A few months ago, I broke my headset I use on my PC. I looked for a replacement for awhile, trying to decide what would be best for me to use. I came across the Creative Labs Fatal1ty USB Gaming Headset with Sound Blaster X-Fi Technology.

For people who know me personally, they know that I like playing video games. In particular, I like Massive Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Games(MMORPGs). While playing these types of games, I use Ventrilo to speak with the other people I am playing with at the time. I have been very impressed with the sound qaulity of the headset in terms of voice communication. Every sound is crisp and clear, and I believe with this headset you are only limited by the codec supported by the communication service you are using.

I liked the voice communication so much, I decided that I would use the headset for the Skype calls I have to do occasionally. This was also due to the fact that the headset is advertised as being portable, coming with a leather case and built with extra support. I recently plugged the headset into my MacBook to make a call, and unfortunately realized that the headset is not compatible with OS X. I believe this has something to do with the Sound-Blaster X-Fi technology being built into the headset. The headset is only compatible with Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). This was only the first of a few disappointments that occurred while using this headset.

This headset does not mesh well with music. Do not get me wrong, it can play music well but it is not meant for music. I guess it is partially my fault for buying a gaming headset and expecting it to excel at playing music, but I honestly thought it could do better.

One thing that I do like about the headset is the crisp sound it has in video games. Now I do not playing any First Person Shooter (FPS) games on my computer (I have the Xbox 360 for that!), but I can tell you that these headphones would be perfect for it. The sounds these headphones produce are clear and vibrant. When they say this headset is built for gaming, they mean FPS games.

Another problem this headset has is that it does not cancel noise well at all. Not only can I hear essentially every sound from my surroundings (living with 3 other roommates in a small apartment makes this a big problem), but my surroundings can hear everything that is coming from my headset as well! I like to listen to my music loud, arguably very loud, and unfortunately this headset tends to force me to listen to things quieter than I would like.

In terms of comfort, I would definitely say this headset is far from being a problem. Your ears are completed surrounded by plush velvet padding and they can be worn for hours without becoming a problem. I tend to be rather lenient on an issue like this, but I do like the feel of the headset.

Short Version
Pros

• Made of durable, thick plastic that is very sturdy
• Detachable noise-canceling microphone that enables crisp, clear communication
• Comes with a leather case to protect it, adding to its portability
• Plush velvet padding makes for a comfortable experience

Cons

• Not compatible across multiple Operating Systems
• Music can be distorted because of the technology used to make game sounds more crisp
• Sound is not contained very well at all

If you plan on playing FPS games and using voice communication constantly, then this is the headset for you. If you are someone who does not have a Microsoft OS or listens to an abundance of music, then I would say stay clear of this headset.

UPDATE: First off, I would like to thank Ryan Schlieper, the product manager for the Gaming Headsets at Creative, for informing me of a firmware update that was available for the headset.

This update now enables the headset to be used across a broader range of operating systems, such as OS X. I am happy to announce that the headset is now functioning very well on my Macbook. The only real problem I see is that you need Windows XP 32bit, XP 64bit, Vista 32bit, or Vista 64bit to install the new drivers. This means, if you do not own a machine with that type of OS on it, you will not be able to update your headset to use it on the other operating systems.

If anyone is interested in updating their headset, please download and install the new firmware from the Creative Support site. Please ensure that you use the correct firmware for your operating system.