Here’s how to use your own headphones with Xbox (and why you should)
You don’t have to purchase the best Xbox One headset to get the most from your Xbox audio experience, especially not if you’ve already invested in a set of good, maybe expensive headphones. There are some features you’ll lose, but even adding a microphone isn’t the hardest thing in the world. Luckily, you can connect those to your Xbox One. Here’s everything you need to know.
How to connect your headphones to the Xbox One
Source: Windows Central
If you’re using a first-generation Xbox One controller, there is, unfortunately, no headphone jack. As such, you’ll need to invest in a Stereo Headset Adapter. It connects to the bottom of your controller with your headphones hooking up to the bottom of the adapter.
You also get added handy features like volume adjust, chat/game audio mix adjust, and a big old mute button. Even on the later versions of the Xbox One controller (with the headset jack), you can gain a fair bit from using one of these.
The official Microsoft one is no longer sold new, although well-known headset maker Turtle Beach has an excellent alternative.
How to control audio without the adapter
If you don’t have inline volume controls, you’ll have to control the audio on the console directly. It’s not difficult, although, with the latest update to the Xbox One dashboard, the audio controls are a little more hidden. Follow these steps:
- Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
- Scroll to the bottom to the speaker icon.
Source: Windows Central
- Press the A button.
Source: Windows Central
You’ll now have options for enabling and disabling any microphone attached, adjusting volume, mic monitoring, and the mix of game audio to party chat.
Adding a microphone to your headphones
Source: Antlion
One worth investing in is the Antlion Modmic Uni. This is a microphone that you can clip to your headphones to create your gaming headset. You use a splitter to attach the headphones and the microphone, so you can have a full gaming headset essentially plugged into your controller.
The bonus is that you can take the microphone off and then just keep on enjoying your headphones. Not all gaming headsets have a detachable microphone, so you do get the best of both worlds.
Getting more advanced
Source: Windows Central
Hook up to the console over optical audio, stick the USB into your PC, and connect headphones or a music player like your smartphone over 3.5mm.
These mixers give you control over the mix of audio, like your level of game audio to party chat.
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