Mobile gaming has grown in popularity throughout the years, with over 2.5 billion users expected by 2020. As a result, it’s no surprise that major gaming headset manufacturers capitalized on the growing demand for earbuds for on-the-go gaming. Turtle Beach is one of them, with their Battle Buds in-ear gaming headset. However, what distinguishes them from other earbuds is their detachable boom microphone.
What we will see here?
A Quick Introduction!
Turtle Beach delivers the best on-the-go gaming experience with the new Battle Buds headset. Hi-sensitivity mic, powerful drivers, and compact design make it the perfect mobile gaming headset.
That alone should pique the interest of any keen player out there. The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are music to the ears of Nintendo Switch owners. These feisty little wired buds dominate the market at this wallet-friendly price point because they are portable, easy to use, and offer outstanding value for money. Sure, they won’t produce headset-quality sound (and they won’t look great), but if you need some headphones to put in your Switch case for hassle-free travel or commute gaming, these little darlings are a must-have.
These one-of-a-kind in-ears contain a small detachable boom mic that connects to the left earphones but can be simply removed for everyday use. Overall, the microphone performance is fairly good, and the boom microphone aids in the separation of your voice from background noise. Unfortunately, their sound profile is rather muddy and dark, and while they may be suitable for video game sounds, they are unlikely to be suitable for listening to vocal-centric genres such as pop or rock. They’re also not the comfiest, albeit their huge earbuds stick out far enough from your ear to alleviate tiredness.
Design
With these buds, you get exactly what you see – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, fewer moving components means fewer things to go wrong. We’ve put these buds through their paces, moving them from machine to machine, home to commute, office to bedroom, and they’re still as good as new. You’d think the 1m cable would bend out of shape or wind up patching out sound, but it’s a tough piece of equipment, as is the rest of the design.
A control box along the left wire lets you control the volume, and a mic mute button, which can be a little hard to find in a pinch, can also be found there. If you’re one of the legendary, lesser-known folks who are obsessed with Google Assistant, there’s a button for it on the back as well. That button is, frankly, more trouble than it’s worth, and it’s dragged us away from the Genshin Impact phone app and into the Assistant app more times than we’d want to count. Beware, Butterfingers.
The huge, shield-like triangles aren’t beautiful, but they’re clever: these little bits of the plastic house the 10mm drivers that power the Buds’ not-so-impressive sound. They’re hefty, which is why those weird little rubber scaffolding are tied to the inserts, so don’t expect to leave these in for hours on end. The aesthetic sacrifice for the sake of sound is worthwhile.
Packaging
The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are packaged in a tiny, grey, lightweight cardboard box. But, to put it simply, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. I have to say, a lot is going on for a box this little. It’s not striking to look at, but the wording on the box is quite little given its size. As a result, some information may be missed, especially for those like me who do not have good eyesight.
The box’s aperture was taped shut, and it takes several attempts to get it open without using scissors. Inside is a simple pull-out plastic container with cut-outs precisely formed to the shape of its contents. On top of that is the user handbook, which is likewise protected by a plastic bag and a pouch of silica gel. We usually don’t see a bag of silica gel included with gaming headphones, but it’s a nice little safety precaution. However, sure there is a curisosity if this means they’re prone to moisture or condensation.
When you open the box, you’re welcomed by the Battle Buds themselves, with the wire neatly wrapped around itself. It is flanked by a detachable microphone. You’ll also notice the carrying pouch, which houses the extra ear tips and stabilizer wings. Having an extra pair of ear tips as well as stabilizer wings makes a fantastic first impression. Despite the low price, these ‘freebies’ show that Turtle Beach appreciates its clients and the experience.
Performance
While the Battle Buds’ design is lackluster, the audio performance is generally decent. I put the buds through their paces on mobile, Switch, and a PS4 Pro via the DualShock. It’s evident that these earbuds shine on mobile, and they were up to the task of something like Fortnite. Alert pings were distinct, as was gunfire, and all audio within the game was pleasingly clear. Although you won’t get surround sound or effective spatial audio, the Battle Buds were clean and precise. There’s no sense of immersion, and the Buds struggle a little with powerful bass. However, for such a low-cost audio gadget, it functioned admirably.
When it came to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on PS4 Pro, the Battle Buds fared poorly. Especially when compared to regular gaming headphones and they miss a lot of the ambient noise in Ancient Greece. However, they do an excellent job of having the human dialogue feel balanced among the noises during the battles. While performance is adequate, there’s nothing to imply that the Battle Buds produce audio comparable to that of your TV speakers, so unless you need to use a headset, it’s not worth inserting them into your ears while lounging on the couch.
Microphone Quality
The mic is sensitive and captures a lot of ambient sounds, your breathing, and the boom brushing against your skin. The extra 4g of weight added by the small mic may be too much for the buds on either side of your head, causing them to sag and tug against one other (especially if you have those rubber hooks equipped.
The mic is a great addition – and may be used to yell obscenities at your teammates if required. If you want something that can handle chat, you’re probably better off getting one of the full-fledged headsets listed above.
Conclusion
There is practically nothing like the Battle Buds if you want to game with earbuds that have a boom microphone. That alone will make them appealing to a large number of individuals.
Just keep in mind that you should resist this urge if you use Xbox Live. The reason is that the platform and the Battle Buds just do not get along. The Battle Buds make every effort to improve the gaming experience and provide a tactical advantage in competitive online games. They succeed, for the most part, but this renders them nearly unusable for everyday music listening.
