EPOS has announced its first own-brand gaming headphones, the GTW 270 Hybrid wireless earbuds. The new earbuds, released today, are EPOS' first product not co-branded with Sennheiser, and after using them for the past week, I must say that I am quite impressed with their workmanship.

But let's delve into what makes these in-ear headphones suitable for gaming. The wireless low-latency dongle, which EPOS packaged with the earbuds and carrying case, can be used with a wider range of devices. While the onboard Bluetooth should work well enough with most phones, the benefit of a dedicated dongle makes it just a little easier to connect to a gaming laptop without delay or lag.

It also allows wireless connection to the Nintendo Switch, which is especially useful for people like me who use their wireless buds for all kinds of things but carry a pair of wired 3.5mm headphones for use with the Switch alone.

Even game consoles can be covered with dongles.

The headphones themselves also block out noise reasonably well, making them suitable for the kind of travel you are doing right now. They are also IPX5 (waterproof to withstand sustained jets of water at low pressure), so you don't have to worry about water intrusion. It's comfortable enough to keep the rain out.

The GTW 270 has a total of 20 hours of battery life: 5 hours on a single charge and an additional 3 hours in the dock.

Battery life is a bit slim compared to other products I've tested, but it's enough for a day, and for days of spread-out use; the EPOS x Sennheiser GSP 370 is capable of 100 hours of battery life, but is much heavier.

The headphone drivers are the usual 20-20,000 Hz, but the sound is solid and offers a surprising low-frequency response for its small size. There are also two microphones, one on each earphone, one on the left and one on the right, which allows the microphones to be used on the go with adequate sound quality. Not quite for gaming, but enough to enjoy clear chat.

The GTW 270 Hybrid version goes on sale today for $199 (£179). However, a slightly cheaper version will be available at a later date that relies solely on Bluetooth connectivity without a dongle.