The most expensive Xbox headset of all time now also has the biggest Xbox headset discount of all time, chopping a massive $200 off the typical asking price.
The B&O BeoPlay Portal headset reviewed well with us for several key reasons. This is a premium headset, and Bang and Olufsen certainly nailed that aspect of it. Premium leather cups with coolant gel, AptX codecs with Bluetooth 5.1, one of the only Xbox-compatible headsets with true active noise canceling, and a soundscape to die for. The biggest kicker of this headset is, and was, its $500 price tag, making it as expensive as the Xbox Series X itself. For those who ever fancied this headset, thankfully, it is now one of the best Black Friday Xbox deals going right now.
Despite the price, I’m not shy to call this one of the best Xbox headsets of all time. It was absolutely dreamy to use. Active noise canceling works well both at home and in public, and honestly, that’s what this headset is for. It’s a pair of lifestyle headphones masquerading as an Xbox headset at the end of the day. The microphones are internal, the controls are slick and hidden in the chassis, and the 15-hour battery life is designed to accommodate those who plan to use this headset everywhere. Whether you’re commuting, taking calls for work, or listening to music, this headset is ultimately B&O’s answer for lifestyle users who also want to play games.
The main downsides of this headset pertain to Xbox Wireless and the microphones, ironically. Xbox Wireless isn’t the greatest sound implementation out there in my view, and the internal microphones have their downsides over a dedicated boom microphone. For a headset this expensive you’d want no compromises generally, but honestly, people pay more for less versatile lifestyle headsets — headsets that are designed for phones and simply can’t be used for Xbox gaming. This is an answer for those who seek a headset that can be as serious as it can fun. If you can stomach that monster price tag, that is.
