But Creative and Sound Blaster have never given up the good fight. Are their Arena Surround gaming headsets a must have for PC gamers or just another added frill? Let's see.

Loved
Approaching Footsteps: What initially drew my interest to the Arena headphones was reading a review from someone who claimed that the quasi-cans actually improved their first-person shooter game. "Not for a minute," I thought. Then I tried them. Turns out they do, to a degree. I'm a camping sniper. I don't spawn camp, not by a long shot, but I do camp. And when I'm playing with my back to the stairs, or the roof, or what have you, I tend to grow paranoid. In the past I'd swivel around every few minutes to make sure there wasn't anyone back there... watching. Now I can actually hear someone creeping up on me. Their footfalls or shuffles giving them away as they try to creep up on me. It's pretty amazing.

Comfort: Extended PC gaming sessions often leave me with sore ears. That's because with wife and son, my late night gaming requires headphones. But these earpads are light and padded just right. The headset itself also features a comfy pad that rests on your head to hold them in place. And they're super light.

In-Line Volume and Mute: Simple and lit to show when it is muted, the USB cord also features an in-line, easy-to-use volume button.

Detachable Microphone: The swing-down boom microphone is at the end of a flexible piece of rubber and, the best part, you can easily pop it off if you don't plan on using it.

A Microphone That Listens: The Arena headsets features extra microphones on the boom that can be used for active noise cancellation while speaking to people. It's a neat feature that works great in noisy environments, but may be a bit too vigorous in your normal gaming setting.

Software Suite: There's a nice collection of software that comes with your headphones including an audio console and programs that can make your voice sound like a man, a woman, robots or orcs.

Hated
Price: $100 seems a bit steep for these lightweight, mixer-free headphones. But maybe I'm just stingy with how much I'm willing to spend on audio.

USB: It is, I think, often contradictory to sell USB headphones for gaming. The problem is that if you're using USB headphones then chances are some of your computer's resources are being needlessly sucked up. Also there's the issue that once you plug a USB headset in you can no longer use any sound card or speakers you have set up until you unplug the set.

While the lack of a mixer to fine-tune your audio experience is a bit of a bummer and the price a bit high, the excellent 3D positional surround sound is a huge plus. In the end you're going to have to decide how much processing power you're willing to give up via USB sound in favor of plug-and-play audio.

The Arena Surround USB Gaming Headset was developed by Sound Blaster for the PC. Retails for $99.99 USD. A pair of the headphones were given to us by the manufacturer for reviewing purposes. Used headphones for a variety of games, podcasts, and audio over the course of several months.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The A40 Audio System is comprised of Astro's A40 Headset and A40 MixAmp. Released last year, it's a petite but powerful package that supports gaming on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, offering 5.1 Dolby Surround and combined voice audio. But you certainly don't need to be a "professional" to partake in the sweet sounds of the A40.

Here's what we thought of our month-long ears on time with Astro's audio system.

Loved
The Headphones: These things sound glorious. It wasn't until I was forced to take them off so that other people in the room could participate in the listening experience via my antiquated receiver and surround sound set up that I realized how meaty the A40 Audio System was. The A40 headphones deliver sharp, crisp and powerful audio, which I credit with helping to improve my performance in some recent Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer gaming. And while aural advantage is great, it was while playing Dead Space with these things on that really sold me.

The Mixamp: The compact, densely constructed A40 MixAmp packs plenty of connections and power into a tiny package. It's simply and beautifully designed, with one large dial for controlling volume, a smaller dial for controlling the mix of game audio and voice chat audio. Popping cables in and out and storing the MixAmp out of site makes the wee amplifier an easily portable option.

USB Powered: I like things that are USB powered, as each of my currently hooked up consoles and the PC on which I play games come equipped with USB ports. The device can also be powered by a quartet of AA batteries, an option I haven't found a need for yet.

Comfortable, But Hefty: I'm not used to wearing headphones, so my initial experience wearing the A40 headset was not an altogether comfortable one. But my head adjusted, eventually feeling comfortable with the light pressure the A40 put on my skull. It's a solid set of headphones—324 grams/11.4 ounces—so some adjustment doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but at this point, I use these things for nearly every solo gaming session.

Hookups Aplenty: Astro doesn't skimp on the cables, including just about everything you'd need in the package from a connection standpoint, way more than I needed for my own personal use.

Hated
Boy, That's Kind Of Expensive: Purchased together, the A40 Audio System, will set you back $249.99. And that's not cheap. The package is much more expensive if the headset and MixAmp are purchased separately, so don't do that. But they're a great, well-built option for late night gaming or for those who move their gaming sessions around the house.

One Cord Too Short: The one cable that's lacking is the Xbox 360 controller communicator cable, which plugs into the MixAmp and at the bottom of the pad. My own set up has just a little too much distance from couch to console and your mileage may vary. But the shorter cable, much shorter than the headphone cable, means I'm forced to play leaning forward. And to suffer this minor discomfort is the kind of thing wimps like me prefer to nitpick.

At $249, the A40 is an investment, pricier than some of the consoles, but also a sound one. I've mostly made the switch from my home audio set up to the A40, and not just because the other residents in my household have become annoyed with the constant din of zombies, terrorists and space aliens being aerated and liquefied by heavy gunfire. It's not without its shortcomings, but the warm, powerful audio experience more than makes up for the minor inconveniences it's saddled with.

Would we suggest that everyone go out and grab an A40 and make it their primary audio option? Absolutely not. If you're already good on sound, more power to you. But if you're in the market for a new audio option, either out of consideration for your housemates or for a better headset/mic combo, give the A40 an earful.

The A40 Audio System was developed and release by Astro Gaming. Retails for $249.99 USD. A unit was provided at a video game review event. Played through through portions of Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Left 4 Dead 2 on the Xbox 360 and Dead Space on the Xbox 360 with the full A40 Audio System. Played through portions of Batman: Arkham Asylum on the PlayStation 3 using a dedicated receiver and A40 Headset.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The new lineup is an expansion of Logitech's gaming G-series.

“The G-series product line is all about seeing how far we can push the envelope, giving gamers extraordinary, engineered-to-win features developed as a result of our deep connection with the gaming community,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “With each one of these new G-series products, gamers gain exceptional benefits; but most importantly, they can transform their gear to suit their gameplay.”

The G19 keyboard features a tiltable 320-by-240 pixel color GamePanel LCD that can display in-game details from more than 60 games. Yes, including World of Warcraft. The display can also show computer details, void data and even pictures or videos. The keyboard also includes 12 programmable keys, with three macros per a key, a game mode switch that disables the Windows key, and two 2.0 USB ports.

They keyboard, due out in March, will sell for a whopping $200.

The G35 surround sound headset includes 7.1 surround sound support, a microphone, six voice-morphing options, three programmable keys on the left earpiece to control voice morphing, and volume, microphone mute and surround sound controls. The headset also comes with three swappable headbands.

The headphones, also due out in March, will sell for $130.

Finally, the G9x Laser Mouse includes on-the-fly adjustable dpi from 200 to 5000 dpi, two interchangeable grips, onboard memory for up to five profiles, a weight-tuning system and custom-color LEDs.

The G9x, due out in April, will sell for $100.

Manufacturer Track Scan purports that the Vibras is "unsurpassed in its superior audio quality," offering up an Xbox 360 tailored option for a more immersive audio experience.

While the Vibras does give gamers another option for late night surround sound gaming that won't piss off the neighbors, it also has a few gotchas. We lay out the pros and cons, what we loved and hated, in our hardware review.

Loved
Convincing Surround Sound: The Vibras 5.1 does a decent enough job of providing a three dimensional sound experience, thanks to a suite of 10 speakers that provide plenty of punch with great lows. They're extremely helpful in bringing out audio that you might not hear through a traditional speaker set up, unless you set the volume to 11, giving you a handy advantage in online games that use directional audio.

Comfortable, With Adjustable, Removable Mic: Relatively lightweight, the Vibras 5.1 are comfortable to wear for long gaming stretches. The detachable microphone is also flexible, letting you position it where you'd prefer. What it doesn't do, curiously, is give the user the option to wear it on either ear cup. The microphone attachment also has a tendency to come lose when quickly pulling off the headset.

No Receiver Required: If you don't already have a proper surround sound set up in your AV area, the Vibras system is self-sufficient, thanks to a Dolby Digital decoder box. That does mean you'll need a dedicated power outlet to power the thing. It's a good solution for a second gaming set up in the bedroom or wherever your second string TV may be.

Hated
Sounds Can Be Meek: While the bass delivers and sounds are generally crisp, mid-range audio can occasionally come across as tinny and hollow. It's most noticeable when watching a movie, when character dialogue is the focus. Since there are no cinematic filter options that we could see, it may take some fiddling with adjusting the volume, center channel and subwoofer feed to get something worth listening to. Explosions will blow your hair back, but that's about it.

Expensive: At $199, the Vibras isn't cheap for what is essentially a dedicated headset. Yes, you could plug the device into any output that supports optical out, but with its split headphone jacks, you probably won't find the Vibras headphones themselves useful on a wider range of devices.

A Tangled Mess: It's wired. Requires optical in to the Xbox 360, which feeds to the Dolby Digital decoder box (which also needs an AC out), which feeds into the headset which plugs into an Xbox 360 controller for voice chat. Again, not a big deal if you're playing on a smaller set up, but a wireless solution can be had for the same price if you already have a surround sound receiver.

*Batteries Required: Wait... I need AAA batteries (not included) to use this on Xbox Live too? Bummer, 'cause it sounds so much better than the out of the box Live headset.

It's hard to recommend the Vibras 5.1 to anyone with a working surround sound solution in their home. While it has its pros, the most notable being the benefit of hearing everything, the fully wired headset feels antiquated when we've become accustomed to playing untethered. As a back up surround option, it's a decent enough option, but somewhat cost prohibitive. The sound quality isn't bad, and it's especially helpful during Xbox Live chat, thanks to its battery powered amplifier, but it isn't going to make me switch from my current set up.

The Vibras Five.One Surround Sound Headset was released by Track Scan in December, retails for $199.99 USD. Tested headset with the games Left 4 Dead, Dead Space and Rez HD and DVDs Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and The Wire.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Black or Pink Space Invaders Headphones for $20 a pop.
T-Shirts for $20 a pop.

The pillows, unfortunately, are long gone.

Play Asia [via NineOverTen, thanks Jason]

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the famous shump precursor, Taito has been going hog wild with bizarre Space Invaders products, which is pretty awesome. The latest in the slew of bad merchandising that I still plan on buying are these headphones featuring the bitty bad guys. No details on who actually made the guts of these $20 cans so I'm thinking they're absolute crap... and yet I still want them when they hit in October.

Space Invader Headphones [ShopNCSX, thanks NCS]

8 Sonic Driver Gaming Headphones
Dedicated amplifier for each channel
99% Oxygen-free cable
Built-in uni-directional noise-cancelling microphone
On-The-Fly Positional volume control over each individual pair of drivers
2 Sub-woofer drivers for clean, powerful bass
Built-in Razer HD-DAI for dedicated connection to Razer Barracuda AC-1 Gaming Audio Card

Oh and they sell for $130. I don't know, I think I'll stick with one of the ratty pair of headphones that live in the nest of wires and cables under my desk. Brian Crecente

Thanks to the thousand-plus entrants who zergged that Gmail address we set up for this latest contest. The scientific random number generator (Crecente picking a number between 1 and all applicants and then me multiplying that number by two and dividing it by three) landed on lucky Dave L. If you didn't win this time, and there's a 99.9 percent chance you didn't, be vigilant. There'll be more free stuff, we promise.

Don't forget about the other contest we're running at Kotaku. Wanna win those Shure E3g headphones (see image) just follow the contest entry directions after the jump and tomorrow we'll randomly pick and announce a winner. Deadline for entry is tonight at 11:59 PST.

Send an email with the words FO SHURE in the subject line to kotakucontest@gmail.com. If the subject line contains anything other than FO SHURE in the subject your entry is null and void. Deadline is tonight at 11:59 p.m. PST.