SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds overview: earbuds for PlayStation or Xbox

SteelSeries’ Arctis GameBuds are the primary gaming earbuds I truly need to purchase. Sony, Razer, and Logitech all supply comparable gaming-focused earbuds, however SteelSeries is the one firm providing low-latency earbuds with Bluetooth connectivity and console compatibility, a cell app with highly effective per-game EQ settings, lively noise cancellation, and a wi-fi charging case, all for $159.99.

It’s a novel mixture at this worth, and I’ve come to understand it in latest weeks, even swapping my trusted Arctis Nova Pro headset for these earbuds for PC gaming. Unlike Bluetooth-only earbuds, the GameBuds additionally work on PlayStation or Xbox, so I’ve been utilizing them to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, amongst different video games.

The Arctis GameBuds look similar to Jabra’s discontinued Elite line of earbuds, housed in a pill-shaped wi-fi charging case that may ship as much as 40 hours of battery life in whole. The case additionally contains the two.4GHz USB-C dongle that may be connected to a sport console, PC, or cellphone. There’s a cable contained in the packaging that turns this right into a USB-A dongle, for these with out a USB-C port.

Each earbud has a single button. Pressing the left-hand-side button cycles by transparency and noise cancellation, whereas the right-hand button is play / pause. You may also faucet and maintain the precise earbud to extend the amount or faucet and maintain the left earbud to lower it. 

Switching between Bluetooth and a pair of.4GHz wi-fi is simply three faucets away with the facet buttons and is instantaneous. Unfortunately, you may’t use Bluetooth concurrently the two.4GHz mode, so you may’t hearken to music out of your cellphone alongside sport audio out of your PlayStation or Xbox. It’s a disgrace as a result of lots of SteelSeries’ different headsets, like my Nova Pro, are able to this.

The GameBuds include a wide range of silicone ideas that will help you discover the most effective seal in your ears, so you will get the most effective use out of the lively noise canceling mode. They use 4 microphones to tune out distractions, and so they do an excellent job of filtering out sounds round you should you’re taking part in music or a loud sport, however they’re nowhere close to nearly as good as Apple’s AirPods Pro or the Bose earbuds. You’ll nonetheless hear some ambient sounds if in case you have the amount low or your sport doesn’t have a ton of audio.

The audio high quality is sweet for $159.99, and the equalizer presets allow you to select choices with extra bass should you’re listening to music or a flat EQ should you’re listening to podcasts. There’s additionally a transparency mode, and you may management the degrees of each the ANC and transparency modes within the Arctis cell app. This app is definitely the most effective a part of the Arctis GameBuds as a result of it additionally contains the gaming equalizer presets which have change into so in style and helpful on SteelSeries’ line of headphones. There are presets for greater than 100 video games, and you actually discover the variations while you toggle between them. The Valorant preset is tuned in a method that makes it quite a bit simpler to listen to footsteps in that sport, and it could truthfully be the distinction between successful and shedding a battle since you hear the opposite participant earlier than you see them.

The identical presets can be found on the SteelSeries GG desktop app, so should you use these on a gaming PC, you’ll be capable of benefit from Sonar — SteelSeries’ glorious audio system for Windows. I used to hate that SteelSeries compelled you to make use of Sonar, however it’s truly a far superior system for managing audio in Windows than what Microsoft provides out of the field. It even has spatial audio and AI-powered noise cancellation for microphones to filter out issues like your canine barking in the course of a sport or video name.

I’ve been utilizing the GameBuds totally on a PC, however it’s straightforward to plug the USB-C dongle into an Xbox or PlayStation so long as you’ve purchased the right model. All fashions of the GameBuds work with PlayStation, PCs, and different consoles just like the Switch. But Xbox customers might want to get the Xbox model, which is similar worth however contains an extra chip to stick to Microsoft’s safety insurance policies plus a slider button on the USB-C dongle to modify to Xbox compatibility. It’s disappointing that the Xbox model solely is available in black; the white model seems to be good.

I used the GameBuds with my Xbox, and the setup is seamless. You merely plug the dongle in and the Xbox acknowledges there’s a headset connected and assigns it to your profile similar to some other headset. You can then management the EQ settings, ANC, and extra from the Arctis cell app.

The cell and desktop apps additionally checklist battery life, which I’ve discovered comes near matching the ten hours SteelSeries advertises. Using ANC and the microphone usually, I averaged round 9 hours, however if in case you have these disabled, it’s nearer to 10 hours. It doesn’t appear to make a distinction whether or not you’re on Bluetooth or 2.4GHz mode.

The case has sufficient further battery life to cost the GameBuds round 4 occasions earlier than you’ll want to plug them right into a USB-C charger. You may also cost the case on a Qi wi-fi charger, so I’ve been ready to make use of the identical charger I take advantage of for my AirPods Pro.

The solely points I bumped into whereas testing the GameBuds have been associated to video calls on my PC. Sometimes the audio would distort to the purpose the place the buds felt like they have been vibrating on calls when the opposite particular person’s microphone peaked too excessive. I managed to get this underneath management by decreasing the chat quantity within the Sonar app. I additionally discovered that the two.4GHz sign nonetheless breaks up in the identical spots of my home that the Nova Pro Wireless headphones do. It’s solely once I go too distant from the dongle, although.

I do want the GameBuds had a mode that allow you to swap microphone inputs on the fly. I take advantage of a devoted XLR microphone on my PC, however once I stroll away from my desk with the GameBuds in, I’d love to have the ability to faucet the facet buttons and swap to the microphone enter on the buds as an alternative. I’d additionally love to have the ability to use Bluetooth and a pair of.4GHz modes on the identical time, so I’m hoping SteelSeries will regularly enhance these GameBuds prefer it has the remainder of its headphones. But that doesn’t imply you should purchase them hoping they’ll get higher sooner or later.

If you’re searching for one thing much less gaming-focused with higher sound high quality, and also you’re prepared to spend just a little extra, there are many different earbud choices. But for $159.99, these are an amazing choice in your PlayStation, Xbox, or PC. The GameBuds are comfy, sound good, and supply nice sport presets that you just gained’t discover on different earbuds.

Photography by Tom Warren / The Verge