Is Bose is making a gaming version of its QC35 II headphones?
After Sennheiser, Bose could enter the juicy gaming headset market with a variation of its QuietComfort 35 II.
According to information revealed by our colleagues at 9to5Google, who searched the code for version 12.0 of the Bose Connect APK, a product under the code name "Tibbers" is mentioned. This is a reference to a League of Legends character, Annie, who carries a teddy bear of the same name.
As a clue, however, it doesn't end there. In another piece of code shown below, we can clearly read "gaming microphone" and "Bose QC35 II Gaming Headset". Hard to make it clearer. Bose could well be preparing its entry into the gaming market.
Active noise-canceling gaming headphones are already available and Bose would not be the first recognized consumer brand to push the door of the gaming industry either, Sennheiser is already well established as is Plantronics.
9to5Google also extracted a very schematic video presentation of what looks very much like a classic Bose QC35 II, with a detachable microphone that could be plugged into the headset jack. According to the video, of which I've integrated screenshots below, you can see that once plugged in, the microphone would disable Bluetooth and you would have to use the headset on a wired headset.
So Bose would rather work on a detachable microphone for its existing QC35 IIs than a full-fledged gaming headset. Which seems quite logical in the end. It's hard to see Bose justify yet another re-release of his very good but aging active noise-canceling headphones.
But then why is this information in the Bose Connect application code? This app is intended to allow Bose users to connect their products to their smartphones. Why would you need to use the app if the headset, once the microphone is plugged in, is wired anyway and therefore doesn't need Bluetooth?
Personally, I would find a Bose QC35 II gaming version quite boring because the headphones have already lived well. The detachable microphone hypothesis can be a good in-between, by not forcing owners of the current QC35 II to buy a new headset and by allowing to detach the microphone and thus switch from "gaming" mode to "everyday life" mode.
It's still more fun to walk down the street with your QC35 II than a Turtle Beach headset after a game session.
Source: 9to5Google
