When you cover PC gaming hardware and peripherals for a living, it's easy to accumulate an unhealthy amount of odd technology. You can imagine my surprise when I unearthed some pretty wild stuff during a recent spring cleaning, because before I knew it, I'd forgotten what I had stashed away in my closet. It's Panasonic's SoundSlayer Wearable Immersive Gaming Speaker System, or SoundSlayer WIGSS for short.

This wearable speaker is like a power-dampening device that bad guys wear to take the power away from the X-men, and it was released in late 2021. I got a sample for review during my maternity leave at the end of the following year. So of course, like a squirrel hiding acorns for the winter, I couldn't just cover them up and tuck them away carefully in a cluttered closet.

SoundSlayer is a fusion of PC speakers and a gaming headset, but instead of being placed on a desk or head, it is worn around the neck. As you can see, it is an interesting experiment in sound and design, but somewhat flawed.

SoundSlayer WIGSS uses the "Majestic Augement Gaming Environment Sound System" (or MAGESS) for surround sound. Ridiculous acronyms aside, this is a system consisting of four four-channel speakers that wrap around the neck. In other words, it is not a fancy spatial audio technology like DTS or Windows Sonic, but rather the speakers surround your head, which technically provides surround sound.

Frankly, once I got over how stupid I looked and the first few hours of sound blasting from the bottom of my neck to my head, there was something oddly satisfying about wearing the SoundSlayer all day. After just a few hours, however, I got tired of listening to sound all day and put the SoundSlayer on my desk and used it as a desktop speaker. This defeats the purpose.

When I put the SoundSlayer on, I played a lot of Resident Evil 4 Remake. It really feels like you can hear it behind you, like something is whispering horrible sweet nothings in your ear. Horror and adventure games use SoundSlayer's surround sound more effectively and immersively. SoundSlayer tends to be less powerful than desk-mounted PC speakers or high-end headsets when the action gets intense. This is because the SoundSlayer's volume is not as loud, which is more noticeable when making video calls or watching YouTube videos. This is probably a safety feature, as it is not good for your health to hear explosions so close to your head at full volume. If you are looking for pounding bass, you won't find it here. The dialogue in movies and games is too small and distant for my taste. It sounds like the characters are shouting from the bottom of a well and often gets buried when the action starts.

Like the SoundSlayer soundbar, there are several presets available, including RPG, FPS, music, and chat. It also has a built-in microphone that can be used for team chat. I used the Slayer for my daily calls and my colleagues said they could hear me clearly. However, I could not hear them because my colleagues teased me relentlessly about how ridiculous I looked with the Slayer on.

Another disappointment with the Sound Slayer is that it is not wireless; for $200, I expected to be an obnoxious human speaker and wear it while working out or even walking around the house while talking on Discord. Instead, it remains tethered to my PC via a 3.5-foot USB cable, not that Bluetooth sound collars don't exist: Monster makes one for $100 (opens in new tab), but it's a bit smaller than the SoundSlayer and looks silly.

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out who this is for. From an ergonomic standpoint, one could argue that it is much more comfortable than wearing a tight headset all day, especially if you work from home. From an accessibility standpoint, there are many possibilities. But otherwise, this feels like a very niche solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

I see what Panasonic is trying to say. The only problem is that the sound slayer is overlooking something important: noise. You are not in a private sound bubble, as you are when wearing a headset. You may be sharing space with your roommate, coworker, or partner, but they may not take kindly to the gunshots and moans blasting out of your neck, or the aggressive voice communications during a Call of Duty match.

Panasonic's SoundSlayer costs $200 (opens in new tab). There is also a Final Fantasy 14-themed SoundSlayer with the game's logo and dedicated sound mode for $250 (opens in new tab). Both models are often sold at hefty discounts, but are still too expensive to recommend over the best gaming headsets, which are truly comfortable and sound great.

Nevertheless, it is nice to have an ergonomic alternative to wearing headphones all day long. The only problem is that there is already an alternative. Speakers.