UFG Goes Hands on With TekNmotion Intruder Gaming Headset!
I love playing single player video games. Getting wrapped up in a good story, losing myself in the world of the game, or just saving the princess (again) can result in good times spent. As much as I love playing single player games, playing multiplayer games are even better. Some of my fondest gaming memories involve me hanging out with a bunch of friends and playing video games. Of course now that I am older, it’s much harder to get a group of all my friends in the same place at the same time to play games. This fact is the main reason why I play over Xbox Live, PSN, or Steam. I’m able to spend time with fellow gamers, but from the comfort of my home. Awesome! The only thing that can ruin this experience (besides a power outage or drop in connection) is having to deal with a bad headset. This brings me to TekNmotion’s new Intruder Gaming Headset. After using this headset for sometime, I can safely say that it never ruined a gaming session!
I was very excited when the Intruder arrived at our doorstep. Based on the enthusiastic press releases, I expected great things from this headset. One thing that was interesting to me was the fact that the Intruder had multiple, removable parts that helps the headset be more universal. So, after removing the Intruder from its box, the first thing I wanted to do was check out all of its accessories. It comes with a Breakaway Inline Controller cable with two standard 3.5mm connecters, two detachable microphones, and a chat adapter (for the Mac). Each component gives owners various options when it comes to gaming, chatting, or just listening to music. The inline controller cable attaches to the headset’s cord, extending its reach while also giving gamers the ability to change the volume and/or mute their mic. The inline cable also has two plugs; green for the headphones, pink for the mic. If you have a Mac with only one audio jack, no worries; just attach the chat adapter to the end of the headphone and mic plugs. It will consolidate the plugs into one audio plug to be compatible with the Mac. There is also a smart phone adapter. Apparently some devices require an adapter to be headset compatible, such as Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia . The last components are the microphones; the first is omni-direction mic, used for gaming and the second is a smaller mic for smart phones and tablets. All together you have a pretty nice list of options when it comes to using this headset.
Before getting into the usefulness of the accessories, let’s go back to the headset itself. The Intruder features nice, padded, over-the-ear cups that are adjustable (they also fold up for easy storage). Although it isn’t the most unique looking headset on the market today, the overall style is very appealing (the red and black look goes well with my red, back lit Saitek keyboard). Moving on to its usefulness, usually headsets of this nature do one of two things well; either they are comfortable but the sound quality is poor or the sound is great but you taking them off within a few minutes due to the painful pressure placed on your ears. That’s not the case with the Intruder; I have finally found a headset that does both well. The Intruder provides a nice “boom” for my bap when listening to music and a hard “click” when sliding in another clip into my gun while gaming. Moreover, I never had a hard time hearing my friends talking over their mics during sessions. Truth is, the Intruder provides outstanding sound quality (the cups feature 40mm speakers). On top of that I was able to wear the headset for long periods of time; something I thought was impossible due to my sensitive ears. Almost all types of head gear (headphones, headsets, blue tooths, earbuds, ear buds, etc…) cause pain after an hour or two. With the Intruder, the only problem I had was with my ears becoming warm due to the padded cups.
Going back to the accessories, most of them are useful in their own way. The omni-direction mic picked up my voice easily, while at the same time, keeping out background noises. As it stands the Intruder’s mic does a better job communicating then my Steelseries headset; definitely an accomplishment. The smaller mic is useful, but I don’t see anyone wearing this headset while on the phone due to its larger size. Maybe if you were listening to music on your phone or tablet and someone wanted to talk I can see it coming in handy. Other than that, I didn’t see much of a need. I also didn’t get much use out of the smart phone adapter. With that being said, I have been in a position where I couldn’t use a headset due to my phone not having a compatible jack. Although my phone didn’t need it, the smart phone adapter is still good to have just in case. The inline controller cable is just like normal headset extenders you’d find for this type of gaming peripheral. Being able to turn up the headset’s volume after maxing out a PC’s volume or easily muting my mic is a great option to have though. The chat adapter for Mac is also nice feature; I don’t have a Mac but I’m sure it would come in handy for those who have them. Basically, you can’t go wrong when it comes to using the Intruders extra parts.
When reviewing gaming gear, I weigh an item’s usefulness above its design/look. With great input/output sound quality, collapsible design, and multiple attachments, TekNmotion’s Intruder Gaming Headset is defiantly a useful piece of equipment. The only thing I wish it had is the ability to connect to consoles. I’m sure you could find an adapter online; it just would have been nice to include that in the overall package. Still, it does have a lot to offer. It even has a nice leather carrying bag which, with everything placed inside, is really small for easy storage. Throw in the $59.99 price tag, other top of the line sets can range from $100 to $200 bucks, and you have a nice gaming peripheral on your hands. This would be an awesome gift for…any day of the year. Go get it!
Final Verdict:
Highly Recommended!
