SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Bring ANC And 360 Audio To PS5, Xbox And PC Gamers
It's taken a minute, but there are finally a handful of earbud options specifically for gamers, and I couldn't be happier about this. While there are a million and one earbud designs to choose from overall, ones that specifically take aim at the gaming crowd are far less plentiful (unlike gaming headsets). One more that's just been added to the pile comes from SteelSeries with its new Arctis GameBuds, which also happens to be its first-ever earbuds.
I've been using Razer's competing Hammerhead Pro Hyperspeed earbuds ever since I reviewed a little over a year ago. What makes them and others like them, including the new Arctis GameBuds, unique is a faster, lower-latency 2.4GHz connection option by way of a bundled USB-C dongle that you plug into your PC. While Bluetooth is convenient, it's not the best wireless technology for gaming.
The Arctis GameBuds join a small but growing army of earbuds that offer a high-speed 2.4GHz connection to PC and console, in addition to Bluetooth (version 5.3, in this case). That gives it added versatility, with support for mobile devices, gaming handhelds, desktop and laptop gaming PCs, and both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. That said, if you're a console gamer, you'll have to choose which version you want—PS5 or Xbox, as the latter requires a different dongle.
"The goal was simple, reinvent the world's number one premium gaming headphones— within a pair of gaming earbuds. Whether the pain the points are related to the fact that gamers couldn’t connect to a PS5 or Xbox via Bluetooth, or the status quo was poor gaming audio quality and bad microphone communications in traditional earbuds, or the inability to utilize a single pair of earbuds across multiple platforms, or fatigue and poor battery life from all-day use, the introduction of SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds solve multiple problems for gamers," SteelSeries says.
SteelSeries is touting some notable features with its first earbuds, including 360-degree spatial audio (with full support for Tempest 3D), a quad-microphone hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) system, IP55 water resistance, and a mobile companion app that comes preloaded with over 100 PS5 and Xbox game audio presets.
As for battery life, SteelSeries is claiming the earbuds will chug along for 10 hours or more per charge, with an included charging case offering three extra charges for 40+ total hours. It also supports wireless Qi charging and, according to SteelSeries, a quick 15-minute charge via USB-C nets three hours of gaming usage.
SteelSeries is also claiming a high level of comfort with over 62,000 ear scans going into the final design. And of course it comes with multiple silicone ear tips, as no one size truly fits all.
Similar to other gaming earbuds, you can pair with both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz and quickly switch between the two as necessary. Touch controls are also part of the package, to increase/decrease volume, mute the mic, cycle through ANC modes, and answer/end phone calls.
Here's a high level overview of how the Arctis GameBuds compares to a spattering of competitors...
Color me intrigued. The Arctis GameBuds will be available in black and white color options on the PS5 and black only the Xbox starting on October 29, priced at $159.99. Stay tuned, as we'll try to get in a pair for review.
