A good gaming headset is almost as important as a good gaming chair. Pay attention to all your favorite streamers; they all use an audio-enhancing headset in one form or another. The ability to hear audio cues and footprints in high-stakes games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends will mean the difference between coming out on top and being sent back to the lobby.
Bluetooth headphones are a must-have for those looking for high-quality audio gear without the frustration of tangled wires. Everything runs on Bluetooth in this day and age. Xbox players, unfortunately, will run into some roadblocks when trying to connect non-Microsoft Bluetooth headphones to an Xbox One. But don’t worry — we’ve laid out a few workarounds below. This guide will walk you through how to connect Bluetooth headphones to an Xbox One.
The Xbox One does not have the Bluetooth capabilities we’re accustomed to. Xbox One runs on Microsoft Xbox Wireless, which allows for connectivity between systems and Microsoft appliances. There are plenty of Microsoft-made wireless headphones available for purchase. These will work wonderfully with your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S as they are compatible with Microsoft Xbox Wireless. However, not everybody has or can afford a new pair of Microsoft-made wireless gaming headphones.
Let’s say, for example, you have a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones you’d like to use with your Xbox One. Of course, these will not work with Microsoft Xbox Wireless, but there is a way players can work around this. The following step-by-step guide may seem a little convoluted, but it is proven to work.
This method is more of a “back door” way to connect Bluetooth headphones to your Xbox One. You’ll want to make sure your tablet or device is plugged into a charger as this will kill the battery. Also, if you’re using your primary phone, you won’t be able to use it to scroll through social media between loading screens.
You will not be able to chat using this method. Think of this as a pure audio output. If you’re looking to kick back and play by yourself, this method will work. If you’re looking to chat with friends, you’ll need a hard-wired headset or Microsoft compatible headset.
As an alternative to the method above, you can connect your non-Microsoft wireless headset directly to your Xbox controller. To do so, you will have to buy a Bluetooth transmitter equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, which is the size of the standard AUX cord.
Not all Xbox Controllers come with a 3.5mm input. New models should, but some older models do not. Check underneath the joysticks to determine if you need another adapter. If it’s time to buy a new controller because your old one is experiencing stick drift, make sure to get one with a 3.5mm input.
Once all the necessary adapters are connected and working, all you’ll have to do is press the necessary pairing buttons to connect your Bluetooth headphones. This setup can be a little ridiculous, especially if you’re forced to connect multiple adapters.
Like the Xbox App method, you will be limited to only hearing the audio from the game you’re playing. There are Bluetooth adapters that work for both audio in and audio out, allowing you to use the talk-back feature. These models, however, can be expensive. At that point, you’re better off buying a Microsoft brand Xbox Wireless Headset.
Secondarily, if you’re forced to attach multiple adapters, you’ll be left with a clunky and heavy controller. The battery will die quickly from everything going on.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.