It is late 2020, we are tentatively waiting for the PlayStation 5 to arrive, and people are talking about multi-player gaming, especially now that some countries in Europe, and the UK have gone back into lockdown. Netflix’s stock may be in a nosedive, but the gaming industry is booming, and as a byproduct, so are ear-covering headphones.
The Headphones That Are Winning Are…
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 Switch headphones are currently winning the mid-price-range headset wars. Brought out in 2019, they have gained favor because of their clean sound, their comfortable feel, and their mid-level pricing. They have also been pushing the fact that they are perfect for the PS5, as well as the Xbox and Switch. These headphones represent the sort of mid-range mid-priced quality that people expect. There are no additional extras, no added perks, and nothing overly special about the headphones. They simply do their job and they do it well, and that is all people are asking for when they buy headphones.
The Problem With Headsets
Take a look on Amazon and you will see hundreds of headphone headsets, but very few with perfect user reviews across the board. This is almost always because the microphones are just not as good as they should be. You can have perfect high quality 40mm over-ear speakers, and comfort that makes a sultan’s bottom blush, but breakable and poor quality microphones seem to plague the headset world. The plastic and elastic on headphones may also cause problems, especially if the headphones are cheaply made. In fact, of all consumer electronics, headphones probably warrant one of the more user-intensive research sessions before buying because so much can go wrong with them. For example, you do not want to pick a set of headphones with poor sound quality, or sound quality that degrades, or a breakable mic or breakable head set frame.
The Measure of the Multi-Platform
If it were not for Apple, then people wouldn’t need to be told that these headphones are multi-platform. Most headphones, on PCs, laptops, games consoles, etc., use a 3.5mm jack. However, Apple decided that they will make a new headphone socket for every phone they release, and now marketers have to define if their headphones will work with certain types of hardware.
What About Secondhand Headphones?
Though it is hard to measure the sales of secondhand headphones, the high-end ones seem to be selling well on eBay. However, things like Black Friday and various other promotions will always affect secondhand sales. Sound quality seems to be a big issue, and some people worry that the sound quality on secondhand headphones will in some way be degraded. However, if you are buying high-end secondhand headphones at a reasonable price, then you are probably getting a bargain.
Don’t Most Gamers Already Have Over-The-Ear Headphones?
Many gamers and music enthusiasts do have over-the-ear headphones, but the problem is that they do not last forever. Even expensive ones will eventually snap, or the sound quality will dip. Most people are unwilling to do weeks of research and spend hundreds on their headphones. Most people are happy to pay slightly over the odds for headphones, but that is about as far as people will go. The mid-priced and low-priced headphones of the world are prone to breaking within around two years of purchase. This is especially true when dealing with hardcore gamers, or with students who take their headphones to college and university with them.
Final Thoughts – Why the Tilt Towards Mid-Range Headphones Again?
There are probably several reasons why online stores are seeing high levels of headphone sales. The global pandemic and lockdown taught people the joys of staying home and gaming, and the repeated lockdowns and threats of more lockdowns has only encouraged people to keep investing time in gaming. Plus, the PlayStation 5’s release in November 2020 is a big factor, especially as its release date is only days after the new Xbox. Yet, gaming is often loud, especially when playing multiplayer games, so headphones are often needed if you do not want to disrupt the entire house. Yet, the global pandemic meant people had to tighten their purse strings, so it makes sense that people are bargain hunting for good-quality, but not-too-expensive headphones. Remember that you if are upgrading to the PlayStation 5, you can get top dollar for your older used gaming console.
