With everything going on in the world right now, social interaction is more important than ever. More and more are looking for ways to keep in touch that will provide all the features and comfort needed without breaking the bank. With this in mind, could the GXT 488 be the answer to an affordable gaming headset that doesn’t shirk out on quality?
Coming in at the £30 to £40 mark (although a little research did find them at some stores even lower than that), the GXT 488, considering the amount of features available for that price bracket, is among some of the cheapest headsets on the market. Straight out of the box the build quality is obvious, if not a little surprising considering the price point. In this reviewer’s opinion, the basic black certainly has the best aesthetic, although the hardened FPS player may gravitate more towards either the blue or grey camo options. All look great, with a high quality finish, but the black, better than any, accents the metallic highlights on the adjustable headband and PS4 logo emblazoned on each ear pad.
All round there really is no feel of cheapness, from the quality of the build, to the heft of the headphones themselves. Initially feeling like the weight could be an issue when wearing them for extended periods of time, it’s a great pleasure to report that in the time used, not once did they feel heavy or uncomfortable to wear. With padding not only on the ear pads, but also on the headband itself, “as much comfort as possible” has certainly been the mantra when designing the GXT 488. The Headset sits comfortably with no continual adjustments needed while wearing (a personal bug-bear for this reviewer) – after the first initial set up to match skull size, these are staying exactly where you want them to.
One really pleasant surprise in terms of quality at a budget is the inclusion of a braided cable. To have what is considered a quite premium feature, and one often left out by even the most expensive of headsets, it really drives home how much bang you are getting for your buck with these. With a standard 3.5mm jack at the end of it, any device is going to have no issues of compatibility, whether it be your PC/tablet etc. Worth noting however is these are built for the PlayStation 4, with the cable length to match. A perfect length for connecting to your PS4 controller, however, maybe a little too short for a PC tower, or for a tablet positioned at a distance.
In terms of sound quality there are no real complaints here. A bright full sound, with a good range between top end and bass, will cater for any type of gaming genre they are matched with. These are also some of the loudest headphones for the price. For the FPS genre where these are most likely to be used they aren’t going to rival some of the top end headsets, which can offer full surround sound with catered setups, but are more than adequate with a great sounding stereo sound. After a session of PVP goodness, this headset certainly passed the test making it simple to determine where the next hail of gunfire was coming from and respond accordingly.
With a (perhaps) overly large control on the cable that is perfectly placed, muting the microphone quick and easy as well as any other adjustments that you would like to make. The microphone itself also folds away easily and smoothly, and doesn’t interfere at all with the overall design, comfortably slotting away and looking sleek while doing so, providing clear and concise feedback when using it.
