Thrustmaster 350P 7.1 GHOST RECON WILDLANDS Edition Powered Headset Review

I’ll admit that I’ve always been a sucker for a good bit of tie-in hardware. My first PlayStation 2 headset was the one that came bundled with SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs, and I used that until the foam fell off. Cut to today, when I opened up the 350P from Thrustmaster, emblazoned with the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands decals, I’ll admit it looks a heck of a lot better than the naff old official SOCOM one.

The 350P is the sister product to the 350X and 300CPX. Whereas those two are for the Xbox One and multiplatform respectively, the 350P is compatible with the PlayStation 4. What this means is that it comes bundled with the Y Sound Commander, which you plug into your controller to give you 7.1 virtual surround sound. It’s been designed with Ghost Recon Wildlands in mind, hence the branding.

In the box you get the headset, the Y Sound Commander and the usual couple of bits of literature; a quick start guide and a warning leaflet. Oh, and the microphone detaches from the headset, so that is also in the box.

The first thing you’ll need to do is plug the Y Sound Commander into a USB port to charge it. Unfortunately, there is no micro-USB cable so you have to provide your own. It takes about three hours to charge, so you have time to check out the headset.

The headset itself is well made and very study. The microphone connection would usually be the weak link, but it’s also very well made and remains firmly in place, while being able to bend in a variety of ways to suit.

So, back to the Y Sound Commander, which has all of the controls for the headset on. There are volume and bass up and down, a button to turn the microphone on and off, and one to allow you to hear yourself through the microphone. The main feature, however, is the button in the middle which turns on the virtual 7.1 surround sound.

The audio quality on the headset is pretty good, but turning on the 7.1 mode is a marked improvement. Of course, you have to remember to change your PS4 settings to make the audio come through the headset, and before you plug in the Y Sound Commander you have to make sure to turn it on and have the headset plugged in.

The sound quality of the microphone can be iffy, depending on how hard your PS4 fans are working, and how close to it you are sat. It’s very sensitive, so it picks up everything in the room, including your PS4 fans during very intensive games. So long as you angle it away from your mouth and nose, however, there shouldn’t be too much noise for those you’re communicating with.

It’s annoying that it doesn’t come with a micro-USB cable, and that you are advised to not charge the controller and the Y Sound Commander at the same time. You can charge one or the other, though since you’ve got all of the audio coming through the controller it will drain its battery faster than normal. In the past I’ve used a USB headset with my PS4, so although the Thrustmaster 350P allows you more freedom and better audio quality, you’ll want to keep an eye on your controller’s battery.

Since the Y-Sound Commander is a separate unit, it means that you can use the headset on its own. For instance, plugging it into your phone, or directly into your PC. Of course, because the headset is designed for use with the PS4 controller, the cable isn’t very long, so if your microphone port is in the back of your machine you are kind of stuck.

In Ghost Recon Wildlands, your operative wears a headset at all times, but whereas there are multiple skins there doesn’t appear to be one that quite matches the headset. It would be nice if the headset came with a redeemable code so that you could unlock one, but it should by no means be a deal breaker. As both tie-in merchandise and a headset on its own, the Thrustmaster T-350P is a fine bit of kit. It’s well made, the embellishment doesn’t seem easy to scratch off, and it fits the game it’s tied with.