PS3 headset going solo, Confrontation beta delayed

As it did last year with Incognito's multiplayer-only PlayStation 3 exclusive Warhawk, Sony will be offering a Bluetooth headset with Slant Six's online shooter SOCOM: Confrontation. As the headset was specially built in-house by Sony, it comes as little surprise that the publisher also has plans to release the peripheral as a stand-alone product alongside SOCOM this fall.

Sony said today that gamers who don't pick up the headset as part of the $59.99 SOCOM: Confrontation bundle can purchase the peripheral individually for $49.99. As previously announced, the device will be compatible with other PS3 games as well as Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices.

Detailing some of the finer points of the Bluetooth-enabled device, Sony noted today that the headset features a high-quality mode option, which when activated will attempt to improve sound quality through "advanced voice technologies and noise-cancellation techniques." Sony's device also recognizes a variety of voice commands for use during in-game situations, and will also double as a microphone when docked in its charging cradle.

In other SOCOM news, gamers expecting to enter Slant Six's open multiplayer beta were in for a rude awakening this week, when the previously announced testing period failed to initiate. As related via the developer's site, that open beta window has officially been pushed back a few days, and will now begin for preorderers on September 5, with Qore subscribers furloughed until a week later. Slant Six notes that the delay won't shorten the testing period, as it is now expected to run through October 5.

For more on SOCOM: Confrontation--which is expected to release October 14--check out GameSpot's previous coverage.