November 08, 2004 - Halo 2 is the rocking the free world at midnight tonight. Like a major motion picture release, Halo geeks around the world are lining up as we speak for the midnight showing. Toys, 7-11 Slurpees, a Collector's Edition are all part of the mix. Added to the party is Plantronics Xbox Live Halo 2 Headset. Retailing for a rather heft $49.99, this green Halo 2-stamped lightweight headset is a nice alternative to Microsoft's cumbersome first-party offering.

This attractive headpiece has a strange design and, quite honestly, it took me a minute to figure out how to put it on. With a back that slips behind your ear, the fit is comfortable. A few editors complained that the piece slipped off, but I never had a problem. The lighter weight makes this feel like no more than wearing a pair of glasses and it's easy to forget it's even on.

The ear piece is fully adjustable and there are five different swappable sizes to find the right fit for your ear. The small mic is connected to a flexible boom that allows for easy mic placement. Those you're playing with will be thankful, since the mic has a noise reduction feature and does an excellent job of killing the background fuzz often heard over Xbox Live. The ear piece provides a relatively clean sound, about equal to your average cell phone. Unfotunately, even with the headset turned to max, sound is a little too soft, sometimes making it tough to hear people.

The real drawback for this expensive headset is the lack of wireless functionality. Considering for a little more you can get a decent wireless headset, it seems a bit silly to ask $50 for the Halo 2 Headset. More offensive than the price, is the lack of the Xbox Live Communicator box. That's right, you have to buy the box separately. Unless you already own a Communicator, this will put you out enough to equal the cost of a wireless headset.

Fortunately, since the Halo 2 Headset utilizes the standard first-party Communicator, your mute and volume functions remain the same. The lack of the Communicator in the package is misleading, because at first glance, this looks wireless. I assure you, it is not.

The main problem with the original Xbox Live Headset was that it was fragile. Though a solid piece of equipment, it could easily break. In fact, we have a graveyard of broken mics lining out LAN room. That's an expensive fix. The Halo 2 Headset fixes this. If you are going to break this, it's only because you tried your damnedest to do so.

This is a great headset if you can get it for free or if you are rich. I can't recommend it highly, because the cost is quite prohibitive. If you break your normal headset every other month, maybe this isn't such a bad investment. It's a high-quality, almost unbreakable alternative. But you will have to pay for those benefits.

Performance The volume is a little soft, but it's a better headset than the first-party standard. 8.0 Build Quality Good, flexible, difficult to break. If you break headsets regularly, this may be a wise investmen. Lack of plug-in box is idiotic. 9.0 Value A little too pricey. Wireless would have sold it, but lack of Communicator is a killer. 7.0 Audio Quality Like other Xbox Live headsets, the sound quality isn't stereo-quality. However, voices are more are crisp and clear. 9.0 Comfort You'll hardly know it's there. Lightweight and quite nice. 9.0 Overall Rating (Not an average) 8.5