Thurstmaster is a known brand name when it comes to gaming peripherals. While being more commonly known for racing wheels and peddle setups the company has also been releasing headsets for some time. Their latest release is a Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands branded headset range, including two premium devices which come with plenty of great sounding features. The mark of Wildlands gives the headset that visual difference to stand out on the shelf, but should you be taking this headset home? Let’s find out!
This review will focus on the Y-350X, which is one part of Thurstmaster’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands range, which includes 3 licensed headsets. The Y-350X is one of the two flagship models and is compatible with Xbox One & Windows. Aside from the way the headset connects to the controller, the Y-350P headset is identical in terms of build quality, however it is instead compatible with PlayStation 4. The third headset, the Y-300CPX, has greater compatibility (it can be used with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC and Mac), however it does not have the same feature set as the two flagship headsets.
When unboxing, the licensed nature of the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Y-350X headset is instantly noticeable. From the Ghost symbol on the inner foam of the earcups, to the larger side of the headset decal, the theme is ever present and fits the headset perfectly. It makes the headset that bit more distinctive, while managing to not go over the top. It was also nice to see, during the initial unboxing, that the internals of the box containing the headset was relatively sturdy. This should mean that no damage occurs during delivery, shipping, etc., giving you a returns headache to deal with.
The build quality of the headset is similarly instantly recognizable. On top of looking well built, when you removing the headset from the packaging, it has that robust feeling you expect from a premium device. Being a mixture of metal and plastic some headsets, despite claiming to be premium in nature, feel like they are made from cheap materials. Thankfully this isn’t the case with the Y-350X headset. The strength of these materials won’t instantly sell a headset but it does mean that the device will last those long gaming sessions for years to come.
Making those long gaming sessions comfortable is the memory foam used in the earcups. The Y-350X’s earcups were slightly too small for my ears. Regardless of this, the comfort of the headset was not negatively affected due to the cushion attributes of the memory foam. These comfortable earcups, as with any gaming headset, have a double purpose. Blocking the noise from the real world is key for a headset to enhance immersion and the Y-350X manages this with ease. Even in a busy office environment the room became almost peaceful by just putting the device on, let alone when music or game sounds, such as explosions from Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, were being played through the 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound speakers.
