It's hard to believe that in today's PC gaming world where every manufacturer has a full range of accessories to go with their shiny new computers, that Alienware has been lacking something as integral to the experience as a headset. The last bearing the famous logo was the TactX, launched in 2009.
Heading into E3 2018, Alienware is back on your ears in a big way. This is the Alienware Wireless Elite gaming headset, and it's due to launch in a matter of days on June 11.
As the name hints at, this is a premium headset with the price set at $229, but there's a lot of headset for it. Quite literally, as even from the press images it looks like a pretty sizeable thing.
The Elite uses a 2.4Ghz wireless dongle for connecting to your PC, which stores away inside the headset so you don't lose it when you travel. If you prefer wires, there's also the option of a regular 3.5mm connection. Going wire-free Alienware says to expect up to 15 hours of battery life with the LED lighting turned off and just under 9 hours with it on. Charging is over the old, but familiar micro USB.
Oh, that's right, the Elite also supports the AlienFX lighting system with two zones on each ear. Because why wouldn't it?
Audio wise you're getting a frequency response of 20Hz to 20KHz along with 7.1 virtual surround sound, while the microphone has built-in noise cancellation and automatically turns on and off when you swivel it either into position or out of the way. The ear pads are fabric rather than leather, made from a sports mesh with "moisture wicking fabric."
It all sounds pretty good and while you're not going to be hitting the gym with this headset to listen to your favorite tunes, as far as gaming headsets go it's shaping up pretty well. And we don't have long to wait to find out if it sounds as good as we hope.
The headset isn't the only Elite product being launched by Alienware for E3, either. There's a new version of its Elite gaming mouse in town, though it's not set to launch until late July. It should cost around $90 which isn't bad, and it's got things to entice PC gamers whatever they play.
The party piece is the interchangeable side wings which have either two or four buttons, so whether you're an FPS or MMO fan, you can tailor your Elite mouse to your needs.
It also comes with four user-configurable 5g weight adjustments to get the feeling just right for you, as well as five levels of DPI adjustment from the mouse itself. With up to 11 buttons, all customizable and stored within the on-board memory on the mouse, you've always got your setup in the palm of your hand.
And besides looking like a pretty comfortable mouse to use, it too supports AlienFX lighting. We'd be disappointed if it didn't.
Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
