Gaming headsets aren't for everyone. Personally, I like to do my fragging the old-fashioned, scare-the-neighbors kind of way, with big speakers and a thumpin' subwoofer. But if you're living in an apartment, and the people living near you like to sleep--and tend to alert the authorities when you won't let them--then a headset is the way to go. And Genius's foldable HS-03U is certainly a viable option.

The cans are fairly comfortable; the Gumby-like bendable noise-canceling microphone does an admirable job, and the in-line volume buttons are big and tactile. There's a mic-mute button as well, so you can tell your mom what you want for dinner without killing your tough-as-nails gaming cred.

But the real news here is the vibration feature.

Flip a switch near the volume buttons, and you'll have some force feedback fed straight to your noggin. Explosions rumble through your skull, bass lines pound into your cranium; generally anything loud and low makes the earphones thump and grumble. The effect is less like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon, and more like being locked inside the trunk of someone's tricked-out, subbed-up Sentra.

It's a treat for any bass addict, but that "oonts-oonts-oonts" isn't really, well, real. It seems the vibration motors in the cans are simply listening for the low-end, and bumping out in response. Sadly, you have to have the volume cranked to a tinnitus-inducing level to get a good thump going. At the level comfortable to even my abused ears, the vibrations barely stirred. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with gaming (or living) loud, but you shouldn't be forced to crank things up to an uncomfortable level just to enjoy a product's main feature.

Still, the headphones sound pretty good, even with the vibrations off, though they could use some more (real) low-end. Installation was simply plug-and-play, for both XP and OSX. The folding feature is nice, though I'm not sure how useful it is because, even folded, these cans aren't exactly travel-friendly: They're big, and the mic sticks out at an odd angle.

If you've got to have extra bass, even if it's fake, if you want to feel every frag upside (and inside) your head, the HS-03U will be available at major online outlets next month for about $40.

Post by Matt Safford