The Sound BlasterX H5s are an affordable option for uncomfortable gamers

By Joshua Smith August 28, 2016

Who said you need to have all the bells and whistles when simply trying to upgrade your gaming audio setup? With most premium options from Turtle Beach to Astro asking for wads of cash, gamers on a budget are looking for a more pocket-friendly option. The Sound BlasterX H5s are the latest headset from Creative Labs, promising comfort along with premium audio quality and functionality in one headset for just $100. Is that even possible?

Related: Creative iRoar review

In this video avid gamer Joshua Smith goes hands-on with the H5s to see if they can really deliver for the price. With an “old-school” analog connection, will gamers be ok doing without the convenience of Bluetooth? Though light-weight, will the make of the H5s please those looking for a little extra style? Find out what’s what with the latest from Creative Labs in this quick video review.

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Joshua Smith

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Just another not so ordinary kid living this thing we like to call life.

Gaming

Logitech’s A50 X is a gaming headset and HDMI switcher in one

Logitech has announced its latest gaming headset, the Astro A50 X. It costs a whopping $380, but for good reason: It's a headset that's compatible with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X that doubles as an HDMI switcher.

The new device is an evolution of Logitech's popular Astro A50 headset, which features a distinct base stand. The A50 X builds on that idea in a few ways. One key example is that it's able to connect to both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. That might sound simple, but the consoles feature different connection methods that make it difficult to find a one-headset-fits-all audio solution.

Gaming

Fortnite’s Rocket Racing is so fun, it could have been its own game

rocket racing hands on impressions jumping through air

Yesterday, Fortnite began its biggest expansion yet by dropping Lego Fortnite, a full survival crafting game that's playable for free within Fortnite. It was a pleasant surprise, but it isn’t the best piece of new content coming to the live-service juggernaut this week. That honor goes to Rocket Racing, an arcade racing game from the developers of Rocket League that’s available in Fortnite today.

This isn’t a simple kart racer that anyone could have put together in Fortnite’s creative mode. It’s a full-throated, free-to-play game that features 26 tracks at launch and some surprisingly deep driving systems. While Lego Fortnite may have had trouble standing on its own two feet outside of the Fortnite client, Rocket Racing could very well have launched as its own game -- and it still would be the best racing game of its type this year.

Gaming

How to get planks in Lego Fortnite

lego fortnite hands on impressions village

Collecting resources and building isn't a foreign concept to Fortnite players. A major part of the game, unless you're in zero build, is smacking trees, walls, rocks, and basically everything with your pickaxe to get materials to build basic walls and structures to give you an edge in battle. Lego Fortnite has its own crafting and building system, but doesn't work in quite the same way. Planks in particular are the most essential building material in the game, but you can't get them by simply whacking a tree. Here's a quick rundown on how to collect planks to build your dream world in Lego Fortnite.
How to get planks in Lego Fortnite