Getting Creative with HS-1200 Gaming Cans

Creative intends their HS-1200 wireless boom-mic-equipped cans to appeal to the hardcore gamer who's tied up in knots by irritating wires. However, while it's true that the full duplex operation and USB connection are both pluses that mean that you can use the HS-1200 without worrying about a soundcard, the its profile does not mention one crucial feature that any set of gaming headphones should have: surround sound.

As our review of Tritton's headset demonstrates, surround sound is as necessary to gaming as oxygen is to life. Of course, Creative is the developer behind the OpenAL standard, so chances very, very good that these new cans are OpenAL compliant, solving the surround problem through software. It's a good thing, too, because the HS-1200 has a lot of other nice features, including a proprietary wireless connection that has a lower power drain than Bluetooth, and a charging dock built right into the receiver. Will the HS-1200 be the answer to your isolationist gaming audio dreams? We'll see this spring.