AOC's chonky new budget gaming headsets aren't what we were expecting from the display maker

AOC GH300 Gaming Headset — (Image credit: AOC)

The crowded gaming headset market just got a little more populous with two new models from AOC, a newcomer to the category and a company best known for its gaming monitors. AOC's first headsets, the GH200 and GH300, stand out as two of the more affordable options on the market.

As such, both models fall squarely into the budget category. The higher end GH300 costs £49 and is pitched as the 'deluxe' option among the two. It features 7.1 virtual surround sound on PC, a USB connector, and RGB lighting.

The GH200, meanwhile, costs £39 and delivers stereo sound by way of a 3.5mm connector, giving it a wider range of devices it can work with, such as certain smartphones and tablets. It also comes with a Y-splitter so users can split the microphone and headphone outputs, if desired. There's no RGB lighting (or any lighting) on this model.

AOC GH300 Headband — (Image credit: AOC)

We have not donned either headset yet, but from the press images provided, they certainly look comfortable enough, especially for their respective price points. Each model sports an adjustable steel slider headband (padded), with AOC saying they are "guaranteed to fit" regardless of the size of your head, or whether you wear a cap or eyeglasses. Weight checks in at 326.5 grams (~0.7 pounds) for the GH200 and 363.5 grams (~0.8 pounds) for the GH300.

Being a couple of budget headphones, it's not surprising AOC opted for faux leather on the earcups. Memory foam padding sits underneath, along with metal mesh covers on the sides.

Though the capabilities are different between the two models, the GH200 and GH300 each pump out audio through large 50mm Neodymium magnet drivers. These have a sensitivity rating of 100 ± 3dB (at 1KH 1mW), a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz, and a max power rating of 50mW (rated power is 15mW).

Each headset has an in-line remote and a detachable boom microphone as well.

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"The omnidirectional boom microphone can be optimally adjusted for comfort and audio levels. With the 100Hz – 10kHz frequency range, which corresponds to that of human speech, it filters out noise at both very low and very high frequencies to deliver clear audio and speech quality," AOC says.

In general, we have not been super impressed with the quality of microphones on headsets—the best microphones for streaming and gaming generally tend to be standalone models, like the Shure MV7 and Blue Yeti X. For that reason, we're tempering our expectations here. Given the budget pricing, however, AOC could be forgiven if the mics on these headsets don't live up to the hype (we'd be happy with serviceable). We'll see, though.

The GH200 and GH300 will be available in the UK starting in May. We have reached out to AOC to inquire about availability and pricing in the US (they're only listed on the company's UK website for the time being) and will update this article when we hear back.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).