Description:
When playing co-op career mode in multiplayer with a friend, we both experience a significant drop in audio quality upon joining a multiplayer lobby. Both of us are using Bose QuietComfort headsets connected via Bluetooth. When we joint the lobby for the co-op career mode, the headset switches to a lower quality audio output, I would assume Hands-Free mode, severely degrading the audio quality.
I have disabled the headsets microphone in windows 11's sound settings. This prevents most other games from even listing it as a valid input device. We do not get to choose a audio in or mic in.
This is a persistent issue between games, as my friend told me that he had this same issue in F1 24.
I have included two screenshots to illustrate the windows settings I am referring to. (The Bose headset is called Electric Earmuffs.
Setup Details:
- Headset: Bose QuietComfort SC (Bluetooth)
- Microphone: Separate USB microphone
- OS: Windows 11
- Audio Settings: Bose headset’s microphone disabled in Windows 11 Input Devices
- Expected Behavior:
- The game should maintain Higher quality audio if the headset microphone is disabled.
- Actual Behavior:
- When joining co-op career multiplayer, the headset is forced into Hands-Free mode, severely reducing audio quality, even though the headset microphone is disabled in Windows.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Connect Bose QuietComfort headset via Bluetooth on Windows 11.
- Disable the headset microphone in Windows sound settings.
- Launch the game, enter co-op career multiplayer mode.
- Audio quality drops as the headset switches to Hands-Free mode.
Impact:
High — significantly degrades the audio experience during multiplayer gameplay.
