Bluetooth headset

As essential as they are in many aspects of life, wires are the worst. It's not fun to have cables winding around your entertainment setup, especially if you love gaming. quickly problematic.

Unfortunately, the Bluetooth headphones revolution has not

enough

is making its way to gaming yet. You can technically use Bluetooth headphones on modern video game consoles, but each method of doing so will cost you extra money and some pairing methods are easier than others.

The good news is that it can be done. Here's how.

Which Bluetooth headphones work with Xbox One?

Technically, the answer to this question is "none". Be it PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo, none of the current-gen consoles (or last-gen, in the case of the Xbox One) support Natively supports Bluetooth audio. They do have Bluetooth capabilities, but they're basically there for wireless controller connectivity. That said, the word "technically" always leaves room for exceptions, and that's the case here, even if these exceptions are not ideal.

If you already have a pair of Bluetooth headphones that you really like, there's no need to despair just yet. There's a workaround that we'll cover shortly. The good news (if you're counting spending hundreds of dollars as "good news") is that there are a bunch of wireless gaming headsets built with Microsoft's special "Xbox Wireless" technology in mind. Microsoft has a

special page

on its online storefront only for Xbox compatible headsets. Some of the more notable models include:

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2

($100)

Kingston HyperX CloudX

($160)

SteelSeries Arctis 9X

($200)

LucidSound LS35X

($180)

Corsair HS75

($150)

I'll also take a second to shout out Microsoft's official solution, the aptly named

Xbox Wireless Headset

It's $100 and works with Xbox One and newer Xbox Series consoles. The only real problem is that, like everything next-gen console-related, it can be hard to find in stores.

Most of the other options listed above cost more, but you might find them easier to snag. Of course, these things change over time, so the Xbox Wireless Headset probably won't be scarce forever.

The Official Xbox Wireless Headset should work seamlessly with an Xbox One.

Credit: microsoft/amazon

OK, so how do you get Bluetooth headphones to work with the Xbox One?

This is where things get tricky. As I said, the Xbox One does not natively support Bluetooth audio. You either need to get an Xbox Wireless compatible headset, like the ones listed above, or Get creative. We'll tell you exactly how creative you need to be, but just know that it's not a great solution and your best bet will be to deposit some cash.

If you have an Xbox Wireless compatible headset

It won't take long to explain

How to login

a headset with Xbox Wireless capabilities to an Xbox One console. Simply find the pairing button on the headset (check the device's manual if you can't find it) and once it's in pairing mode , press the pairing button on the Xbox console itself. It's the same as connecting a new controller to the console. Unless something weird happens, it should only take a few seconds .

If you already have a Bluetooth headset

Before you decide to connect your existing Bluetooth headphones to an Xbox One, you need to set a goal. Are you trying to enjoy game audio without waking up your neighbors or being distracted by their noise seeping through your walls? Or are you trying to chat with friends while you play

Halo 3

in co-op for the 400th time?

Pretty explicit!

Credit: Screenshot: Xbox

The reason this distinction is important is that non-Xbox wireless devices can't really do both. It's one or the other. We'll start by listening to game audio first. If you just try to listen to your games, a Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the Xbox controller's 3.5mm headphone jack will do. This one from

Uberwith

will set you back $36, but Amazon reviewers say it does its job transmitting audio to Bluetooth headphones. They also note that it has a built-in microphone for voice chat, as your headset's mic won't work, but many reviews warn that the audio quality of this mic is terrible. You should probably only use it for listening, in other words.

Once you have a Bluetooth transmitter like this, pairing should be similar to how you pair your headphones to any other device. Learn how to put your headphones into pairing mode (this varies from pair to the other, so check the manual for the device) then find the pairing button on the little transmitter you just bought. Assuming nothing goes wrong, that

should

do the trick. That said, I can't promise there won't be any weird issues with this approach. The Xbox One just wasn't meant to work with regular Bluetooth headphones.

For voice chat, there is an easier solution, although far from ideal. Download the

Xbox app

on Android or iOS, sign in with your Xbox Live account and start or join a party with your friends by tapping the social icon on the bottom row (second from left). Once you're there, tap l headset icon on the top right corner of the app for voice chat. All you need to do is connect your Bluetooth headphones to your smartphone and you can use them to chat with your friends. But again, you will not hear any game sound.

It's not great that people with Bluetooth headphones can't just connect them to an Xbox One without spending at least some money and/or trusting third-party Bluetooth transmitters. That's the reality of the situation , whether it's due to Bluetooth latency or other technical hurdles behind the scenes, but at least it's

possible

Hopefully that won't be a problem six or seven years from now when more new consoles are released.