As someone who has never owned or even thought of owning a gaming headset, I was stoked to be offered the latest from Logitech to serve as my introduction.
The Logitech G522 Lightspeed headset (RRP$349) is the latest addition to the award-winning G5 series and after a bit of a crash course it’s easy to see why the company has become a go-to for your gaming needs.
This was an instant level up for me, who for years has endured online gaming in complete silence. Seriously, a couple of years ago I was using old wired in-ear headphones that would send a buzz like a constantly droning dog whistle into the ears of everyone I was playing with. I quickly got asked to mute myself, where I have remained ever since.
The first thing you notice when you flick on the G522 (and the first thing everyone around me at work noticed when I unboxed them) are the striking LED lights on either side of the headset.
A shining purple and teal pops through and draws the attention of anyone in the area, and as you cycle through the five customisable lighting options and start mucking around with the settings you can easily make the headset feel uniquely your own.
The headset’s connectivity is perhaps its strongest feature, with the ability to switch from Logitech’s low latency LIGHTSPEED wireless connection to a wired connection to bluetooth fairly seamless once you get the hang of it.
I actually first used the headset with both my phone and laptop instead of a gaming console and found them perfectly suitable for everyday use - and the easy detachability of the microphone stopped passersby from asking if I would like fries with that while using the headset.
I even took the headset to bed to listen to an audiobook, where I quickly figured out how to connect the headset to Logitech’s G Hub app and turn off the lights because my partner didn’t exactly appreciate up to 16.8 million colours in her face while she’s trying to sleep.
Actually, on second thought, connecting to the app wasn't that quick - I needed to update the firmware and it took me a few goes and Reddit searches if I'm being totally honest. r/boomers.
The second best feature is without a doubt the battery life. For a wireless headset, the life you get out of these things is insane. Advertised as having 40 hours of battery life with lights in use and 90 without, I am yet to charge the headset and I have used them for both everyday and gaming use for the better part of three weeks.
As for the gaming side of things, I didn’t find them natively suited for Xbox so if you’re a Playstation or PC user these could be a bit of you. The microphone is broadcast quality so you wannabe Twitch streamers or podcasters are well on your way when equipped with this bit of kit.
Above all, if you’re a serious gamer or at least want to look and feel like one, the Logitech G522 LIGHTSPEED headset will do the job.
