People said and still do say a lot of things about the PlayStation 3, namely the price of the console and everything relating to it. For those who like online gaming and the “essential” vocal interaction aspect you’ve had little choice other than to pick up a compatible Blutooth wireless headset, which would probably set you back a pretty penny.  But thank goodness for the console's open market system, and this is where Best Buy's Rocketfish comes in with their Wired Headset for the PlayStation 3, which provides the ability talk smack online without emptying your wallet on a considerably more expensive Blutooth alternative.  Now the only things that’s left is to find if it’s actually good or not.

After opening the box and taking a good look at the headset it’s all about functionality.  With a basic design and style to match, you could easily confuse it with any other headset lying around in your bedroom.  There's not much to the headset's looks or function, and you'll get basic essentials with the standard over the ear look and separate in-line volume and mute functions clip.  The only outward thing that sets it apart is the extra-long 15’ USB cable that plugs directly into an open slot on the PlayStation 3 console itself.

It hard to initially find fault with the unit since it does exactly as advertised without much complain. The sound quality overall is actually ranges from decent to good and doesn’t feel uncomfortable even after a few hours of continuous play sessions.  And because its a USB device, you won't have to worry about replacing batteries or charging the thing up at all.  After several hours of thrashing opponents online in Tekken 6, I did begin to question what made this particular headset different from others that were designed for a PC.  The answer, quite honestly, is not much.  The Wired Headset even works on a Windows-based computer, so if you're in need an emergency headset for Skype or other communications service, you've got one handy.

Although its certainly not a fault with the way the Wired Headset works or functions, I was curious why the designers didn't allow for direct input into the PS3's Sixaxis/DualShock 3 controller via the convenient mini-USB slot.  I know this might have required a different attachment and probably would have added unnecessary expense to such a basic design, but I couldn't help but feel somewhat tethered when walking around my room with the headset strapped to my head.  Maybe its just Xbox 360 envy, but perhaps a future version could include this option for maximum mobility.

Also, there are some reports that people are having trouble with getting the headset to work correctly, and this can usually be solved by simply going to the PS3's accessory menu and selecting the USB headset.  Funny how the console doesn't always auto-detect the device, considering how well it does everything else.

While it won't win any awards for elegance, Rockfish has a sound solution for providing voice-chat on the cheap with their Wired Headset for the PlayStation 3.  It would have been nice to have an option to plug the headset directly into the controller's accessible mini-USB port, although its super-long 15' cord means that you can comfortably sit long distances from your television display, and the thing feels comfortable even after long and intense online gaming sessions.  Sound quality was great throughout, and although its essentially nothing more than a glorified PC headset that's been packaged to appeal to thrifty PS3 fans, it works exactly as advertised and gets the job done.