Sound Blaster Pactic 3D Omega Gaming Headset Launches At CES

Creative really hasn't had a huge splash in the audio business (at least in relation to the PC audio business) since the early days of the Sound Blaster audio cards, but with such great audio cards being integrated into motherboards now, that business seems to be on the decline. But the company is still kicking, and they're still greatly involved with PC audio. This week, the Sound Blast Tactic 3D Omega Wireless Gaming Headset was introduced, and the company is calling it the first wireless, cross-platform gaming headset to work with the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC.

That's a fairly big selling point. Many gaming headsets are specifically designed to work on one platform or another, but hardly ever more than one. But this one doesn't require any extra attachments to work with gaming consoles wirelessly. The headset has volume, mute and connection controls fully integrated into the headset itself, eliminating the need for any additional connectivity components. It's equipped with 50mm drives and a "3D" feel, and there's a microphone as well for voice chatting. Thankfully, that's detachable in case you'd rather just listen to music.

The headset will go on sale next month for $199.99, but considering that it can be your one and only headset across two platforms, that price premium seems somewhat justified for avid gamers.

Creative Announces the Sound Blaster® Tactic3D™ Omega Wireless Gaming Headset – the First Cross-Platform Wireless Headset for Console, Mac and PC Gaming That is Fully Integrated

Wireless Game Play and Voice Communication Audio with the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC

MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA – Jan. 6, 2011 – Creative Technology Ltd. today announced the new Sound Blaster Tactic3D™ Omega wireless gaming headset, the first wireless, cross-platform gaming headset to work with the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC which is fully integrated. With the unique integration of Creative's wireless technology into the headset itself, the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset does not require any extra attachments to function with gaming consoles wirelessly. The headset has volume, mute and connection controls fully integrated into the headset itself, eliminating the need for any additional connectivity components. Creative's robust wireless technology is designed to eliminate static interference, which affects other headsets, and delivers game audio with ultra-low latency, a critical feature for competitive game play.

The Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset delivers phenomenal audio quality by teaming Creative's immersive audio technology and powerful FullSpectrum™ 50mm drivers for a superb audio experience, giving the user a complete 3D experience when playing the new generation of 3D games. This superior headset is engineered to provide crystal-clear voice communications on the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC with its detachable noise-canceling microphone. The Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset will be on display from January 6-9 at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, South Hall 1, Booth #20913.

"After three decades of bringing unsurpassed audio to PC games we are excited to deliver the first platform-agnostic wireless gaming headset," said Ryan Schlieper, Product Marketing Manager for gaming at Creative. "Not only does the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset enhance in-game communication on the PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC, it sounds phenomenal for music and movies on all platforms. Use it to stream audio from movies from the Netflix application on the PS3 and Xbox 360 or to stream audio from devices like Boxee, all with no latency. The Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset will prove to be the best sounding wireless headset available on the market."

The Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset is perfect for the next generation of motion controlled games because it gives the gamer freedom to move around. The headset also complements wireless game controllers as it removes the last cable that could possibly tether gamers to their console.

Key Features of the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega Wireless Gaming Headset
Compatible with PS3, Xbox 360, Mac and PC
Award-winning wireless technology delivers low latency and will not interfere with other wireless products in the home
FullSpectrum tunable 50mm audio drivers for great audio performance
Independent voice and game volume controls directly on the earcups
Optimized lightweight design for marathon game play
Detachable noise-canceling microphone allows headset to be used as great sounding headphones
Comfortable, durable design with customizable illuminated earcups
Base-station features a line in, making the headset ideal for use with media streamers, TVs or MP3 players

Additional Performance for Mac and PC
THX TruStudio Pro™ software suite on the Mac and PC for an immersive audio experience
THX TruStudio Pro Crystalizer™ real-time audio restoration technology, which enhances in-game sound by restoring low and high end frequency curves lost to compression
THX TruStudio Pro Surround™ delivers a 360 degree surround sound gaming experience so gamers can hear sounds clearly from the front, back, above and below
THX TruStudio Pro Smart Volume™ addresses the problem of abrupt volume level changes in games by automatically and continuously measuring volume, and intelligently applying gain and attenuation to compensate for those changes
THX TruStudio Pro Dialog Plus™ enhances voices during in-game communication for clearer dialog, allowing the gamer to hear the dialog over the rest of the sounds and over ambient noise in the listening environment
THX TruStudio Pro Speaker™ produces heart-pounding, customizable bass levels without compromising signal integrity
Customizable TacticProfile™ on the Mac and PC enable gamers to save their own settings or use pre-configured settings from pro-gamers
Programmable VoiceFX™ for voice morphing into in-game characters or during VoIP chats on the Mac or PC

Pricing and Availability
The Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Omega wireless gaming headset will be available from February 2011 onwards at the suggested retail price of US$199.99.

For more information on all of Creative's gaming products check out www.soundblaster.com.