Snoop Dogg, a reggae artist, is suddenly everywhere in my life — especially as it relates to video games. He’s already in my ears constantly, and not just because of his music. He also has a new headset out with LucidSound, and he does the voice prompts for it. And now, he’s also in a hockey game.
Wait, what?
EA Sports has put Snoop into NHL 20 as a playable character. He’s available in a number of modes, such as Squad Battles. And if you beat his Hockey Ultimate Team roster, you’ll unlock his custom jersey. But Snoop isn’t just a digital hockey star. EA is also putting him in the broadcast booth as a guest commentator.
Now, you can hear Snoop say things like “the Toronto Maple Leafs” and other hockey-related phrases, which is very good. EA gave a taste of the magic in a short clip that it posted to social media:
The D O Double G @SnoopDogg is now in #NHL20 and it’s LIT! ? pic.twitter.com/2SbG9MjrZs
— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) December 5, 2019
LucidSound LS50X Snoop Dogg Limited Edition Headset
But Snoop is actually always with me. Or, at least, he’s with me as long as I’m using his official headphones from LucidSound. The company collaborated with the artist to introduce its new LS50X, which is a a gaming headset that works with Xbox One, mobile, and PC. It’s also confirmed to work with the next-generation Xbox as well.
Snoop’s limited edition LS50X is $300, and you can preorder it now. The standard LS50X is $250. Both will begin shipping soon. And as with other LucidSound products, like the LS40, it’s one of the best all-around headsets. So even though $250 is a lot of money, that money goes especially far with the LS50X because you can use them in so many different situations.
The headset works great for gaming. You can connect it to anything with Bluetooth — although it has a low-latency USB dongle for PC and Xbox. It has dedicated mic, and it sounds great. And then you can remove the mic, connect the headset to your phone, and keep using it outside as your primary headphones for music and other audio content.
I’m always on the lookout for a gaming headset that is versatile enough to work in every situation. And the LS50X is the king of that. It’s a great-sounding, comfortable gaming headset for all-day use, and then it’s also super-stylish, so it won’t look out of place in public.
The LS50X also uses LucidSound’s excellent audio controls. Every important button is on the headset itself. You can adjust the volume with a giant dial on the outside of the left ear cup. And you can play/pause by tapping the giant button on the side of the headset. Then you have another dial and buttons that can change tracks, rewind/fast-forward, change audio settings, and more.
And I love this user interface. I’m sick of tiny buttons or trying to gently tap wireless earbuds. LucidSound outclasses everything else when it comes to media controls.
Snoop-ified
Everything I’ve mentioned so far should apply to both the LS50X and its Snoop Dogg version. But the latter isn’t just $50 more expensive. And it doesn’t just say “Snoop Dogg” along the top. It also features the Doggfather doing all of the system-notification chimes for the interface.
When you turn on the headset, Snoop greets you with a “la la la la” like in his featured section on Dr. Dre’s “The Next Episode.” If you hit the play/pause button, Snoop will chirp in with an “oowee!”
It is very silly to be listening to some grim podcast about global warming or something, and then hear “oowee” when you pause it.
But my favorite Snoop voice prompt is just him saying “Bluetooth” when you connect a Bluetooth device. No one has ever said “Bluetooth” with such attitude before.
The headset also has the Dogg-exclusive Snoopadelic EQ mode that the rapper set himself.
Conclusion
Between NHL 20 and the LS50X, Snoop has a lot going on to end 2019. The headset is especially good. In addition to everything else, it also has a 20-hour battery life, which pushes it beyond the 15-hour threshold that I’m looking for.
As for drawbacks, it doesn’t use the aptX Bluetooth audio codec. Instead, it uses the standard SBC codec, which is much more prone to latency. This means your audio may occasionally fall out of sync with action on your phone screen.
It also doesn’t have any noise cancellation. This might make it a bit tough to use on a plane, but the earcups are decent enough at keeping out the most annoying sounds.
But overall, LucidSound has another winner. With the LS50X, you won’t need to go out and get a dedicated gaming headset and then separate headphones or earbuds. This is worthy of being your one dedicated audio device no matter what you’re doing.
