Turtle Beach® Ear Force® X41 Named 'Peripheral of the Year' by Official XBOX Magazine

Elmsford, N.Y., January 27, 2010 – Turtle Beach, the leaders in premium XBOX 360 headsets, announces its Ear Force X41 wireless Dolby 7.1 channel model was named "Peripheral of the Year" by the editors of Official XBOX Magazine in the February 2010 issue. Positioned as the successor to the highly acclaimed Ear Force X4 wireless Dolby surround sound headset, the X41 includes digital RF wireless CD-quality sound, XBOX LIVE® Chat and the tactical advantage of 3-D positional audio when playing the popular XBOX 360 titles such as Call of Duty 4® Modern Warfare®, HALO® 3, Left 4 Dead®, Grand Theft Auto® IV and Guitar Hero®.

Commenting on the virtues of the Ear Force X41 headset, Official XBOX Magazine editors state, "We're not sure who loves these more: us or our significant others. The X41s pump Dolby 7.1 surround sound into your skull – convincingly – while also adding a boom mic for XBOX Live use and a digital transmitter for crystal clear, line-of-sight-free wireless use," and, "They're almost as indispensable as your HDTV."

"The recognition we received from the Official XBOX Magazine validates our commitment to excellence. We design and engineer all of our products to deliver superior quality audio, which improves the overall gaming experience. Being an audio company has its advantages. We are able to listen to our customers and implement their feedback to improve each generation of product, and the X41 for the XBOX® 360 platform, is no exception," said Peter Ronick, Director of Marketing. "The X41 includes a dedicated Digital Signal Processor for creating an accurate 360 degree sound field with the latest Dolby Headphone HRTF algorithms. It provides an unprecedented sense of immersion that's further enhanced by CD-quality, uncompressed, digital RF wireless technology."

The X41 includes all of the features that make Turtle Beach Ear Force the most popular brand of headsets for avid XBOX gamers, including Chat Boost™, which automatically increases the volume of XBOX LIVE chat as the game gets louder, microphone monitoring so you can hear what you're saying even though the headset is covering your ears and bass boost to enhance the deep bass from explosions and other sounds. For superior sound fidelity, the X41 ear cups incorporate oversized 50 mm speakers. The adjustable boom microphone is also removable, so it is out of the way when you're not using XBOX LIVE chat.

A digital optical input on the X41 transmitter connects to the XBOX 360 for pure-digital, high-quality audio. A digital optical output connects to a home theater system for simultaneously using the X41 headset and home theater speakers. Analog stereo inputs let you use the headset for listening to MP3 players, TV audio or other analog sources.

Enhancements in the X41 over the original X4 model include:
- The X4 analog infrared wireless signal has been replaced with digital 2.4 GHz RF wireless technology, for low-latency, uncompressed, CD-quality sound with no background hiss, no interference from plasma TV screens and no line of sight restrictions between the transmitter and headset.
- The X41 uses the latest version of Dolby technology to support game sound in 7.1 channels instead of 5.1 channels, for improved surround sound accuracy.
- Dolby Pro Logic has been upgraded to Dolby Pro Logic® IIx.
- The X41 transmitter includes a headphone jack and volume control for an additional wired headset, so a second player can hear the same Dolby surround sound that's being transmitted to the X41 wireless headset.
- The X41 transmitter is powered by a USB port on the XBOX or nearby PC, Mac or laptop, so gamers will have one less power adapter to worry about. This is especially convenient when using it overseas, since it eliminates the need for special power adapter plugs.
- A new "battery booster" circuit in the headset extends battery life for up to 25 hours and assures that the sound quality will stay crisp and clear until the batteries are completely drained. Optional rechargeable batteries can be used in place of alkaline batteries.
- The velvet ear cushions used on the X4 have been replaced with rich, soft, fabric mesh cushions that let your ears breathe, for added comfort during long gaming sessions.

Although primarily designed for XBOX 360 gaming, the Ear Force X41 is compatible with other gaming consoles (note that the integrated microphone works only with the 360) and can also be used as a home-theater accessory for enjoying DVDs in Dolby surround sound, watching TV or listening to music.

The Ear Force X41 headset has an MSRP of $199.95 and will be available at Best Buy and other major US retailers in September, and from the Turtle Beach web site www.turtlebeach.com. Turtle Beach Ear Force headsets are distributed in Europe by Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ www.madcatz.com.)

Turtle Beach (www.turtlebeach.com ) designs and markets high-quality audio peripherals for PC and video game platforms, including its growing line of Ear Force gaming headphones and headsets for XBOX, PS3 and Nintendo game consoles and for personal computer games. Turtle Beach, with headquarters in Elmsford, New York, is a brand of Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc. which has been at the forefront of music and audio technology for more than three decades and is recognized as a pioneer of today's PC audio and gaming headphone industry. Turtle Beach, Voyetra, Ear Force and Chat Boost are trademarks or registered trademarks of Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc. XBOX is a registered trademark of Microsoft, Corp. Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Labs. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.

Editor Note: Artwork is available at http://www.turtlebeach.com/press/artwork.aspx