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Mantis Headphones

Bionik Gaming brings us a pair of headphones that are designed for the PSVR in mind.

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Mantis Headphones

If there's one complaint we'd have about the PSVR headset from a practical viewpoint, there are a lot of wires to set up and untangle each time you play, one of these being the headphones you need to plug in, which either needs to go over your headset or underneath, if you opt for the in-ear kind, adding more dangly wires to worry about.

Bionik Gaming, however, has provided the Mantis headphones as an easy option for PSVR users, and the first way it does this is via its short wire. This plugs into the same place as usual, but it's just long enough to reach the ears, so you don't have any wiring around to get tangled in. Instead, it crawls up the back just like the rest of the wires for the headset, something that was very much appreciated.

Then come the headphones themselves. As you can see below, these are rather small in design, and clip onto the side of the headset. When they're attached in this way they then can be positioned straight, so they're on the ears when playing, or at an angle away from the headset, for when you're taking it on and off. They're lightweight as well, so it's not a pain to move them about if you need to.

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Mantis Headphones

On top of that, Bionik Gaming has also made it so that the design matches that of the headset itself almost perfectly, and from an aesthetic point of view this makes the whole setup look great. The white of the outer plastic is virtually identical to what's surrounding it on the PSVR unit, and the black compliments this nicely.

Setup is pretty easy as well, as there's quite literally just the two headphones and the wire, meaning all you have to do is plug in and play. Each headphone is also labelled left and right as well, and to clip it onto the PSVR's plastic headband is just a case of extending the grips around the headband and then snapping them in place, where they remain secure.

But the proof is in the pudding, right, and it doesn't matter how it looks if it doesn't perform well. That shouldn't be a concern here, though, as with a little adjustment you can get both headphones to sit on the ear nicely, adjusting the volume as you would normally do. Everything is clear from the headphones as well, and you don't have to compromise sound quality with this lightweight design, although bear in mind it doesn't match those of the really high-end headphones produced by giants like Turtle Beach and Razer.

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Their on-ear nature, however, produces the standout issue with the product, which is that you can still hear the outside world, and you regularly need to make slight adjustments to make sure the headphones are positioned just where you want them. This isn't a catastrophic issue, but one that won't be to the tastes of those who really want to get deeply immersed in the VR world with no outside interference. It doesn't have as clear 3D sound in the same way in-ear headphones as a result either, which may be the clinching factor for some as well.

The Mantis Headphones are a great way to get the audio experience with VR without a lot of tangled and messy wiring around you, and the fact that they're so easy to use and match the PSVR's own design are just bonuses, however, if you're really hardcore with your love of VR and want to be totally cut off from the outside world audio-wise, this might not be the product for you.

Mantis Headphones
08 Gamereactor UK
8 / 10
+
Lightweight, Style matches PSVR headset, Short wire so no tangles, Audio quality good.
-
Doesn't totally reduce outside noise because of on-ear nature, Can need adjusting regularly.
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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Mantis Headphones

Mantis Headphones

HARDWARE. Written by Sam Bishop

Bionik Gaming brings us a pair of headphones that are designed for the PSVR in mind.



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