These aren't just hats; they're the next-gen Hyper-Ultra-Super-Mega-OMG HD 512k hats of tomorrow! Really, something like choke protection is minor compared to all of the free content it can stream from pootube using the built-in subspace wifi.
Choking people out is too easy a kill. Once you're in it there's no resistance, and it only takes about 1 second if you're unlucky. This isn't how real life works either. Unless that gets changed, I'd just be content with splashing acid on people. That takes care of the hat/mask/etc.