Once your child gets a bit older, and a bit more serious about their online gaming, one of the first requests you’re going to get is for a headset. This is not to be mistaken for a request for headphones. Oh no. Of course, it’s headphones too, but it’s a lot more than that.
As well as great audio, you’ll need an inbuilt mouthpiece too – multiplayer gaming and conference Skype calls are just not the same when you’re bellowing at your computer’s built in mic (plus, the rest of the house gets a whole lot more peaceful when there’s less excited in-game bellowing going on).
So we were really pleased when Razer asked us if we’d like to review the Kraken Pro Headset. Well – I say ‘we’. I was pleased and interested. The 14yr old may have shrieked like an excited panda bear and nodded so hard his brain shook.
This is how they look on the Razer site:
Yes. Quite. You can see why excitement reigned, no?
But – we’ve had cool-looking headsets before, and they have either just not done the job, or they have been great – until they have failed and broken. Good Looks, in our experience, come at the expense of durability and functionality at the lower end of the market. So I handed this headset over to said No.1 son, and asked him to let me know what he thought. Here’s what he had to say:
NO.1 son modelling the Razer Kraken pro headset. You can tell from his face that he’d promptly forgotten I had a camera in his face – someone just started firing arrows at him…
Now this headset is more than just pretty (which they ought to be – £70 isn’t massively expensive for headsets, but it’s not the lower end of the market either) – for me, coming from an experience of cheap and cheerful gaming headsets the Razer Kraken Pro is a real beauty!
Teen Geek at his desk. Oh, and that poster says ‘Keep Calm and Play Minecraft’. Just in case you were wondering.
Firstly – the sound quality is AMAZING. If you like talking to people over the internet through programs like Skype, Ventrillo or Teamspeak then this is perfect. The other people in your call sound like they are next to you, music sounds absolutely brilliant, and equally my friends tell me that this headset’s microphone is crystal clear, which is perfect for gaming.
Another good point about the mic is the fact that you can fully retract it back into the headset, to avoid knocking it: perfect for when it’s in a backpack or bag and being moved about. The mic itself is on a kind of Flexi cord so that it can be positioned anywhere that suits you – a nice design touch that just makes wearing and using the headset BETTER.
Teen gamer. I know.
(Chillblast Fusion machine, dual screen, Logitech Gaming Keyboard, R.A.T. 5 Laser Gaming Mouse.
Figurines – model’s own… )
This headset also has very good ear cupping, it blocks almost all outside noise and is extremely comfortable. I have noticed after wearing it for 5 hours straight (*pause whilst Mother reads this and shrieks in horror “five-hours-STRAIGHT????”*) that my left ear lobe aches a tad. Nothing too bad, but noticeable. However, a simple readjustment of the headset, and it was fine again.
Other headsets I have owned had good audio quality, but their build quality is, frankly, terrible. This headset not only sounds good but feels good too! It feels and looks solidly built with a nice weight to it. It definitely doesn’t feel cheep and plastic-ey; quite the opposite, it’s the nicest feeling headset I have worn.
But THIS is the teen gamer in his natural habitat…
Note the large mug of tea. Essential.
The Razer Kraken Pro feels great, sounds great – and it even looks great! It comes either in a pitch black or a neon green ( I have the green :3 ) and looks really cool (well, to my teenage boy sense it does).
This headset is an all round winner, for whatever use. Whether that use be music, gaming or just social use. Please parents, don’t let the price tag scare you off, the price simply assures quality. This headset is a definite yes – buy it for your own teen geek, they’ll love it (and you).
The Razer Kraken Pro Gaming Headset can be bought direct from Razer at a wire under £70.
