This is a first for Bang & Olufsen. Known for its exquisite audio products, the brand is now making a foray into the gaming realm with the release of its brand-new wireless gaming headset, the Beoplay Portal.
Dubbed as a pricier alternative to the Xbox Wireless headset, this B&O number is also designed specifically for Xbox, purpose-built for gaming, and features the looks and quality of Bang & Olufsen’s regular headphones.
The Beoplay Portal was developed for the Designed for Xbox program, intended to seamlessly connect to Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles via the Xbox Wireless protocol. This ensures the headphones have a high bandwidth, low latency connection to any Xbox console.
When you’re not gaming, the Portal has a Bluetooth 5.1/USB-C connection with support for aptX Adaptive codec, so you can pair it with a PC or mobile device.
B&O claims the Beoplay Portal provides “a rich audio experience, delivering a high level of detail and nuance”.
There’s a new generation of the company’s adaptive active noise cancellation technology, plus B&O’s new technology, ‘Own Voice’. This enables users to hear their own voices while simultaneously cancelling out extraneous sounds, due to the headset having four voice mics and four mics for ANC (two per earcup).
Inside the earcups are two custom 40mm drivers with neodymium magnets that aim for a faithful reproduction of game audio. Dolby Atmos for Headphones is also supported.
In true B&O style, no detail has been overlooked for luxurious composition.
Designed by Jakob Wagner in partnership with Bang & Olufsen’s design team, the Beoplay Portal is made with high-quality materials. The earpads are crafted from lambskin-wrapped memory foam, the earcups have touch-sensitive aluminium discs, and the headband padding is covered in a bamboo fibre textile chosen for its durability and breathability – and therefore ability to remove the feeling of pressure on the head.
The headset comes in three colourways – Black Anthracite, Grey Mist, and Navy – and weighing 282g, they’re comparatively light.
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal has been released for sale in the US already. For Australia and the rest of the world, the Beoplay Portal goes on sale 29 April.
