HP Mindframe Gaming Headset Keeps Your Head Cool in the Heat of Battle

Every gamer has been there: you’re a few hours into an intense session of annihilating noobs, and your headset starts chafing and making your ears sweaty. Lame, but HP has a solution. The new HP Mindframe PC gaming headset has active cooling technology to keep your skull frosty while you frag.

You might laugh at the idea of having active cooling in your gaming headset, and it is admittedly a little amusing, but most gamers use headsets now instead of high-end speakers. So, that’s a lot of sweaty ears. HP says the Mindframe contains a patented “thermoelectric device” inside each earcup. It conducts heat from the acoustic chamber out and away from your head.

HP didn’t provide a lot of details on how the cooling technology operates. However, we know that you will be able to control it via the OMEN Command Center desktop software. So, maybe you’ll be able to find your optimal ear temperature, if there is such a thing. This device will plug into your PC via USB; it can also connect to other devices that offer audio over USB Type-A connectors. While the system is “active,” it won’t need a lot of power to run.

Setting aside the ear air conditioning, HP designed the Mindframe headset to be comfortable in more conventional ways, too. It has a lightweight self-adjusting suspension headband to keep the weight evenly distributed. The earcups fit around your ears and have a plush leatherette cover.

On the audio side, the Mindframe PC gaming headset has support for DTS Headphone:X and 7.1 virtual surround sound. HP says this provides 3D spatial awareness in games. The microphone has active noise canceling and unidirectional sound. It also mutes automatically when you flip it up, which is a nice feature. Since this is a gaming headset, it also has RGB — doesn’t everything these days? The lights on the earcups are fully customizable via the OMEN desktop software if you want to tweak the color or brightness.

HP announced the new ear-chilling headset alongside several other devices in the OMEN product line, including laptops, mice, and a backpack. Most of those devices have release dates and prices, but not the Mindframe. This headset will arrive at some point in the second half of 2018 for an undisclosed price. It would probably be spendy even without the cooling technology. HP’s much more basic OMEN 800 headset retails for $80, but it does get solid reviews.