New gaming gear is always promising to shave milliseconds off latency or response time. The improvements usually aren’t obvious. But the Glorious GHS InfinitePlay wireless headset, on the other hand, could save you far more than just milliseconds: It has the fastest hot-swap battery system I’ve ever used, and the headset doesn’t die when you swap out its battery either.
Glorious improves on the formula popularized by SteelSeries, which made swappable, rechargeable batteries a feature worth caring about in a high-end headset. Its new $229.99 headset has zero audio downtime while swapping batteries because it has a fallback battery that can run up to three hours. This is a big upgrade over competing headsets, like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni and the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2, which disconnect the moment their batteries are removed for swapping.
The InfinitePlay’s battery-swapping system is faster and more foolproof, too. Its batteries insert into the right earpiece’s open slot like a cartridge, and you can’t install them incorrectly, so long as their grippy edge faces down. It’s easy to slot it in without breaking eye contact from my screen, and the audio never stops. Removing and inserting the batteries is fun, too — though battery life is long enough that I rarely had to swap them during my monthlong testing period.
Almost every aspect of using the InfinitePlay is satisfying. The notched metal knobs facing toward the back of each ear cup make it simple to adjust volume and game/chat mix, or pick up phone calls and pause music when connected to my phone via Bluetooth. I’ve been using the headset mostly with a PC, where the battery-charging base station always has a full battery ready for use. But I can yank out its USB-C 2.4GHz transmitter when I want to play on my PlayStation 5 or the Steam Deck.
Sound quality is better than I expected from a company that’s fairly new to the audio space. Its bass, clarity, and soundstage yield a pleasant listening experience. You can get better audio quality at this price point if that’s your priority (the Fractal Scape is a good alternative). But Glorious nails a lot of the basics. The headset’s near-180-degree rotating ear cups don’t pinch my head, even with glasses on, and its bungee-style headband and adjustable side arms should let most people find a comfortable fit.
The InfinitePlay doesn’t have everything going for it. There’s no active noise cancellation, nor does it ship with a nice hard case, and its built-in mic sounds pretty lousy (use its detachable boom mic when at all possible). There’s a companion app that’s serviceable, but I wish there was a browser-based app to make it simpler to adjust settings. There are pricier headsets that do a better job at ticking more boxes. But if you’re looking for something that’s good and just won’t die, this $230 headset embarrasses pricier options with its no-look, no-downtime swapping process.
Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge
Read the full article here
