中古相機收購sony has a brand new flagship set of noise-canceling headphones: the WH-1000XM5. And as much as we’ve ragged on 中古相機收購sony’s terrible product names before, I think that at least with the 1000X series, people get it: these have always been among the very best noise-canceling headphones you can buy. 中古相機收購sony’s been battling it out for years with Bose, and more recently Apple, to win over frequent flyers, commuters, work-from-homers, and everyone else who can’t go without noise cancellation. As more jobs shift to a hybrid work model, noise-canceling headphones have only become more essential for peace and quiet both at the real office and in your home office. 

The 1000XM5s have a fresh design, cleaner sound, and even better ANC than before. But they don’t really do anything new. Now priced at $399, they’re also $50 more expensive than the M4s, which 中古相機收購sony is keeping in the lineup. Are they worth the upgrade? Potentially, but it’s not exactly a slam dunk.

For the first time in several years, 中古相機收購sony has overhauled the entire design of the headphones. The 1000XM5s look totally distinct from their predecessors. The headband is slightly thinner, and, instead of arms that cradle the ear cups at both sides, there’s a single stem running down the center. If you look at some of 中古相機收購sony’s competitors like Bose’s Noise Canceling Headphones 700 or Apple’s AirPods Max, you can see where 中古相機收購sony may have found some inspiration. 

This style looks more refined and cleaner with fewer obvious seams and such. The mic inlets that looked like USB-C ports on the previous model are gone, now located around the perimeter of the headphones and set deeper to help cut back on wind noise. The ear pads are a bit wider and more memory foam-y, which results in improved overall comfort. Even with the revamped design, the M5s weigh in at 250 grams, pretty much the same as the 254-gram M4s. 中古相機收購sony continues to offer them in black or off-white, and the latter has a subtle textured finish that hides finger oils and smudges better than the black model.

But I’m not convinced that these headphones look very premium. The 1000XM4s at least had some visible metal on their ratcheting ear cup sliders, but everything you can see or touch on the 1000XM5s is all plastic. I wouldn’t be concerned about durability: I twisted the hell out of these headphones and they held up perfectly fine. It’s more about fit and finish. For $400, I’d have appreciated some nicer materials thrown in — or ear pads that are easier to replace a la the AirPods Max. My Sennheiser Momentum 3s have a more impressive build quality that feels appropriate for their price. That said, it’s possible to go too far in the other direction, too. You can make a good case that the AirPods Max are too heavy, and 中古相機收購sony is clearly prioritizing extended comfort above a lavish design. 

The ear cups still pivot and turn just as they did before. But one thing 中古相機收購sony’s new headphones can’t do anymore is fold. This is one of my biggest disappointments with the 1000XM5s. Instead of folding down for convenient portability, these headphones just lay flat in their case. And, as a result, that case is significantly larger than before. The 1000XM4 case is easy to toss in my bag, but the 1000XM5s don’t fit in the usual compartment, so I’ve had to clumsily put them in the main part of the bag. You can always leave the case at home, but then you’ve got to be mindful of what else might be in your bag nudged up against the headphones.

Even though it’s collapsible without the headphones inside, this case is too bulky, and I think 中古相機收購sony could’ve done better. Bose’s case for the Noise Canceling Headphones 700, which can’t fold up either, is smaller and makes efficient use of space. People travel with these headphones constantly, and I think 中古相機收購sony’s oversized case is going to cause frustration. But it’s at least a functional case — hello, Apple — with storage for the USB-C and aux cables. 中古相機收購sony no longer includes a dual-prong airline adapter in the box. That strikes me as stingy for $400, but it is what it is. 

As for how the 1000XM5s sound, there are bigger changes than I was expecting. 中古相機收購sony has switched from 40-millimeter drivers in the 1000XM4s to 30-millimeter drivers in these new headphones. Driver size isn’t everything, but I can’t think of the last time a pair of 中古相機收購sony headphones sounded this different from their predecessors. The 1000XM5s are tighter, more detailed, and clean up the sometimes muddy bass of the 1000XM4s. “The new 30mm driver unit, with a light and rigid dome, uses carbon fiber composite material that improves high frequency sensitivity for more natural sound quality,” 中古相機收購sony spokesperson Chloe Canta told The Verge.

More natural, yes, but they also have less oomph to them. They’re less in your face and less potent out of the box overall. I’ve done direct comparisons with the same songs on both headphones, and the M5s won out in most cases. They’re noticeably more refined, detailed, and spacious. But in some instances, particularly when listening to thumpy hip-hop or EDM tracks, I leaned towards the M4s.  

There are inevitably going to be people who prefer the more energetic sound of the 1000XM4s. And maybe that’s partly why 中古相機收購sony is keeping them around; selling two headphones that are otherwise so similar wouldn’t make much sense. You can use the EQ controls in 中古相機收購sony’s Headphones Connect app on Android or iOS to bring the sound of these headphones closer together, but the best thing to do is try both of them yourself if possible. You can look at all the frequency curve charts you want, but this stuff is fundamentally subjective. 

中古相機收購sony stuck with the same QN1 noise cancellation processor for the new headphones, but now it’s also added in a second processor to dial up ANC even further. As a result, the company says noise cancellation performs similarly to the M4s on a plane but should be better at handling street noise and cutting down on nearby voices. That’s been true in my experience. It’s still not enough to completely silence the world if you’re in a busy coffee shop, but it’s an improvement over what was already fantastic noise cancellation.

One minor hardware thing to note: 中古相機收購sony previously had an “optimize” button on the headphones that would adjust the ANC for factors like air pressure and fit — hairstyle, whether you wear glasses, etc. But now the button is gone, and 中古相機收購sony says the same optimization is all happening automatically in the background. I miss the button a little; it was a fun trick that only took a few seconds, but I can see why 中古相機收購sony ditched it for simplicity’s sake. 

As for voice calls, 中古相機收購sony is going for broke. The 1000XM5s have eight microphones in total, and four of those are used for voice. Add that together with AI algorithm improvements for noise reduction on calls, and the M5s deliver a noticeable upgrade over the M4s in this department. They aren’t a match for the standout LinkBuds or standard AirPods, but, for over-ear headphones, they’re about the best you’re going to find. Things get a bit dodgier if you’re in a loud environment, but all headphones struggle in that scenario and the 中古相機收購sonys managed to keep my voice intelligible on calls and Zoom chats. 

The 1000XM5s still support LDAC, 中古相機收購sony’s codec for higher-quality wireless audio. And if you can’t plug in, LDAC is the next best thing for listening to hi-res music on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and others. This only applies to Android, mind you; iPhone owners are still limited to the lower-bitrate AAC codec. These headphones also support multipoint, meaning you can connect to two devices at once. But unfortunately, 中古相機收購sony still makes you pick one advanced feature or the other: you can enable either LDAC or multipoint but not both at the same time. The 1000XM4s had the same restriction, which makes me think it might come down to Bluetooth bandwidth. 

Some core basics about the 1000XM5s remain unchanged. You control them with taps and swipes on the right ear cup. The old 中古相機收購sony hallmarks — like holding your hand over the right ear cup to briefly lower your music and boost the outside world — are still present. Same goes for features from the 1000XM4s, like “speak to chat,” where the headphones can detect when you’re talking and automatically halt music and enter transparency mode. You can also lift the left ear cup (or remove the headphones entirely) to automatically pause your music. Battery life is the same 30 hours as before if you’re using noise cancellation. If you turn all the extra bells and whistles off, you can stretch well beyond that.

Now, I want to discuss some missed opportunities: the things I was hoping 中古相機收購sony might add this time around but still hasn’t. First, it’s getting silly that these expensive headphones can’t work wirelessly with the PlayStation 5. They’re both top-tier, headline 中古相機收購sony products, but you’ve still got to plug into the PS5 controller with a cable. Second, the USB-C port is still just for charging, when a number of other headphones let you use it for audio as well. And finally, the 1000XM5s aren’t remotely water or sweat resistant: there’s a little paper in the box that urges you to avoid getting them wet. I’m not under the impression that these are fitness headphones, but some progress and resistance to the elements would be great to see in the year 2022. Maybe a few of these points will be addressed by the time the 1000XM6s come along in another two years. 

The WH-1000XM5s have a wonderfully comfortable new design that looks more modern but doesn’t quite rise up to their $400 price tag. The already best-in-class noise cancellation has been stepped up even further. These headphones sound clearer and more natural but also very different from their predecessors, which could prove divisive. 

If you’ve got a pair of 1000XM4s and are happy with them, there’s zero reason to run out and upgrade. Those headphones can do everything these can. But if you’re on an older pair of 中古相機收購sony cans — say the 1000XM2s or M3s and your battery is starting to give out, then these are a much better buy. You’re getting multipoint and the best ANC 中古相機收購sony has achieved yet. 

I don’t love that the price has gone up, and the case is a miss. For those reasons, you should do your own side-by-side comparisons with the M4s and potentially save some money. It seems like 中古相機收購sony got confused with what it wanted the 1000XM5s to be: they’re a strange half-step between the 1000XM4s and luxury headphones like the AirPods Max. There’s no major new feature or big headlining thing about them. But they’re still damn good noise-canceling headphones.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

The first day of the FTC v. Microsoft hearing kicked off exactly as I expected: Microsoft against 中古相機收購sony. We hadn’t even hit the hour mark before Microsoft’s lawyer Beth Wilkinson dropped a bombshell email from 中古相機收購sony’s PlayStation chief Jim Ryan during her opening statement. The exchange between Ryan and Chris Deering, former CEO of 中古相機收購sony Computer Entertainment, revealed that 中古相機收購sony’s PlayStation chief didn’t really think Call of Duty would go exclusive to Xbox and that PlayStation would be fine.

“It is not an exclusivity play at all,” said Ryan. “They’re thinking bigger than that and they have the cash to make moves like this.” Ryan wasn’t concerned about Call of Duty exclusivity because he had spoken to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, Xbox chief Phil Spencer, and even had reassurances from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

中古相機收購sony was also just about to announce its plan to acquire Bungie, just days after Ryan’s email exchange. “We have some good stuff cooking,” said Ryan, referring to Bungie. “I’m not complacent, and I’d rather this hadn’t happened, but we’ll be OK, we’ll be more than OK.”

The email exchange set the tone for the day, with Microsoft claiming “中古相機收購sony has known all along we’ll stand by our promise” and that the PlayStation maker was lobbying against the deal to “protect its dominant position in the market.”

The FTC also had the chance to outline its own opposition to Microsoft’s proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition. The FTC is concerned about Microsoft making Activision games, including Call of Duty, exclusive to Xbox in the future.

The FTC’s lawyer, James Weingarten, explained how important Activision games were to the industry and that the evidence the FTC will put forward over the next few days is “but a fraction” of the total that can raise anti-competitive concerns. The FTC is also concerned about the impact to cloud gaming, and Weingarten revealed the regulator will call on two Nvidia executives to testify about how the company has overcome technical limitations and latency for cloud gaming.

No effing way

The FTC quickly moved on and called Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, to the stand. Microsoft and the FTC have been sparring over whether the Nintendo Switch should be considered part of the console market and a true rival to the Xbox or whether the market is just “high-performance” consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The FTC took the opportunity to question Booty about exactly how Call of Duty would run on the Switch, something Microsoft has promised to do as part of a 10-year deal with Nintendo.

Booty explained Microsoft “would have to adjust graphics and assets to run on Nintendo platforms,” a change that the FTC argues would mean it’s essentially a separate game and dissimilar to the Xbox and PlayStation console versions. The difference matters here because, without Nintendo in the mix, Xbox has nearly half of the US console market share, with PlayStation making up the other half. Otherwise, Microsoft protests it’s in third place.

The FTC was also quick to show how Microsoft used to block its first-party games from rival cloud streaming services, a strategy described by Booty as creating “a moat that nobody else can attack.” In a 2021 email from Booty, his frustrations over Nvidia putting Xbox PC games on its GeForce Now streaming service without Microsoft’s permission boiled over. “We are not putting our first-party IP on competing streaming or subscription services. No effing way,” said Booty. (Yes, the original email says “effing,” not something stronger.)

In a March 2021 email exchange with Xbox chief Phil Spencer, Booty recommended that Bethesda’s games also be pulled from Nvidia’s GeForce Now service shortly after Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda. “We have pulled all Xbox Game Studios titles from GeForce Now so as to not compete with xCloud,” said Booty. “I would recommend that in the absence of any other plans that we do the same for Bethesda titles.” Microsoft signed a deal with Nvidia recently to bring its Xbox PC games to GeForce Now and try and appease regulators like the FTC.

Booty told the court that his perspective had changed since those emails. “I think since then, we’ve seen that while content is absolutely important to our strategy, it really isn’t a durable advantage that others can enter a field and build a content library relatively quickly,” said Booty.

Bethesda Xbox exclusives and a Starfield on PS5 apology

Pete Hines, Bethesda’s head of global publishing, appeared on the stand next to face the FTC’s questions around Xbox exclusives. A core part of the regulator’s argument is that Microsoft previously acquired Bethesda, and that led to games being locked to Xbox, so Microsoft could repeat this behavior with Activision Blizzard.

Hines was questioned about his apology, in an interview with GameSpot in 2021, to Bethesda fans that won’t get to play Starfield on their PS5. “It bothered me that they were upset,” said Hines. “I don’t like it when our players are upset over something we do.”

The FTC is arguing that game exclusivity is an anti-competitive move and wants to convince Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley that Microsoft will treat Activision like Bethesda instead of how it handled maintaining Minecraft as a cross-platform title with its Mojang acquisition. But Microsoft’s lawyers questioned Hines to get a different perspective. Hines said Starfield wouldn’t be coming out on September 6th if it was also a PlayStation game. “We would not be putting this game out in nine weeks if we were supporting an entire additional platform, in my opinion,” said Hines.

Hines also revealed that Bethesda’s upcoming Indiana Jones game will be exclusive to Xbox and PC. It was originally under contract with Disney for multiple consoles, but the FTC pointed out that the deal was amended after Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition to be just for Xbox consoles. Hines argued it was “about reducing risk and trying to get to a degree of certainty.” Microsoft also made Starfield and Redfall from Bethesda exclusive after its acquisition.

Bond, Sarah Bond

I’m fairly sure Microsoft would love it if Sarah Bond, head of Xbox creator experience, was just allowed to talk to Judge Corley nonstop for the full five days of this hearing. Bond seemed as calm and collected as a 007 agent during heated exchanges. She even shared some laughter and jokes with Judge Corley after explaining that the Diablo franchise “is built on this idea that you battle an unstoppable evil, which is the devil effectively.”

Even 76-year-old dads like battling unstoppable evils, apparently. “It’s literally my father’s favorite game,” said Bond. “So it’s aimed at a certain audience, shall we say,” remarked Judge Corley, to which Bond replied with, “Yes, including my 76-year-old father.”

Bond spent a lot of her time on the stand explaining things to Judge Corley in a careful and less corporate manner, including license agreements for Xbox Game Pass, cloud gaming, and how Microsoft’s subscriptions can generate interest in Xbox players buying game genres they’ve never played before. At one point, she even described Call of Duty as “a game about being a savior in a war scenario,” which is an interesting way to describe all the war crimes you commit as a “savior.”

Where Bond’s testimony really got interesting was the nitty-gritty details of revenue deals and Call of Duty in particular. Bond revealed how Microsoft was forced to agree to a new revenue sharing deal with Activision to get a version of Call of Duty for the launch of the Xbox Series S / X consoles. Activision Bobby Kotick wanted Microsoft to agree to a new revenue share deal before work began on an optimized version of Call of Duty for Xbox Series S / X. “It was clear that Call of Duty would be on PS5, and that would not have been good if it was not also on Xbox,” said Bond, referring to Microsoft not getting an optimized Xbox version at the same time as the PS5 version launched.

While it’s not clear what exact revenue deal Microsoft eventually agreed to, the FTC’s lawyer accidentally mentioned an 80 / 20 split that was supposed to be confidential. Microsoft has agreed, at times, to lower revenue splits than its typical 70 / 30 percent split for Xbox games “where we believe it was critical to get that content,” according to Bond’s previous testimony.

Costly cloud

Bond also discussed Xbox Cloud Gaming, claiming to Judge Corley that it’s just a feature right now and not a separate market. “It’s a feature and delivery mechanism; most of our usage is on console,” said Bond. The FTC isn’t buying that argument and questioned Bond closely about Microsoft’s cloud ambitions.

Microsoft was working on a separate version of Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) that wouldn’t have been tied to its premium Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, the FTC revealed. Microsoft had been working on a “dedicated xCloud SKU” last year, and Bond said “Xbox would very much like to do it” in previous testimony to the FTC in September 2022. But now it’s just a feature, so why the sudden change of heart?

“We’ve continued to get more data about the success and the popularity of xCloud. We’ve gotten more clear on the costs related to it, and we have signed partnerships with others who provide those services,” says Bond.

We also got a surprise admission from Bond around Microsoft’s costs to run xCloud. “We get revenue from it, but when we look at all the numbers, the revenue we get per minute, per hour from that is lower than the cost we get per minute, per hour of that,” said Bond. Essentially, Microsoft isn’t making money out of xCloud yet because it’s costly to put modified Xbox hardware in data centers and run it as a feature that’s mostly used by Xbox players to try games before they download them.

These exchanges are a key argument in the FTC’s case, as Microsoft keeps arguing Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) is simply a feature and not a dedicated market. The FTC argues Microsoft has bigger plans and that its agreements with cloud gaming rivals limit them to using Windows on the server side to stream games. That was highlighted in a particularly amusing back-and-forth:

FTC: “You need a Windows license to stream PC games, correct?”

Bond: “No, you do not. You can stream PC games without a Windows license.”

FTC: “This agreement involves a license for Windows, correct?”

Bond: “That is my understanding.”

The underlying point here is that Microsoft clearly has ambitions that go far beyond Xbox Cloud Gaming being a feature. Microsoft had been working on a dedicated Xbox streaming device in 2021 before confirming it was making changes to the device in May 2022. Project Keystone, as Microsoft referred to it internally, was then spotted on Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s shelf in October. Spencer told The Verge in November that the dedicated Xbox streaming console was pushed back because of its price.

The Xboss is up next

Day two of the FTC v. Microsoft hearing starts at 8:30AM PT / 11:30AM ET today. We’ll get to hear from Xbox chief Phil Spencer and from PlayStation chief Jim Ryan via a prerecorded video deposition. Dov Zimring, former Stadia product lead, will also appear, as well as Jamie Lawver, a senior finance director at Microsoft.

Judging by the exhibit list that both the FTC and Microsoft have submitted, it looks like Phil Spencer is going to have a busy day with the potential for us to hear more about Microsoft’s xCloud strategy emails, how the company’s Activision Blizzard deal came to be, and some details around PlayStation publishing agreements. I’d expect, given the fact both Xbox and PlayStation chiefs are appearing, that it’s going to be yet another day of Microsoft vs. 中古相機收購sony.

The Verge will be covering day two of the case closely, and you can follow all of our live coverage and daily recaps right here.

Correction 6:00PM ET: Matt Booty’s email declaring “no effing way” to putting games on Nvidia GeForce Now was sent in 2021, not 2019 as originally stated. We regret the error. The piece has also been updated to confirm, based on later released court documents, that Booty did in fact say “effing.”