Thrustmaster,a name synonymous with gaming steering wheels, has built up quite the successful reputation by carving deep into this niche, but in recent times has expanded its horizons by entering the headset market. Its latest set of cans is custom branded for Ubisoft’s recently-released Ghost Recon Wildlands, an open world retooling of the cult tactical shooter that is ripe for a good headset given its focus on co-operative play. So does it do the job?
Specifications
The Thrustmaster Ghost Recon Wildlands Y-350P gaming headset features and specifications include:
- Passive isolation
- 102dB @ 1mW audio sensitivity
- 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound
- Double electro-acoustic bass amplification
- Power Bass and Backlit Volume Status
- Y Sound Commander for controlling volume and balance
- Y Power Pack extends the battery life of the PS4 controller and powers the Active Bass and 7.1
- Virtual Sound features
- 100% memory foam cushions
- Adjustable master volume
- Adjustable bass volume
- Adjustable game/chat balance
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
- Thrustmaster Y-350P 7.1 Ghost Recon Wildlands Edition gaming headset
- Microphone
- Y Sound Commander
- Y Power Pack
- Quick Start Guide
- Warranty Leaflet
Headset Design
The Thrustmaster Ghost Recon Wildlands Y-350P gaming headset features two earcups that swivel forward and back as well as up and down to ensure a comfortable fit. The earcups are lined with memory foam, covered by a comfortably soft black leather-effect material and the top of the front is imprinted with the Ghost Recon Wildlands logo. It’s impressively comfortable, even after extended use, with none of the sweaty-eared hotness you get from an average headset. The outside of the earcups have a turbine effect to the design, and are attached to the headband with an inverted Y shaped housing. The bottom of the left earcup also has the word LEFT embedded in it. About an inch and a half up is a split, which is where the earcups swivel forward and back, and a couple inches above that is another split for adjusting the size of the headband itself. The inside of the upper portion of the headband has a section of the same soft black leather-esque memory foam with the Wildlands logo printed on the front.
The headset is mostly black with splashes of white and yellow. Aside from the material covering the memory foam components, the middle of the headband has an inset black strip which extends down into the inverted Y housing over each earcup.Inside each earcup is the Ghost Recon Wildlands skull logo in white.
The removable microphone inserts into the left earcup, and is a robust black plastic housing with a flexible soft rubber near the back that allows you to adjust where it sits in relation to your face. It’s a concerning design at first glance, as it seems it might not stay where you want it, but happily, it does so pretty well, and the little give it has is actually plenty. An impressively subtle design.
The 40-inch wired cable also extends out of the left earcup, and has an adjustable clip attached to it. The wired cable ends in a 3.5mm jack which you connect to the Y Power Pack. The bottom end of the Y Power Pack is where you’ll find the USB port for recharging the unit. The Y Power Pack is black, with yellow lining around the edges on the top plate, and a red and black strip rests in the middle with the Wildlands logo and the word POWER in white. A charge indicator in the shape of a Y sits at the top.
The Y Sound Commander is black as well, with yellow partitioning that separates the Game/Chat, Bass, Mic, and Feedback buttons. The volume controls sit near the top/front of the adapter where it plugs into the Dualshock controller with an LED bar indicator in between them. Right in the middle of the Y Sound Commander is a large yellow “7.1” and Wildlands skull logo imprinted in white. The connector that slots the Y unit into the Dualshock is fairly robust, but it doesn’t feel especially secure in how it connects. For the most part it holds in quite well, yet holding the controller upright and accidentally knocking the unit did dislodge it on a couple of occasions.
Sound Quality
The sound range on the Thrustmaster Y-350P 7.1 is impressive, even if it lacks a bit in the bass department. It’s pretty meaty, and the adjuster on the Y Sound Commander means it can be set to the correct level depending on the game you’re playing, but on the highest setting, it falls a little short of the thumping boom I’d have expected.
Master volume and bass levels, as well as game/chat balance can be controlled, and by default the Y Sound Commander displays the master volume by lighting up blue bars that represent the volume in portions. Main volume adjustment is simply a case of pressing the – or + buttons on either side of the volume indicator, and similarly, adjusting the bass levels, requires you to press the bass button, and then toggle the -/+ buttons. The same goes with adjusting the game/chat balance, simply press the Game/Chat button and then toggle the -/+ buttons. In this case the balance is indicated by blue and orange lights on the on the volume indicator with blue showing game volume and orange showing chat volume.
You can also toggle the 7.1 surround mode and microphone by pressing the appropriate buttons, and the volume indicator will turn blue if you’re turning it on and orange if you’re turning it off.
While the box does say that it is PC compatible, the best results come from using an PS4 controller with your PC. You can use them using the 3.5mm audio jack but you lose the bass and 7.1 sound options. They still sound decent enough, but you’re better off using it with the controller on a PC.
Mic Quality
When used with the Dualshock 4, I had a clean and clear audio connection with the other party members on both ends. I did have some intermittent issues when using a third party controller so that could be an issue or just an odd coincidence. If you are getting extra feedback, you can hit the Feedback button to reduce this when using the mic, a problem that has rarely cropped up.
Battery Life
The Y Power Pack has a lithium battery, with an estimated life of 20 hours between charging. During testing it was clear that the Power Pack could back up these claims. Perhaps the best thing about this particular setup is that the headphones aren’t draining your controller battery, and when the battery on the Y Power Pack does need charging, you can do so while playing by connecting a USB cable. When your battery is low, the charge indicator on the Y Power Pack flashes red, and while charging it is green. Once you’ve recharged it fully (around three and a half hours or so), the light turns off.
Price/Value
At around £120, the Thrustmaster Y-350P 7.1 Ghost Recon Wildlands Edition Gaming Headset is not exactly a cheap headset, but the quality holds up to the price point. Packing it in with a separate power pack to run the headset, 7.1 surround sound, and bass control means you’re getting a good set of equipment for your money
Final Word
If you’re looking for a respectable 7.1 surround sound headphones/headset, then Thrustmaster Y-350P 7.1 Ghost Recon Wildlands Gaming Headset is definitely a solid choice thanks to a gaggle of nice touches. Its ability to adjust bass and volume levels, as well as game/chat balance, and toggle the 7.1 surround sound mode are reasons enough to consider it, but that it runs off a Y Power Pack that doesn’t drain your controller while using the headset is probably the best reason of all.