How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, officially licensed Xbox chat-and-game headset with a boom mic you can position and no battery to think about, choose PDP Xbox One Afterglow; if you need one pair of wireless over-ear headphones for music, calls, travel and gaming across devices, choose PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear.
• PDP Xbox One Afterglow — biggest strength: full stereo 40mm drivers, a flexible noise-cancelling boom microphone and in-line volume/mute, all wired over a 3.5mm jack with no charging involved.
• PDP Xbox One Afterglow — biggest trade-off: it is a wired, Xbox-focused headset designed for the 2nd-generation Xbox One wireless controller with a 3.5mm port; the 1st-generation controller needs a separate headset adapter, and there is no wireless mode.
• PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear — biggest strength: wireless Bluetooth with up to 60H playtime, 4 EQ modes, dual-device multipoint, a built-in mic and foldable rotating ear cups for travel.
• PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear — biggest trade-off: it is a general-purpose music/call headphone, not an Xbox-licensed gaming headset, and its noise control is sound isolation rather than active noise cancellation.
• Pick the PDP if your priority is clear in-game chat with a boom mic on Xbox.
• Pick the PowerLocus if you want one wireless pair to carry between phone, PC, travel and casual gaming.
The Afterglow LVL 3 is a step-up stereo gaming headset for Xbox One, and the name tells you the intent. Where the basic mono chat headset that ships with the console gives you one ear of chat, this one puts a 40mm dynamic driver on each side with a 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range, so you get a full stereo field instead of a single earpiece. PDP's own framing is that these drivers are about 50 percent larger than the ones in chat headsets, and the spec sheet backs the "bigger driver" claim with a real 40mm figure. In practice that means game audio — footsteps, engines, ambient score — arrives with more separation and weight than a chat-only puck can manage.
The chat side is where this headset earns its place. The microphone is noise cancelling with a flexible arm, so you can bend it toward your mouth and keep it there, and the in-line controls put volume and mic mute within thumb reach on the cable. If you have ever fumbled for a mute button mid-match, that matters. The ear cushions are breathable leatherette, and the cups are built to lay flat for storage — a small thing, but it makes tossing the headset into a drawer or bag less annoying.
Skip it if: you have a 1st-generation Xbox One controller — you would need a separate headset adapter — or if you want wireless freedom. There is no Bluetooth here, no battery, and the design is purpose-built around gaming rather than commuting or music on the move. It is also an on-ear/over-ear hybrid with a faux-leather enclosure and a headband, so it is not a featherweight travel accessory.
PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear: Who It's For
The PowerLocus Boom is a wireless over-ear headphone built for all-day, all-purpose use. The headline number is 60 hours of playtime, which reframes how you think about charging: on a normal commute-and-desk routine you are plugging in roughly once a week, not every night. When you do charge, it is USB-C, and the package includes a 3.5mm cable as well — so if the battery ever runs out, you can go wired.
What sets it apart from generic budget wireless headphones is the 4 EQ modes — Pop, Bass, Rock and Vocal — switchable on the fly. That is a genuinely useful feature for someone who listens to podcasts in the morning, bass-heavy tracks at the gym and calls in the afternoon. The drivers are 40mm dynamic with 32 ohm impedance and 108dB sensitivity, which is an easy load for a phone to drive, and PowerLocus describes the tuning as Hi-Fi stereo with rich bass and treble. The Bluetooth 5.4 radio with multipoint lets you stay paired to two devices at once and hop between them, with a stated range of up to 40 feet.
Comfort and portability get real attention here. The ear cups use soft memory foam and rotate 90 degrees, the headband is metal for durability, and the whole thing folds down for a bag. PowerLocus covers it with a 2-year full warranty and lists a built-in microphone with noise-cancelling technology for calls and online meetings. Note the phrasing: the noise control field says sound isolation, not active noise cancellation — so expect passive blocking from the foam cups, not electronic silence.
Buy it if: you want one pair of headphones for music, calls, travel, the gym and casual PC or console use, you value long battery life and multipoint pairing, and you like being able to tune the sound with EQ presets.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for Xbox One gaming and party chat → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. Officially licensed by Microsoft, wired to the controller, with a flexible noise-cancelling boom mic and in-line mute.
• Best for battery life and freedom from cables → PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear. Up to 60H playtime on a single charge, plus USB-C fast charging.
• Best for music listening and EQ control → PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear. Four switchable modes (Pop, Bass, Rock, Vocal) versus a single fixed stereo tuning.
• Best for travel, gym and commuting → PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear. Foldable with 90-degree rotating cups, memory foam cushions and a metal headband.
• Best for multi-device use → PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear. Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint keeps two devices connected at once; the PDP is a single-jack wired headset.
• Best for zero-latency wired audio → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. A 3.5mm wired connection means no pairing, no charging and no wireless delay.
• Best for durability guarantees → PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear. Backed by a 2-year full warranty and a metal headband.
• Best for controller-mounted convenience → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. Volume and mic mute sit on the cable, right where your hand already is.
• Best for a compact desk drawer → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. The ear cups lay flat for storage.
In my opinion, these two barely overlap, so the honest answer is to buy the one that matches your main job. If Xbox is where you spend your hours and voice chat matters, I would buy the PDP Xbox One Afterglow — the licensed 3.5mm connection, the flexible noise-cancelling boom mic and the in-line mute are exactly what game chat needs, and there is nothing to charge. If you want a single pair of headphones for music, calls, travel and the gym, I would buy the PowerLocus Headphones Over Ear instead. Its 60H battery, 4 EQ modes, multipoint Bluetooth 5.4 and foldable comfort make it the far more versatile everyday pick. Only pick the PDP if gaming chat is the point; otherwise the PowerLocus does more, more often.
No. It is a wired headset that connects through a 3.5mm jack, so there is no Bluetooth and no battery to charge. It is designed for the 2nd-generation Xbox One wireless controller with a 3.5mm port; a 1st-generation controller needs a separate headset adapter.
Yes, but as a general wireless headphone rather than a gaming headset. It has a built-in mic for calls and Bluetooth 5.4 for low-hassle pairing, and it includes a 3.5mm cable for wired use. It is not officially licensed for Xbox, and its microphone is not a bendable boom.
No. Its spec lists sound isolation, not active noise cancellation, so quieting comes from the memory foam ear cups sealing around your ears. The PDP's noise control field lists active noise cancellation, but that applies to its microphone for chat clarity.
In my opinion, buy the PowerLocus if music and calls dominate your day, and the PDP if Xbox chat dominates. They are built for different jobs: the PDP for controller-based game audio and voice, the PowerLocus for wireless listening everywhere else. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since both sit in very different buying categories.
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