for game characters to speak after a generational change, I learned the opposite, that not speaking is also a matter of individuality.
“And even today, it is rare to find a fighting game character who does not say a word at all while fighting, at the start of a round, or throughout the entire win-pose (even Kuma and Panda communicate). Is there any other fighting game character that doesn’t talk as much as Dragunov?”
This is not “iisou” but “iizo” (like “iizoou!” a little stronger than “iizo!”). The nuance is NOT JUST “That’s good,” but includes a “Good! Go ahead, I dare you!”.
Originally, this specification was developed by me during the development of TEKKEN3, when Nina made a specific… https://t.co/lQqTCbuOfh
So there you have it! Harada just dropped Tekken deep lore, delighting veteran fans of the series. But this isn’t the only hot topic Harada has discussed on social media recently. This week, months after he was made painfully aware of fans’ grassroots movement to get an official Waffle House stage in the long-running fighting game series, and having received tons of information about the American Southern diner chain via memes, viral videos, and earnest replies from fans, Harada said he was still baffled at the “culture” of Waffle House.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
PlayStation game The Last of Us 2 will see a release on PC according to a reliable leaker.
Dealabs’ reliable leaker Billbil-kun, who has a long list of accurate PlayStation reveals under their belt, reported the PC version of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us 2 is essentially wrapped up, but is potentially being held back to coincide with the 2025 release of Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us show.
Sony is yet to comment.
The Last of Us 2 first launched on PlayStation 4 in June 2020 before releasing on PlayStation 5 in remastered form in January 2024. A PC version of The Last of Us 2 would come as no surprise, given Sony has already released the first game on PC.
The company’s strategy is to release its big single-player games on PlayStation consoles first, before coming to PC later. The Last of Us launched on PC in March 2023. Perhaps The Last of Us 2 will launch on PC in March 2025.
Before then, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarok launches on PC on September 19, 2024. Live service PlayStation games, however, launch on PlayStation 5 and PC at the same time. Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 did exactly that earlier this year and went on to become the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time with an incredible 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks. The upcoming Concord, another live service shooter, is also set to launch on PS5 and PC on the same day later this year.
It’s worth noting that all PlayStation games on PC, even single-player only games, now require a PlayStation Network account to work, much to the annoyance of some Steam users. God of War: Ragnarok launches on PC with the new PlayStation overlay featuring shared trophies and more that was introduced with the PC version of Ghost of Tsushima.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Mortal Kombat 1 now has Homelander as a DLC character, and players are already finding cool Easter eggs with the supervillain.
Homelander, from the phenomenally popular Prime Video show The Boys, launches in NetherRealm’s gory fighting game with a number of references, but one Brutality in particular was found to include unique dialogue that hat tips an infamous scene.
Warning! Spoilers for The Boys Season 2 follow:
In The Boys Season 2 premiere The Big Ride, Homelander is introduced to Blindspot, a candidate for replacing the now-deceased Translucent’s spot in The Seven. Blindspot is blind but possesses superhuman hearing and agility. Homelander, clearly unimpressed, bashes Blindspot’s ears in, declaring him “just another useless f***ing blind guy.”
All Mortal Kombat 1 characters have Brutalities — unique moves that end a match in a particularly brutal fashion. They’re triggered by doing an extra input command on top of a specific combo ender or move that wins the final round. Most of the characters in the game have six brutalities, but ever since Mortal Kombat 1 launched in September last year, players have discovered secret Brutalities, too.
Homelander’s Brutality is similar to the ear bash he performs on Blindspot in the show, leaving his opponent screaming in agony on the floor. But, if Homelander performs this Brutality on Kenshi, he says the line from the show: “just another useless f***ing blind guy.” Kenshi, Mortal Kombat fans will know, is a blind swordsman who uses telekinetic abilities to defeat his opponents — and perfect fodder for Homelander’s quip.
It’s a cool nod to The Boys, but not everything about Mortal Kombat 1’s Homelander is a perfect recreation of the on-screen character. For example, Warner Bros. has remained coy about the voice actor behind Mortal Kombat 1’s Homelander. Antony Starr, who plays Homelander in The Boys, does not voice the character, much to the disappointment of fans. Omni-Man voice actor J. K. Simmons reprised his role for Mortal Kombat 1, as did Peacemaker actor John Cena. It is unclear why Starr did not do the same here.
The Mortal Kombat 1 Kombat Pack includes the Jean-Claude Van Damme character skin for Johnny Cage (available now), and one-week early access to six playable DLC characters: Omni-Man (available now), Quan Chi (available now), Peacemaker (available now), Ermac (available now), Homelander (available now), and the upcoming Takeda Takahashi, as well as five DLC Kameo fighters. The Boys Season 4, meanwhile, kicks off June 13.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Destiny 2 developer Bungie has issued an apology to disgruntled fans who struggled to play The Final Shape expansion at launch.
The Final Shape launched on June 4 and Destiny 2 soon ran into significant server issues that prevented players from making progress through the hotly anticipated campaign. Many reported being booted from campaign levels, missing out on crucial cutscenes and losing progress. Bungie tweeted progress updates as it worked to ease the problems, but for many players the night was a write-off.
On Steam, the user review rating for The Final Shape is, predictably, ‘mostly negative’. “Best 40 bucks I ever spent and best two hours of my life… My favorite part was when Cayde said ‘Destiny 2 servers are not available. Dismiss this message to try again,’ ” reads one review. “Today is a good day to collect all the error codes if you still haven’t got them all,” reads another.
Now, Bungie has tweeted to address the various problems. “Hey everyone, if connection issues have blocked you from playing or enjoying The Final Shape today, we want to apologize,” the Sony-owned studio said. “We’re hard at work trying to resolve each of these issues as quickly as possible, and many of the connection issues from this morning have already been fixed.”
“If connection issues have blocked you from playing or enjoying The Final Shape today, we want to apologize.
Bungie has rolled out a number of restarts in a bid to tackle errors causing players to get kicked out of activities, which it said “remains our highest priority issue to resolve.” Those who missed a cutscene can replay the mission by accessing the Replayable Missions node in the middle of the Pale Heart map, Bungie advised. There are cutscenes at the end of Mission 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
“We built The Final Shape to be an exciting, cathartic, story-driven adventure for everyone to enjoy,” Bungie continued. “We’re truly sorry if connection issues and instability is getting in the way of that experience, and we promise to keep working until these issues are resolved.”
We built The Final Shape to be an exciting, cathartic, story-driven adventure for everyone to enjoy. We’re truly sorry if connection issues and instability is getting in the way of that experience, and we promise to keep working until these issues are resolved.
It’s a tough start for The Final Shape, which does appear to have reignited interest in the long-running shooter. Destiny 2 Steam concurrent players peaked at an impressive 315,285, a figure high enough to make the top five most-played games on Valve’s platform. Microsoft and Sony do not provide player numbers for Xbox and PlayStation.
The Final Shape concludes Destiny’s overarching story by placing the player inside the Traveler in a face-off against the mysterious The Witness. It’s the culmination of 10 years of often bewildering Destiny storytelling, and has left fans wondering what’s next. Some are speculating Bungie has Destiny 3 up its sleeve.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The best Xbox Series X/S headsets provide a high level of immersion so you can enjoy your favorite games as they were intended. We understand that not all headsets suit everyone, so that’s why we’ve provided a wide range of gaming headsets to match your gaming style and unique requirements.
TL;DR – These are our picks for the Best Xbox Series X/S Headsets:
The Xbox Wireless Headset is the official platform gaming headset, and it partners perfectly with the Xbox Series X/S, even matching the console’s design. For under $100, you get simplicity in pairing thanks to its use of the Xbox Wireless standard. An easy connection over Bluetooth or a USB-C dongle is also available for a host of other devices, and as a wireless option, it offers a 15-hour battery life to last through your longest gaming marathons.
This headset doesn’t lack performance or features, offering 40mm drivers to pump out sound—with an especially booming bass—on par with other mid-range headsets and rocking support of Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X. The integration of the Xbox Accessories App allows you to adjust the EQ presets, making the audio customized to your ears. And though the Xbox Wireless Headset totes a mainly plastic build, it’s durable with intuitive dials for volume and game/chat mix on the earcups, as well as easy-to-find buttons for device pairing and mic mute.
2. Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3
Best Wireless Xbox Headset
Slightly heavier than the Gen 2 version of the same headset, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 oozes style, and offers plenty of functions that make the extra weight worthwhile. You can easily access all of the headset’s controls on the left earcup, with some offering multiple functions. Once you get used to the placement and what each button does, it becomes a breeze to navigate through the settings.
With its 50mm Nanoclear drivers and a frequency response of 20Hz – 20KHz, you can expect clear, crisp audio with plenty of punchy bass. If you’re familiar with Turtle Beach headsets, you’ll be familiar with the SuperHuman Hearing feature which boosts certain game sounds, making it an ideal pick for FPS games.
For those who like to customize their audio, the Swarm II app offers enough settings including microphone sensitivity, audio presents, and so on. The added bonus being the two 10-band equalizers, allowing you to adjust game audio and microphone sound separately. And at under $100, this headset is a steal if you value good audio, ease of use, and durability.
3. Corsair HS35
Best Budget Xbox Headset
Pros:
Excellent build quality
Crisp, clear microphone
Cons:
Audio can get muddy
You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a quality headset for your Xbox, and the Corsair HS35 is proof. For under $50, you get a great-looking, light headset with a build quality that punches high above its weight. Its plush, memory phone earcups house impressive 50mm drivers and several easy-to-reach controls. You are limited to only a wired connection using a 3.5mm jack, but that makes it a simple plug-and-play option.
This budget gaming headset offers a decent sound performance akin to most headsets in this price bracket. Some may find the bass a bit heavy and muddy, drowning out higher frequencies. But when you turn down the volume a bit, the audio shortcomings are less distracting. However, the microphone, which is Discord-certified, is surprisingly crisp, ensuring clear communication between you and your teammates.
4. HyperX CloudX Stinger Core
Best Budget Wireless Xbox Headset
Pros:
Xbox Wireless protocol support for simple pairing to Xbox
Clear microphone
Cons:
No Bluetooth support
Wireless Xbox Series X headsets usually come at a heavy premium, costing a couple hundred bucks just to have freedom from wires. Luckily, HyperX has made a name for itself over the last few years, creating some of the best budget headsets around. The HyperX CloudX Stinger Core takes the success that’s made the Cloud Stinger one of the best gaming headsets on the market, strips back all the unnecessary features in order to deliver an affordable wireless gaming headset for the masses.
Sure, it doesn’t support virtual surround sound or a Bluetooth connection, but does that matter when you can usually find this wireless gaming headset for under a hundred bucks? We’ve used dozens of HyperX gaming headsets over the years and can tell you the HyperX CloudX Stinger Core is perfect if you want a no-frills gaming headset that just works.
Though the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 may be one of the cheapest headset on our list, it’s packing everything you need for an immersive, enjoyable gaming experience. With the same drivers as the Arctis Nova 7, this headset’s sound quality is surprisingly great. There’s even support for Microsoft’s Spatial Audio to make the most of sound cues in games, while EQ settings can be adjusted using the SteelSeries GG app on PC.
SteelSeries didn’t forget comfort in the design of the Arctis Nova 1, so you’ll find the headset has a lightweight, height-adjustable build and plush, breathable earcups. Dropping wireless connectivity also helps keep the weight and price lower. That means the only way to connect to your devices is via the 3.5mm jack, making for a simple plug-and-play connection to your Xbox.
With most headsets, you start to feel fatigued after a few hours of wear, but thanks to SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X’s design, you should last almost as long as its impressive 38-hour battery life. Similar to its predecessor, the Arctis 7X, this headset offers an adjustable ski-band headband and soft, breathable fabric memory foam earcups for cool, comfortable gameplay.
The Arctis Nova 7X packs more than just all-day comfort, as your favorite games sound great thanks to the Sonar software, which allows you to tune EQ settings and take advantage of spatial audio. Communication between teammates is also sharp and precise when using the retractable, noise-cancelling microphone. Also on offer is multi-device connectivity via a 2.4GHz dongle, while Bluetooth is available for pairing a plethora of other devices, and you can even use both simultaneously.
Bluetooth connectivity makes it easy to pair a whole host of devices with a headset, and the Razer Kaira Pro offers solid Bluetooth 5.0 support. Therefore, in addition to its use of Xbox Wireless for a seamless connection to your Xbox Series X/S, you can easily connect to your smartphone, tablet, or gaming laptop over Bluetooth. And you can do both simultaneously, so while listening to the action of your favorite shooter through Xbox, you can also jam out to music over your phone connected with Bluetooth.
The Razer Kaira Pro comes loaded with other fun features, like RGB lighting on the earcup to amp up your playing experience, and the headset still manages to last up to 15 hours with RGB turned on. The earcups also offer controls for everything from adjusting the headset’s sound settings to switching between devices, which may be overwhelming to figure out at first. You even get two mics, a removable wired mic and one built-in.
Noise distractions are unavoidable, especially if you live with roommates or in a bustling metropolis, so grabbing a headset with powerful noise cancellation like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is vital. On offer is a hybrid noise-canceling system with four mics that adjust based on what you’re listening to and what it picks up in your environment. Improved earcups also help with sound isolation, and a simple button press activates a transparency mode to reveal what’s happening around you.
With SteelSeries latest, we see the biggest design shift since the start of the Arctis lineup with now telescoping arms on its adjustable headband to better accommodates larger head sizes. The earcups are also slimmer and sleeker, giving off less of a gaming headset vibe and more of wireless headphones look. And one of our favorite features remains intact with a few upgrades, the hot-swappable rechargeable battery system.
SteelSeries recently announced a new white edition of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, adding a bit more comfort and slightly better ANC while keeping everything else we love about the headset the same.
9. Audeze Maxwell
Best Audiophile Xbox Headset
Pros:
Next-level sound quality
80-hour battery life
Cons:
Heavy and bulky
Audiophiles will rejoice when they hear the soundstage of the high-fidelity Audeze Maxwell. Everything from the in-game sound to music mix comes across clearly, while the sound cues remain easily discernable. Unlike the Audeze Penrose X that previously held this spot, the Xbox version of this headset offers Dolby Atmos support for immersive spatial audio delivered through the 90mm planar magnetic drivers with Fluxor magnet arrays and Fazor Waveguides.
As for connectivity, the Maxwell has you covered with a USB-C wired option or wireless dongle to enjoy high-res sound up to 24-bit/96kHz. While Bluetooth 5.3 lets you connect to multiple devices, even supporting the LDAC codec and the low latency LC3plus and LC3 codecs. Beyond audio greatness, this headset offers a suspension headband and contoured earpads for all-day comfort, and we mean all day for several days, with its wild 80-hour battery life.
10. Bang-Olufsen Beoplay Portal
Best Premium Xbox Headset
Pros:
Superior audio quality
Active noise cancellation
Cons:
Shorter battery life
B&O’s Beoplay Portal offers a high-end gaming headset that looks good, sounds good, and feels good. Once you move past the cost, you can enjoy the comfortable, lightweight design that steps away from the look of traditional gaming headsets. With superb audio quality, they’re perfect for everything from listening to your favorite album or basking in the roar of Dolby Atmos enabled game audio pipped from the Xbox Series X/S.
In a world full of distractions, it’s sometimes hard to stay focused on your game, so active noise cancellation should come in handy. Another convenient feature is Xbox Wireless for seamless pairing with your console, while Bluetooth or a 3.5mm audio jack are available for all your other devices. Unfortunately, you can’t use Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth simultaneously like other headsets on this list, and you’ll also find the 12-hour battery could be better.
11. Logitech G Astro A50 X
Best Premium Xbox Headset
Pros:
Insanely immersive sound
HDMI 2.1 passthrough
Cons:
Seriously expensive
If you have the budget to splash out on the Logitech G Astro A50 X headset, you will not be disappointed. This bad boy works across Xbox, PS5, and PC, so you can connect to all platforms seamlessly, and at once! Simply tap between them using the on-ear controls. But, aside from its features, this Xbox Series X headset is going to win users over with its large 40mm drivers, offering clear audio and a wide soundstage.
While the audio is of course the highlight here, you’ll want others to hear you sound as good as you can hear them. Thanks to the broadcast-quality mic, your voice will come across clear and crisp, thanks to Logitech’s 48kHz full-bandwidth Lightspeed mic uplink. Enjoy up to 24 hours of gaming, then simply click the headset back into its docking station to charge.
Where to Get the Best Xbox Headset in the UK
How to Pick the Best Xbox Series X/S Headset
Choosing the best headset for your Xbox Series X/S can enhance your gaming experience tenfold, offering you immersive sound quality, clear communication, and comfortable wear during those epic gaming sessions.
But, before you decide what you want in a gaming headset, you’ll need to determine your budget as this can vastly change the landscape of what’s on offer. Next up, comfort is paramount when it comes to gaming headsets, especially if you’re planning on indulging in marathon gaming sessions. Look for headsets with plush ear cushions, an adjustable headband, and lightweight design to ensure maximum comfort, even during those long hours of gaming.
To create an immersive experience, your chosen headset should offer great sound quality. A headset with clear, crisp audio and robust bass will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the gaming world, picking up subtle sound cues like footsteps or distant gunfire with ease. Some headsets even offer advanced features like spatial audio and surround sound, which can provide a more immersive and realistic gaming experience.
Depending on whether you have multiple devices of consoles, you might want to consider connectivity options. For example, a headset with Bluetooth will be more versatile.
If you spend a lot of time gaming with your friends, you shouldn’t forget about microphone quality. A headset with a high-quality microphone and noise-canceling technology will allow you to communicate clearly with your teammates and coordinate strategies effectively during multiplayer games.
For those with a larger budget, you can weigh up the need for additional features or accessories that come with the headset, such as customizable EQ settings, programmable buttons, and software support.
FAQs
Do You Need Specific Headphones for the Xbox Series X?
The Xbox Series X and Series S are compatible with a range of different headsets. Wireless and wired headsets will both work, as well as those connected via Bluetooth.
Does the Xbox Series X Have a Headphone Jack?
No, the Xbox Series X doesn’t have a headphone jack, but you can plug a headset with a 3.5mm jack into an Xbox controller, like the Xbox Wireless Controller, that is paired to the console.
Can I Use AirPods on an Xbox?
You can’t connect your AirPods directly to your Xbox console, but there are workarounds. For example, you can connect your AirPods to your TV via Bluetooth, or using the Xbox app on your phone.
Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae.
Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.
Image Credit: Annalee Tsujino is a multi disciplinary designer and illustrator. Check them out on Instagram @antsu_illustrations.
