Are there any practical differences between gaming headsets and office headsets, or are they merely marketing gimmicks?

Here’s what you need to know.

Gaming Headset vs. Office Headset: What’s the Difference?

Gaming headsets are bigger, heavier, and bolder in design compared to office headsets. Sound-wise, gaming headsets are more concerned with providing bass-heavy audio over the speakers, whereas office headsets prioritize better mics for capturing your voice more clearly. 

Also, gaming headsets are concerned with canceling outside noise so you can focus on the sounds coming from the speakers — namely, the in-game sounds. To achieve this, gaming headsets have large ear pads that cover the entire ear and sometimes also offer noise cancellation technology.

Microphones aren’t that big of a priority with gaming headsets. That means the quality of your voice can become heavily distorted if you’re using the mic on a cheap gaming headset.

On the other hand, with office headsets, the primary focus is making sure your voice sounds right on the other end. You’ll find noise-canceling mics even on lower-end office headsets. The speakers are generally monotone, and the design is very lightweight, making them more fragile than gaming headsets. 

Office headsets have ear cups that are comparatively smaller and allow you to hear everything else around you. Some office headsets only cover one ear, so you have the other one free to listen to what’s going on in your environment.

Can You Use a Gaming Headset for Work/Call Center? 

You can use a gaming headset for work/call center, but it won’t give you the ideal experience. Gaming headsets are generally bulkier, making them uncomfortable to wear for long periods. They also might not have a noise-canceling mic, which can sometimes make your voice illegible during calls.

If your job requires you to answer customer calls for 6-8 hours a day, a gaming headset can make things super uncomfortable.

By design, gaming headsets are larger and weigh more than office headsets. As such, wearing them for long hours can give you a headache or even neck pain. They also have an over-the-ear design that’s meant to cover your entire ear. This can make your ears sweaty or even lead to earache if you wear them for too long.

Also, in terms of functionality, gaming headsets tend to focus more on the speaker than the mic quality. Features like noise-canceling microphones are only available on the top-end models. As such, if you use a regular gaming headset in a noisy office setup, your voice will become hard to hear, even unintelligible from the other side.

Can You Use a Gaming Headset for Zoom? 

You can use a gaming headset for Zoom calls, but it can make you look unprofessional. Gaming headsets typically boast a bold design style, often with RGB lighting that’s unsuitable for taking on Zoom calls or conferences with clients and company superiors.

To capture that “gamer” style, gaming headsets are designed to look flashy and audacious. They often have bold accent colors, boast big logos/symbols, and can even have RGB lighting. Also, gaming headsets are generally very bulky over-the-ear type headsets. The way they’re designed, it can seem like you’re wearing a big space helmet over your head.

As you can imagine, looking like this when attending Zoom meetings or conferences can come across as awkward and even unprofessional in certain situations.

Are Gaming Headsets Better Than Office Headsets? 

Gaming headsets are better than office headsets when it comes to gaming, while office headsets are more adept for professional voice calling usage. Gaming headsets typically have better base and audio, which improves the gaming experience.

When dealing with budget gaming headsets, the core focus is on delivering the “gamer” design with a bass-heavy sound system optimized for gaming.

However, as you go towards more high-end gaming headsets, you’ll find extra features like a noise-canceling microphone and a lightweight, comfortable build suited for long hours of usage — perfect for call center use.

Many gaming headsets don’t go overboard with the design and keep it sober enough for professional settings. The same also goes for top-tier office headsets, which offer excellent multichannel sound quality and noise cancelation features, making them adequate for gaming.

Best Headsets for Gaming and Work

The best headsets for gaming and work include the Bose QuietComfort 35 Series 2 and the Corsair HS60 PRO. They offer excellent sound quality over the speakers and the mic. They also have noise cancellation abilities, cutting out background noise from what you say and hear. 

Last but not least, these headsets are comfortable to wear over long periods.

Let’s get a quick idea of the various features these headsets have to offer (both of which are available on Amazon):

Bose QuietComfort 35 Series 2

The Bose QuietComfort 35 Series 2 is a premium gaming headset designed to work wired and wirelessly. It has one of the best-in-class noise-canceling technologies for both the speakers and the microphone for uninterrupted conversations. It’s also very comfortable and reasonably lightweight, which means you can wear it for hours on end.

Corsair HS60 PRO

Corsair HS60 Pro is a quality wired headset suitable for gaming and office work that won’t blast a massive hole in your wallet. It features an immersive 7.1 channel audio experience over its speakers and a detachable noise-canceling mic. The headset also offers a solid, durable, yet lightweight build perfect for prolonged usage.

Key Takeaways

Gaming headsets are specifically designed for gaming, focusing on delivering bass-heavy sounds and a solid “gamer” design style.

Office headsets are more concerned with the mic quality to ensure people on the other end can clearly understand what you’re saying. They’re also much more lightweight in design so that you can wear them for long hours.

However, these differences become minimized with expensive models. You can use a high-end gaming headset for office use and vice versa.

Sources

• YouTube: 4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy A Gaming Headset For Business Calls 
• YouTube: Can Gaming Headphones be used as Work Headsets?
• Wikipedia: Noise-cancelling headphones
• The Guardian: Noise-cancelling headphones: the secret survival tool for modern life