Customer Reviews

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator for Xbox 360

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I was looking for something different. The OEM Xbox 360 headset would always become uncomfortable after an hour or so
of use for me. The foam/sponge "ear-speaker cover" would bother my ear and the hard plastic opposite end would dig into the other side of my head.

I had been looking all over (including in Japan) for a cool headset. I didn't want one that also played the sound from the game (ie. stereo or 5.1 audio),
I have an audio system for that, I just wanted a better communicator headset for talking with friends.

I saw this on a "popular game review site" and immediately went and got one.

I opened it. It felt like quality plastic and rubber. It had a durable feel to it. I was excited. Heck, I could even drink and not have to move the mic.
Perfect, right?

It fit a little tight around my lower neck, but I could deal with that. The ear pod was a little big and was deeper than say a traditional iPod ear bud.
It wasn't super comfy personally, but again, I could deal with it.

Problem #1
I plug it into the controller. The plug didn't fit super tight and it did that static thingy in my ear which made it seem like the connection wasn't all there.
it felt 3rd party-ish if you know what I mean. I was expecting it to kinda plug and lock in there, but it felt too loose for my liking.

Problem #2
So I connect with some friends. They say I sounded bad, too much static, so I looked closely and noticed that it came with the mute switch turned "on" (default setting? really?).
But if the mute was on, why could they hear me?

So I switched the mute to "off".
My friends said I sounded fine with the throat mic. I was actually surprised they said they couldn't tell the difference between my voice
with the Mad Catz product and the OEM Xbox headset.

Problem #3
My friends sounded drunk/inebriated. Their voices sounded horrible. I switched over to the OEM Xbox headset and they sounded fine. The ear piece had
horrible audio. It sounded like cheap equipment.

So basically the only good things are I can drink with it on and I sound OK, but the other issues were too much for me.
I can't express enough how bummed I am that this product isn't that good.

Oh well, I will repackage it up and return it.
The search continues.

I didn't even realize this was for sale yet until I walked into my local Gamestop today and happened to stumble upon their only 1 available. Being a new type of headset I was a bit skeptical. Long story short, it works like it's suppose to.

1) The neckpiece fits nice and snug. It is not adjustable as it's suppose to be in good contact right by your throat. I'm of average build and it fit perfectly. Even if you're a bit skinnier or heavier I'm sure it will fit comfortably still.
2) The earpiece also fit nicely. Unlike most earbud headphones, these do no have different sized ear pieces to make it fit any better in your ear. The size you see on the box is the only size you get.
3) The earbud goes to your left ear which felt weird at first being that I was used to an OEM headset for the last 4 years.

I tested it right away and my brother said it doesn't sounds as clear as the OEM headset but it's still good.

Overall, I can't think of any reason not to get it. There are a lot of options for headsets out there that cost less, but none are quite as fun as this one. If you have the 30$ to spend go for it.

I loved the feel and look of this headset. I thought the idea was so awesome BUT when Im using it my friends say that I don't sound like me on it and they always tell me to turn my mic off cause there is too much hissing sounds and echo sounds. This happens all the time it never changes so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND not getting this headset cause your just going to run into problems.

I decided to buy this mic because I was curious as to how well it worked. With what seems to be mixed reviews online, I thought I'd find out for myself. I'll break down the good and bad points so it's very easy to see exactly where this mic shines, and where it doesn't.


The Good:

Cool design - it really is fun to wear this mic because not only is it cooler than having a big over the ear mic on your head, but it is rather comfortable to wear. I can't however say that you don't notice it, because you certainly do, and I could see it being annoying for some people to wear, but it isn't for me.

Great earpiece - the audio coming through the earpiece is LOUD and clear. I say LOUD because when I first used it, I had to turn the volume down about halfway because my ear almost exploded. The earpiece would be described as "one size fits most" but if you are like me and own a pair of earbuds with interchangeable rubber earpieces, you might be able to swap the stock earpiece for one of those.

Build Quality - the build quality is surprisingly well done. I'm not sure if I got a newer version of the mic or what, but I don't see how anyone can claim that the headphone jack doesn't "snap" into your controller, because it does for me. I have not once had a problem with the jack falling out of the slot, but I guess if you threw your controller or something, it might come out then. You can even use this with most cell phones.

The Bad:

Poor to Average Voice Quality - This is the only reason why I wouldn't give this mic a 5 star rating. While using this mic, I notice how much background noise it picks up. If you are like me and use surround sound, or just have your TV turned on loud, the mic will pick up a large amount of background noise. I especially notice that my mic indicator is on my screen while I'm blinded by flashbangs, while shooting my gun, or when explosions are nearby. If you have ever heard a cheaper bluetooth mic, then you should get a good idea of what this mic sounds like. Because of the way it is designed, the mic basically picks up everything in the room, instead of just your voice.

The voice quality really is the only negative aspect of this mic, and it is really unfortunate because it could be a must own piece of equipment if this wasn't such an issue. It doesn't bother me, but I know what it's like to be playing with someone who has a noisy mic, and its very, very annoying.

Just to comment on other opinions I have read :

When you get the mic, it is muted by default, so make sure you flip the mute switch before you use it, or no one will be able to hear it. It can also be confusing because the switch actually says "off" or "on" and in order to unmute the mic, you have to turn it to "off", which at first made me think the mic would be "off". But this is not a big deal at all once you actually realize it.

I've heard that the mute switch is hard to find, but it really isn't unless you are in a dark room. I think you could easily remember where it is, unless you have problems with things such as, remembering where buttons on your remote control or cell phone are...

I haven't had any problems with static, other than other people being able to hear "static" from background noise that this mic picks up.

I've also noticed that if I wear the piece that goes around your neck, when I wear it higher on my neck, my voice is very muffled sounding, and all my words seem to blend into one another. When wearing the mic at the base of my neck, it seems like it makes a dramatic difference in my voice quality.

Overall, I'd say that this mic is a decent alternative to the standard Xbox mic, but I don't know if I will really use it a whole lot because I just hate the fact that it picks up so much bg noise, and I know my teammates will want to punch me in the face for it.

I bought this throat communicator after some hesitation. I heard and read some bad reviews on it but my curiosity got the better of me. I have to say, I like it a lot. I'm not going to lie, it does take a little getting used to but once you have it on for about 10 mins. You don't even know it's there. One review on here says that the jack that plugs into the controller feels a little loose. That is true but it hasn't been a problem for me. One thing that is important, it matters where on your neck it is! I tried it in different spots, high on my neck, lower, ect. You get the idea. The best place is in the middle of your neck almost even with your adams apple. If I went higher or lower people said I sounded muffled or garbled. Some other complaints I seen were that the ear piece sounds like crap, to me it sounds fine. One last thing i'll mention, I had my throat communicator on and switched between my OEM and Playtonics headset while talking to a friend and they said I sounded more clear with the throat communicator. So that's my review, hope it helps on making a choice if you want to pick one up.

I bought the Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator off of Ebay for about $27 with free shipping. You may want to search around for a good price, but the MSRP is $29.99. It is wired, with a metal, flexible band that goes around the back of your neck. There is an earpiece that goes in your left ear, and the microphone itself is built into the neck band. The wire plugs into the XBOX 360 controller like you would expect, with a plastic clip you can hook to your shirt if you want. There is also a small plastic control on the cable, which has a volume control for the earpiece, and a mute switch. There is some Modern Warfare 2 branding on the neck band and the plastic control knob. I have not seen this in stores, which is a shame as I think it would sell well. This is by far the coolest mic I have ever seen or used.

Pros
+Looks great and is very cool. It fits percetly for me - I dont even feel it on me when I am playing modern Warfare 2. The neck band has a rubber cover on it. Since the mic is not in front of your mouth, you can easily drink or eat while playing.

+The earpiece works fine. It is plenty loud if you adjust it high enough. The sound quality is just a bit lower quality than the OEM Microsoft, but it doesnt bother me at all.

-The microphone is clear, but not perfect. My friends have no problem hearing me.

Cons
-The microphone will occassionally register sound when you arent talking. I sit 10 feet from my tv, and I dont have my tv very loud. I have had the same problem with the Microsoft XBOX 360 wireless headset. It will sometimes annoy other players on Live because they will see your Gamertag popping up in the game, as if you are talking when you are not talking. But, they wont hear your voice (when you arent talking) and think your mic is not working properly. I wish I could adjust the mic sensivity downward like you can on PS3, but there is no ability to do this on XBOX 360 that I am aware of. Some games have push-to-talk for voice communication, like Halo 3, so you wont have this problem in every game you play online.

-The wire that connects the earpiece to the neck band is very thin and not connected very sturdily to the neck band. I am nervous about accidentally pulling the earpiece wire out of the neck band, which would break it.

-The plastic control knob on the wire connecting the neck band to the controller feels cheap. The mute switch is thin and a bit flimsy. Mad Catz should have put a mute switch on this that is like the one on the Microsoft wired headset - which is large and you dont need to be looking at it to switch it on or off.

Thanks for reading

This mic has amazing sound quality on ur side but you cannot have your TV up very loud or any noise in the background or this mic will pick it up. When you talk it sounds muffled and isn't very clear for the other ppl to hear u at all. It is a decent mic but I don't think its worth the [...] bucks I paid for it

I've had no problems with the headset and mic (both were clear), but the throat communicator is just too tight on my neck. This must have been sized for kids instead of anyone 18 and over. The plug that goes into the mic jack also isn't very tight but I had no static because of it.

If they had made the neck part adjustable I probably would definitely keep it, but now I'm contemplating whether or not I should return it to Amazon.

[...]


Tested this thing multiple ways and the results were the same.

At first no one responded to me with multiple adjustments on the volume control and mute switch. So I hooked up system link(I have a line in a separate room for when my friends bring their box and they can use the other TV, that's why we use mics.) and nothing but static and a loud buzzing over the systems. Picks up background noise but not my voice.

The throat piece is not adjustable but comfortable after you adjust to it. But since no one can hear me...well doesn't matter how it fits.

switched between my turtle beach x1, the extremely uncomfortable stock mic and then this. Same problems each time with the throat mic.

I've used the real deal in the military so I thought this was a great idea, and it is, but that's all this is, a gimmick, and over priced at that.

Ironically the name snow attached to this product link is right on the mark, that's all anyone hears in game.

When I ordered this MW2 throat mic communicator I was expecting the communication quality that i got with the original microsoft headset. I was told by a retailer that the ear bud sound and mic quality were excellent. when i got it the ear bud fits snugly inside my ear (which took some getting used to) but now I prefer that to the original xbox headset earpiece. It sounds really great! The downside is that quite often I am told by other gamers on xbox live that I am difficult to understand. Now I don't really understand how a "neck mic" works differently than a regular one but I think that is chink in the armor of its design...that and the ergonomics of the mute switch are poor. It is so small and SHARP (digs into my finger when I switch it) that I find myself avoiding using it almost all the time.

In conclusion I would say that the MW2 Communicator needs to be redesigned. In its current form i would just go get the similarly priced and familiar original xbox one. Its a cool idea that needs to be refined to really be preferred.

p.s. it makes a better cellphone head set than xbox communicator, the throat mic shield the wind from it and the audio problems experienced with xbox live aren't there when being used on a cellphone. it was whisper sensitive and ear bud audio was excellent. great for driving but you will probably scare people if you are walking around on the street with a throat mic on.