Choosing the right gaming headset can be just as difficult as, say, buying a house or buying a car. It can even be as difficult as choosing which film to stick on Netflix on a Friday night! The problem with choosing any of the above is that there are just so many choices out there! And much like a car, house, etc., buying a gaming headset is an investment, so you’ll want to make sure you make the right choice. The market is absolutely flooded with different types, all at varied prices. There are some that are designed especially for pro gamers which come with a rather large price tag; there are some medium-level ones that offer some of the bells and whistles the pro headsets do but at a reduced price, and there are also some with a moderate price tag designed for the general consumer. Another reason behind your choice will be brand, and arguably one of the most well-known manufacturers of headsets is Turtle Beach. Here is our review of their new budget headset, the Atlas One.
Generally, the cheaper ones tend to not be great, and you might find yourself replacing them a lot more often than you would if you bought one of the more expensive ones. They tend to break a lot more easily, the audio quality isn’t great and they are generally uncomfortable to wear. The cheap price is why they are ideal for children or just very casual gamers who don’t want to spend a fortune. It is always recommended to stick with an established brand when buying electrical accessories, and Turtle Beach is one of the most recognizable. You know what you are getting with them, generally decent build quality with audio good enough for most non-pro gamers. When you first open the box for the Atlas One, you may be thinking they have sent you a pro headset instead! Gone are the days of the cheaper headset being covered in horrid bright colours. The Atlas One is all black with the Turtle Beach logo on each side, and generally does look a lot more premium than the £39.99 price tag would suggest.
When you take it out the box, however, it becomes clear that the Atlas 1 is not as professional as it looks. There is very little weight to it (which is a good thing, more on that later), and it is also wired. Wired headsets still have their uses though. For one, they allow you to use your headset on various platforms, which the Atlas One can do. Simply connect the headphone jack into your controller/directly into the Switch or phone, and away you go. The latter connection type is something a lot of manufacturers try and sell to the consumers, that you can also use your gaming headset as your regular headset. This is usually a bit hit and miss as a lot of gaming headsets are a lot bulkier than their music oriented brethren. If you chose to wear the Atlas 1 out and about around the town, you would definitely get a few funny looks, especially as there is no option to remove the mic, only to fold it upwards. When wearing it for its actual intended purpose, on the other hand, you’ll find no issues at all. There is nothing worse when a headset starts to become uncomfortable after an hour of wearing it while gaming, and thankfully, the Atlas 1 does not have that issue at all. In fact, I would go so far as to say that for a budget bit of kit, there is definitely a premium feel as to how comfortable it really is. The Atlas One also features Turtle Beach’s patented ProSpec Glasses Relief System. This really is just a posh way of saying the cushions around the area people’s glasses usually sit is softer to stop the glasses from being pushed into the side of your head. Simple yet extremely effective, and as a glasses wearer, I had zero problems.
Away from the comfort and the design, the features on the Atlas One are what you would expect from a headset that costs £39.99: a bit lacking. There is a volume control wheel behind the mic on the left-hand side, and that is it. No mute button or any button to choose an audio preset, as there isn’t any. There also isn’t any variable mic monitoring, which is a bit disappointing as some other headsets around the Atlas 1’s price range do offer that, so you will find yourself shouting down your mic while playing something you’ll need the volume turned quite high up for. In terms of volume, the noise produced by the Atlas One is good, you’ll be able to use it to help get a bit better at online shooters, such as Call of Duty, or if you just want to wear a headset while playing any other game, the volume and audio quality is decent. Mic recording seems to be good as well; I used the headset for a Skype call, and no one complained about how bad I sounded. The mic is very short, you might think it would struggle to pick up your voice, but there’s no need to worry. In all, the Atlas One is a great headset for an accommodating price.
Developer: Turtle Beach
Publisher: Turtle Beach
Release Date: 16th August 2018
RRP: £39.99