You recently bought a new Xbox and are having a lot of fun using the Microsoft ecosystem proposals. Until now you have always played with the audio coming from the TV, but now you would like to try to immerse yourself in the games more by connecting your headphones to the console: the problem, however, is that you do not understand how to make this connection and if this is actually possible. That’s the way it is, isn’t it?
Then don’t worry: in this tutorial I’ll show you how to connect regular headphones to the Xbox by examining all the possibilities of the case, whether you have a classic pair of wired headphones or a pair of wireless headphones. In addition, I will dispel once and for all some doubts widespread among players, such as the one related to the connection of Bluetooth headphones.
Courage: why are you still standing there in front of the screen? Are you planning to start using headphones on Xbox? In my opinion you can’t wait to untie yourself from the TV speakers. To proceed, simply follow the quick instructions below. That said, there is nothing left for me to do, except wish you good reading and have fun!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to connect regular headphones to the Xbox
- How to use the integrated headset microphone on Xbox
Preliminary information
Before going into the details of the procedure on how to connect normal headphones to the Xbox , I think it may interest you to know more about the subject.
Let’s start with the most “burning” question: no Xbox console supports Bluetooth . This is a limitation that has caused fans to discuss a lot over the years, since in fact it excludes the possibility of using many headphones on the market.
However, this does not mean that there are no wireless Xbox headsets : some more expensive headsets simply have a charging base that connects via cable to the console and also acts as a signal receiver . Surely a more uncomfortable solution than Bluetooth, but it allows you to embrace the world of wireless headphones equally.
In fact, there are also Bluetooth adapters able to make some models of headphones work with Xbox, but I do not recommend their use as they are unofficial and above all often not able to offer satisfactory audio quality and latencies . In short, you would end up playing with poor quality and, above all, with continuous delays between what happens on the TV and what you hear.
For the rest, of course, you can connect headphones with a 3.5 mm jack cable to the pad: compatibility here is transversal, but you have to be careful with the microphone . Not all headphones or earphones, if not officially compatible with Xbox, are able to take advantage of the integrated microphone for chats.
In this regard, if you are about to buy gaming headsets , first check compatibility with the Microsoft console (perhaps through online comments and reviews, if the official certification is missing).
How to connect regular headphones to the Xbox
Having made the necessary premises above, let’s move on to practice and see how to connect the headphones to the Xbox. To proceed, I will be using an Xbox Series S , however the procedures to follow are very similar on the other models of Microsoft consoles as well. Therefore, if you are wondering how to connect regular headphones to Xbox One or other Xbox models, you should succeed quite easily in your intent.
Once you have found a model of headphones , possibly officially compatible, connecting to the console is very simple. Starting from headsets with 3.5 mm jack cable , simply insert the latter into the appropriate slot on the bottom of the controller .
Yes, you got it right, you don’t even need to connect headphones to the console, but just go through the pad. Connecting to the controller allows for greater mobility, and even headsets with a relatively short cable can usually offer good convenience during gaming sessions.
For my test I used both gaming headsets , such as the Razer Kraken (which work perfectly on Xbox Series S, both for audio input and output ), as well as normal EarPods with jack cable, and for years have been included in the sales packages of iPhones .
In the latter case, although the EarPods are basically equipped with a microphone, only the audio is heard but it is not possible to use the voice chat function (using the microphone monitoring, you will hear a continuous beep), as it is not these are Xbox compatible headphones.
In short, I reiterate the concept according to which normal earphones may not be used to talk to other users via the integrated microphone.
For the rest, although they are not very popular on consoles, there are also headphones that connect directly via the USB port . This solution is generally used for what concerns the PC world. I tried to connect such a headset to the console but couldn’t get it to work . In short, if you were thinking of using the gaming headset you purchased for your PC with your Xbox console, you may not be able to.
As for wireless headsets , the connection procedure depends on the model in your possession. However, usually for Xbox compatible models just connect the charging base / receiver to the console, usually via USB port , and turn on the headphones . That’s all: the setup is very simple.
If everything has been done correctly, the headphone icon should appear at the top right of the main console screen.
Alternatively, you can try starting a game and see if you hear the audio correctly and are able to use the voice chat feature.
To manage the audio, you can use the physical controls often found on the headphones, or you can press the Xbox button on the controller, select the audio icon at the bottom right and manage the volume of the headphones and microphone from there .
You can also go to the console settings , following the path General> Audio output and volume , to set advanced features such as Windows Sonic (for surround) and the use of HDMI audio headphones .
How to use the integrated headset microphone on Xbox
How do you say? Were you able to plug in your headphones, the audio is working fine but you can’t use the built-in microphone ? No problem, I’ll explain the matter straight away.
Well, by connecting Xbox-compatible headphones via a jack cable or wireless adapter (remember to turn on the headphones in this case) and possibly extracting the microphone from the headset body (or connecting it), everything should work correctly.
If this does not happen, I suggest you check for the presence of a physical button to activate the microphone or the classic volume wheel , usually positioned along the headphone cable. The latter may be disabled and thus prevent others from hearing you.
Otherwise, the microphone may not work for various reasons. You may have chosen headphones that are not fully compatible with the console or you may simply have changed some options from the system settings .
To check that everything is correct, I recommend that you go to Settings> General> Audio and volume output and change the Group chat output option . In particular, it needs to be set to Headphones for everything to work properly.
For the rest, if you have doubts about what are the possibilities offered by the Microsoft home console to chat with other people, I suggest you consult my tutorial on how to talk on Fortnite for Xbox .
The latter is based on the title of Epic Games, but clearly it is a great practical example that shows how the voice chat of the games generally works , as well as the native functionality of the console.
In short, using Xbox headsets is actually very simple and now you know a little everything there is to know on the subject.
