Just reading the specs on the Razer Banshee StarCraft II gaming headset and the box’s promises of performance were enough to earn it the nickname ‘The Headset Of Awesomeness.’ I needed to get some work done on my computer before I gave it a run and I was showing off pictures of the headset on my phone like a proud new father and everyone was either utterly excited or filled with envy. This headset not only looks awesome, sounds amazing and has the most comfort I have ever felt in a full sized headset, it IMPROVES your game. It never comes out and makes that promise on the box or in the instructions but, if used properly, that is exactly what they can do. How many headsets can you say that about?
Looks:
This headset looks like it came right out of the game. It is easy to imagine a crewman on the Hyperion wearing something that looks just like it. Don’t know what the Hyperion is? Don’t worry about it, just know these are futuristic looking with three sections of lighting: the logo, side-strip and under-glow. Each one can be independently colored using a 48-color palette or by creating a custom color and storing it in one of 16 custom color slots. So you could. for example. have the logo pumpkin, the side strips violet and the underglow green if you wanted to give the headset a very unique look. Honestly it is fun to just play with the colors, maybe make them match your favorite sports team or your guild colors, the sky is the limit. The lights are bright too, I was able to read my authenticator by them in a dark room and there were reports from the other end of the house of strange colored lights coming from the computer room. This actually plays into function as I will mention later in the review. I expect that future StarCraft II tournaments will be filled with these headsets in various colors (maybe sponsor’s colors?) and fans of StarCraft or heck just gaming in general busting these out in airports and computer labs as they blast through their favorite game. I find myself constantly trying new combinations.
Comfort:
This can be a serious concern when it comes to marathon gaming sessions. If you plan to pull an all-nighter, the headset had better be pretty comfortable or you may have to take breaks just to get some relief. The designers seemed to have taken this into consideration as well because not only is there padding on the ear cups but there is also padding on the top bridge. This gives the sensation of putting on comfortable earmuffs more than a headset. Also, we all know how much wear the ear cups on headsets take from being taken on and off or pulled back to hear what someone in the room is saying. Not only is the padding on the Banshee’s ear covers durable they are also removable making cleaning or replacement a breeze (this also allows for easy access to the ear piece section in case the speaker or lighting requires repair).
Durability:
Above, I mentioned the ease of removing the ear padding, they snap back onto metal posts to prevent the posts from possibly breaking off. It seems most of the Banshee’s parts were designed with durability in mind such as metal rails for the extensions, thick part connections and even nylon parachute cord wrapping on the headset cable. The sections are screwed together as well to prevent anything from breaking off or coming loose.
Sound Quality:
I tested the Banshee on several different games and in every case was incredibly impressed. I played games I had played for years and noticed sounds I didn’t know existed. The downloadable configuration software allows you to equalize and tune all the different aspects of the sound and the sound isolation is exceptional. I wouldn’t even have the sound up very high and still had to pull back one of the ear cups to hear when someone spoke to me in the room. You can run diagnostics and microphone tests to maximize performance. The sound and microphone levels can also be adjusted and muted right next to the ear cups, one on each side.
Functionality/Gameplay:
This is not a normal category when it comes to gaming headset reviews, but then again this isn’t your average gaming headset. The Banshee is not just designed to let you hear a game, it actually interacts with StarCraft II to improve it. It does this through its own custom configuration that detects events in the game and signals the player in customizable ways. For instance, maybe a player wants to speed up their gameplay to make sure they remain competitive. The Banshee can detect how many actions-per-minute (APMs) you have are making and let you know if you are falling below or exceeding the limits you choose. If you are new you may want to make sure you are between 50 to 100 APMs, if you want to be professional tournament competitive, this will help let you know it you are running between the 250-300 APMs necessary. The Banshee doesn’t even come close to being done there. You can also make it so that the headset alerts you to when your base or units are under attack, building, training or upgrades are complete, resources are exhausted and many other options. Some might argue that the game already gives you in game alerts about all these things so why would you need the headset’s notifications? Because the headset gives you customized alerts using it’s lights. So let’s say you are listening to music while you are playing and your base gets under attack or maybe you have the game sound down because you are using a team talking program. The headset can be designed to flash red 5 times, for example, to let you know that your base is under attack or flash green twice when one of your units gets peoduced. The lights are bright enough that you can see them flash next to you and onto your computer and screen to alert you to different events each in a customizable way. Also it shows you your APMs by the color it turns when there are no alerts. These colors can be changed but default set if you have a blue light to your headset you are going less than 50 moves per minute and if you get it going white you are breaking 350 APMs. So, as you play, you strive to get your headset to change a different color thereby increasing your actions-per-minute and your game in general. All this makes it so that you can speed up your gameplay and improve your situational awareness dramatically. I hope that new Razer Banshee configurations may come out in the future to interact with other games, I would love to be able to tell by the color of the lights how much DPS I am doing or flashes telling me the healer is taking damage.
Plays Well With Others?
When you are purchasing a high-end headset you want it to not just work well with your favorite game or the one it was designed for, you want it to be a universal tool. This headset worked excellent with dozens of games and programs I ran tests with. There were three issues I found in my entire testing of the Banshee. Sometimes in other games’ cinematic cut-scenes the sound went out. Sometimes some website’s audio automatically went through the computer’s speakers instead and sometimes after start up the configuration program won’t find the device. In all three cases, unplugging the headset from it’s USB port and plugging it back in instantly fixed the problem. Though minor issues, one of the programs that lost sound during some cinematic is another Blizzard product with a recent expansion so I wouldn’t be surprised if a patch comes along for the headset drivers and software to make these concerns mute.
‘The Whole Enchilada’:
The Razer Banshee headset is actually just one piece of a three-piece set designed for StarCraft II. There is also a mouse and a keyboard with all the same game interactions and light display options. If you can swing the money for the Razer Marauder keyboard and the Razer Spectre mouse you can literally have all three flashing the same warnings at the same time and changing colors to match your APMs. You can also adjust all of their lights to your liking and it is all done through the same configuration program.
Price Vs. Value:
The Banshee headset runs $119.99 which is a higher price for a high-end gaming headset, most of which generally run you around $80 to $100 dollars. But you have to take into account the light customization, the game interaction, and the fact that it can actually improve your game at which point the price doesn’t seem so bad. Add to that the fact that it is durable and high quality and I can see this headset, even the whole set (which would run around $320) being worth it to a serious player or someone who has the money to trick their rig a bit.
Last Call:
I think this headset and the system it is a part of is the future of gaming. It has easily earned the nickname ‘Headset of Awesomeness’ and I think once serious players of StarCraft II see what it can do they will want the whole set and if they have to settle on only one piece might tend toward this one. Heck, if I was sure Santa was recession proof the whole set would be at the top of my wish list and my computer room would be aglow with my gaming.
*DISCLOSURE: A headset was sent to us for the purpose of this review.
