Let's face it, most headphones pack a pretty short features list, and the majority of us are just fine with that. There's wired and wireless, on-ear and over-ear, with all of them coming at a range of prices and catering to varying sonic sensibilities. We've seen social-minded cans pop up as of late, and now, a new offering looks to pack even more into a set of headphones. SoundSight packed in a 1080p camera, six microphones, voice control and an accelerometer into its wireless set. Not only does the audio add-on capture video from the wearer's point of view, but it also offers livestreaming capabilities from the stage or studio.
Thanks to the companion app for Android and iOS, you can wrangle edits before broadcasting on social networks of your choosing. The smartphone-based toolbox enables adding music to clips when you need to swap out the audio, futzing with filters and sorting recording controls. If you're concerned about having to hold your head just so to get a good angle, don't be: the camera portion is mounted to the outside of the earcups, rotating 270 degrees so allow for proper adjustments. In addition to the requisite 3.5mm cable, a USB option is also included to those who favor that connection.
Remember we mentioned these are wireless? Won't all of that extra stuff drastically cut into the battery life? Well, the company claims that with all of those features activated, you can expect around four hours of action from the 800mAh cell, getting bumped up to 18 hours when only the active noise cancellation is switched on. That may not be enough to broadcast your entire day, but it should certainly last for an entire set. The 1080p camera can capture 720p video at 30 fps, with Bluetooth streaming clocking in with 640p at 24 fps. If having all of that tech in one place sounds too good to pass up, SoundSight goes up for limited pre-order tomorrow at $349, with an official launch coming in next spring at the full $499 retail price.
