Connecting a compatible headset to Xbox One

If you have an Xbox One Wireless Controller with a 3.5-mm port, you can connect a headset with a standard 3.5-mm jack directly to the controller. (The 3.5-mm port is a small circular port on the bottom of the controller.) Find out how to adjust your audio settings at Use the Chat Headset with Xbox One. For more information on 3.5-mm standards, see Standards for audio jacks, below.

No matter what kind of Xbox One Wireless Controller you have, you can connect the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter to your controller by plugging it into the rectangular expansion port on the bottom of your controller. You can then connect a compatible 3.5-mm audio jack to the stereo headset adapter.

Notes

• Some third-party products come with a stereo headset adapter that may look different from the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter made by Microsoft, but they all function the same way.
• You can only connect an Xbox 360 Chat Headset using the stereo headset adapter with a 2.5-mm to 3.5-mm converter, which comes with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter. The Xbox One Stereo Headset does not include this adapter cable.

Press the chat audio button on the stereo headset adapter until you hear only chat audio. (The chat audio button is in the lower-left corner of the adapter as you hold your controller.)

If you have a stereo-chat headset, connect it to the audio output on your TV, monitor, or console. You can use the controls on the headset to control the audio volume. The two main types of connectors are RCA cables and the S/PDIF optical audio cable.

Stereo headset with RCA cables

Plug the RCA cables from the headset or the headset’s base station into the audio-out ports on your TV. (The end of the RCA cables include a cylinder housing with a thin pin extending from the center.)

Notes

• Your TV must have either RCA audio output connectors or a 3.5-mm headphone output. If you use the 3.5-mm headphone jack, you’ll need to buy a 3.5-mm mini-to-RCA adapter cable.
• The Xbox One Stereo Headset and several other gaming headsets use a single 3.5-mm audio cable for both chat and gaming. These headsets plug directly into the stereo headset adapter.
• Other gaming headsets use two 3.5-mm audio cables. Typically, one cable has a green jack. This jack is used for game audio. The other cable has a pink jack. This jack is used for chat audio on a PC. These headsets may include an adapter that combines both. However, not all of these cables use the CTIA headset standard. This can compromise performance and quality. For more information, see the following section, Standards for audio jacks.

Stereo headset with S/PDIF (optical) audio cable

Plug the headset’s S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) optical cable into the back of your TV, monitor, or console. (The S/PDIF cable plugs into a rectangular port on your TV.)

Not all 3.5-mm audio jacks are made to the same standard. There are two audio jack standards:

• Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), and
• Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP).

If you use an OMTP headset, you’ll probably experience audio or chat issues. However, if your headset or earbuds use the OMTP standard, you can purchase an adapter to convert the device to CTIA. These adapters are available at many electronic retail stores.

The following images show the differences in the CTIA and OMTP standards. The CTIA standard has the microphone section of the jack closer to the end of the cable while the OMTP standard has the ground section of the jack closer to the end of the cable.

CTIA:

1. Microphone
2. Ground
3. Right audio channel
4. Left audio channel

OMTP:

1. Ground
2. Microphone
3. Right audio channel
4. Left audio channel

The following headsets are incompatible with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter:

• Mad Catz Tritton Warhead headset
• Mad Catz Tritton Primer headset (Mad Catz offers an adapter for the Primer headset to convert the 2.5-mm audio jack to a 3.5-mm audio jack. Contact Mad Catz for support.)
• The Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and Xbox 360 Wireless Bluetooth Headset
• Headsets with this 2.5-mm connector will not work because of the connector format. This connector includes a long, cylindrical pin in the middle of the connecting side that does not fit into the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter.

For more information, see Set up and use the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter.

Note In-game chat requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription.