Panasonic’s wearable gaming speaker will literally blow your mind, if I’m seeing this image right

Panasonic knows that gamers want to be blown away. But maybe not quite this literally?

That looks a little painful. So does this:

Image: Panasonic

But what do you expect from a product called the SoundSlayer? It had better slay or my money back.

And because gamers like acronyms, you should know that the SoundSlayer WIGSS (Wearable Immersive Gaming Speaker System) will come with True MAGESS (Majestic Augmented Gaming Environment Sound System) when it arrives this October for $199.99. Wigs and mages? Not quite, because Panasonic snuck in that extra “S”!

Panasonic promises its four full-range speakers will create a ”360-degree pocket of sound around the head” so players “feel enveloped by sound in all directions,” and it comes with a pair of built-in noise-canceling microphones for communication. It’s also got a mode tuned for Final Fantasy XIV Online, Panasonic says.

In all seriousness, this might be a great idea — many gamers don’t have true rear speakers for quality surround sound, opting for the virtual surround you can get from headphones or a soundbar instead. We’d have to try it to be sure. But know that the “W” in “WIGSS” doesn’t stand for Wireless: this is one neckband speaker you’ll be plugging into your console and PC with a physical USB-A cable and / or audio cable.

If the design reminds you of Weird Sony, you’re half-right: Sony introduced its own (wireless) wearable speaker system in 2018 and brought it to the US in 2019. It costs the same price but only has two speakers for virtual surround, with a quoted seven hours of battery life. We also enjoyed Bose’s neckband speaker, though it comes in at $300.