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According to Sony, your Ultimate Weapon when it comes to schooling fools on the FPS battlefield is a 3D surround sound headset. Just like its newly minted DR-GA500 above, what a coincidence! Coming with a separate box to process your computer’s audio into a 7.1-channel surround sound environment, this mic-equipped set of cans is targeted squarely at gamers looking to optimize every last inch of their fragging experience. There’s also a GA-200 model that makes do without the extra audio processing. Both variants share the super special “triple enfolding” padding design, which is intended to make the headgear comfortable for prolonged use. Prices and retail dates aren’t yet available, but just to underline that gaming connection one extra time, Sony will be bundling a free copy of the latest Medal of Honor with these ‘phones starting in mid-October.

Continue reading Sony’s Ultimate Weapon Gaming headsets are as macho as the name suggests

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Razer’s sound experts turn their attention to music-listening gamers with the Razer Orca, the company’s latest game and music headphones.

The Orca is a stylish monstrosity, proudly sporting the company’s distinct, and eye-catching, green color.

You switch between gaming headphones and music via a plug-and-switch cable. By default, the Orca has the standard braided cable for audio. To switch to desktop gaming, you plug in the braided 2-meter extension cable to the connector. It’s that easy and seamless.

Enhanced drivers to optimize in-game sounds and the bass in music are included.

Priced at $59.99, it’s available now online at Razer. It will be available worldwide sometime later this quarter.

Does using a wireless headphone mean getting a weaker audio signal? Not according to Sennheiser, which just introduced three wireless models that stream uncompressed audio. The RS 160, RS 170, and RS 180 (shown here) each let you cut the cord and enjoy your music as you wander. The RS 180 has a range of 328 feet; the RS 170, 262 feet; and the RS 160 64 feet.

The RS 160 ($199.95 street) is the entry-level model, and promises detailed sound and powerful bass. The RS 170 ($249.95 street) is a closed model like the RS 160 and provides a dynamic bass boost and surround sound simulation. The RS 180 ($299.95 street) is an open model that recreates a natural listening environment. All three are available now from Sennheiser’s U.S. site.

Starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to pick up some attractively woody audio accessories, all from the iWave Grass Roots collection. Targeted at the green buyers, iWave’s collection includes headphones, earbuds, and cases, all made from reusable, environmentally friendly, and recyclable materials. Even the egg-crate packaging is recyclable.

Items in the collection include iPhone and iPod cases ($24.99), earbuds ($19.99), and headphones ($29.99). Cheers to iWave for keeping it all affordable. You’ll find the complete collection at Neiman Marcus, Microcenter, FYE, Tekserve, and more. In Europe, they’ll be in Apple Stores.

The current iPod Shuffle is tiny to the point of being hard to use. In fact, lose or break the Apple earbuds and you’re screwed, unable to control playback without the in-line remote in the cable. It is cool-looking though, in a how-the-hell-do-they-fit-an-iPod-in-there? kind of way.

Now you can make it even cooler-looking with the lamely-named Pod à Porter necklace, which despite all good sense seems to be for both men and women. The necklace is a velvet-finish, 3D printed polyamide loop. The iPod plugs into one end and the headphone cable threads around the loop to exit at the other end. The result is a tangle-free unit that keeps cables and everything else above the neckline, and can be worn whilst naked, Patrick Bateman-style.

As someone who has killed countless pairs of expensive headphones by catching cords on street-furniture as I dance through the city, I can appreciate the utility. But as a gadget writer and nerd, I like the manufacturing process even more. The Pod à Porter exists as a 3D computer model designed by Michiel Cornelissen and resides on the servers of Shapeways, the online 3D printing service. When you order, your necklace is cranked out of the printer and mailed to you. This feels a lot like the future.

The Pod à Porter costs $27 and comes in black, white, magenta, blue and green to match your iPod Shuffle.

Pod à Porter [Michiel Cornelissen]

Pod à porter – neckband for iPod shuffle [Shapeways]

See Also:

• Shapeways: 3D Printing for Everyone (but Not for Little Kids …
• 3D Printing
• Print Your Own 3D Styluses
• 3D Printing, Now in Stainless Steel

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