Review Date May 28, 2014

Microsoft Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter

  • Pros

    Works with any headphones or headset with a 3.5mm connection. Functional buttons.

  • Cons Only necessary because Microsoft designed the Xbox One without a built-in headset port or Bluetooth.
  • Bottom Line

    The Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter lets you connect your own headphones or headset to your Xbox One gamepad.

By Will Greenwald

The Microsoft Xbox One already comes with a headset, but it's not a particularly good one. It's monaural and feels flimsy. Unfortunately, you can't just plug your own headset into the Xbox One gamepad like you can the included headset, and without Bluetooth you can't use a wireless headset easily. Microsoft has a solution to that: the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter. It's a chunk of plastic that plugs into the bottom of your Xbox One gamepad, and lets you use any headset or headphone pair with a 3.5mm connection. It's simple, inexpensive, and functional, standing alongside the Xbox One Media Remote as another excellent first-party Xbox One accessory. Of course, it's notable that the Sony PlayStation 4's controller has a 3.5mm jack built into it without the need for an adapter. 

The adapter is a small black plastic trapezoid that plugs into the bottom of the Xbox One controller, like the headset that comes with the system. Instead of a connected cable going directly to a headset, the underside has a 3.5mm port for connecting your own wired headset, like the Polk 4 Shot (review coming soon), which includes the adapter as part of the package.

The front of the adapter holds five buttons. Two adjust the balance between game and chat audio, two control the volume, and one mutes the headset's microphone. The Xbox One's included headset just has three buttons on the connector, for adjusting volume and muting the mic. The game and chat balance buttons are new, and a welcome adjustment for players who want to hear more of the game or more of their teammates.Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter

The adapter worked perfectly with both the Polk 4 Shot, a headset designed for the Xbox One and which includes the adapter in the package, and a pair of Sony MDR-1R headphones with a cable with inline microphone. In both cases, game audio came through, I could mute the microphone from the controller, and I had no problem adjusting volume and chat/game audio levels.

If the included monaural headset that comes with the Xbox One isn't enough for you, and you don't want to use the Kinect for voice chat or recording commentary on game footage, the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter is a must-have accessory. It does exactly what it says it does: lets you use any headset with a 3.5mm connector with the Xbox One gamepad. It's yet another first-party Xbox One add-on, like the Xbox One Media Remote, that's well-designed, functional, and affordable.

Will Greenwald
By Will Greenwald Analyst, Consumer Electronics


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