One of the biggest design shifts in headsets was the Apple AirPods. Although mocked initially, the devices proved to be a sea change for the industry. Now, wireless earbuds have become ubiquitous, and major brands have their own version.
Video game peripheral makers have taken note and they’re selling their own wireless earbuds. Razer has the Hammerheads. Sony has the Pulse Explore and the INZONE buds. HyperX has its Cirro Buds Pro. Now, SteelSeries is entering the market with the Arctis GameBuds.
The Arctis dongle is offset so that it won’t block other ports on the PlayStation 5 and other devices. (SteelSeries)
PLENTY OF FEATURESThe $159 device for the PlayStation and Xbox offer plenty of notable features and improvements. First off, SteelSeries has redesigned its dongle to be off-center so that it doesn’t cover any ports on the PlayStation 5, Xbox or PC. Moving beyond that, the earbuds have Bluetooth 5.3 for smartphone connections and a stable ultra-low latency 2.4 Ghz for gaming. Players can switch between the two connections with a triple click.
As for the technology inside the earbuds, the Arctis GameBuds have an edge with its active noise cancellation that includes a transparency mode that’s comparable to the AirPods, said brand manager Brian Hargreaves. Players can lose themselves in the game with the ANC or they can let outside noise through in transparency, so that they can listen for an alarm or a baby waking up in the middle of the night.
When it comes to comfort and sound, Hargreaves said the earbuds have silicon tips and the company used 62,000 ear scans to help guide a design that can fit nearly everyone. He said that’s important because players can game on the earbuds for over 10 hours on a single charge and the carrying case has power for three extra chargers. That’s a total of 40 hours of playtime altogether.
The Arctis App gives the GameBuds an edge when it comes to easy customization. (SteelSeries)
SOUND AND THE APPThe earbuds themselves support spatial audio including the Tempest 3D on the PlayStation 5. What’s more the device can connect to a smartphone via the Arctis App. It works similarly to Sonar in the SteelSeries GG program built for PC. Players can choose from more than 100 presets, including ones tuned for specific games. The presets will be tied to a specific audio channel (either Bluetooth 5.3 or the 2.4 Ghz) so that if players choose to listen to music from their smartphone while gaming, it will pick up a music preset instead of the for “Call of Duty.”
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Players can also dive into the App to tune other parts of the Arctis Earbuds such as the level of transparency or strength of the ANC. Hargreaves said it’s robust without being too complicated.
Other GameBuds elements includes a case that has Qi Wireless Charging. It’s a nice option if you don’t have cables. If players need a quick charge, the earbuds can get 3 hours of listening time on 15 minutes of charging.
Although the earbuds have plenty of bells and whistles, the biggest feature going for it is the form factor. They’re devices that can become a daily driver for gamers whether they are in their living rooms or commuting to work. It can even be used during workouts because it’s IP55 water resistant. It’s essentially a gaming headset that doesn’t look like a gaming headset.
The Arctis GameBuds are available for now preorder now and will be available at retail outlets Oct. 29.