SteelSeries introduces $160 gaming earbuds for your Xbox, PlayStation, or PC

SteelSeries has created new earbuds designed to pair with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch consoles, or PCs and mobile phones. The $159.99 Arctis GameBuds include active noise cancellation (ANC), Qi wireless charging, and the ability to quickly switch between mobile Bluetooth use and console or PC gaming.

I’ve been trying them out for the past few days, and so far, I’m impressed, but I’ll need more time for a full review.

The Arctis GameBuds look very similar to most earbuds on the market, complete with different silicone tips to fit different ear shapes. SteelSeries uses an ANC system with four microphones to block noise while gaming, and there’s a transparency mode if you want to hear your surroundings.

The GameBuds connect to an Xbox or PlayStation via a small USB-C dongle that provides a 2.4GHz wireless connection. You can triple tap a button on the earbuds to switch between Bluetooth 5.3 for mobile devices and a 2.4GHz wireless signal for consoles and PCs. It’s surprisingly quick to switch audio, but it doesn’t support simultaneous audio over Bluetooth and 2.4GHz like Sony’s Pulse Explore earbuds do.

I was immediately impressed with the EQ settings in the mobile companion app. Includes over 100 audio presets for popular games such as Call of Duty, Destiny 2, EA Sports FC 24, Fortniteagain A hero. This is often similar to the EQ presets that can be found in SteelSeries’ GG desktop PC app with Sonar, and the results are impressive for games like hero, where you need to hear all possible steps.

You can also change the ANC and transparency modes in the mobile app or adjust the level of how much noise is canceled or allowed in. Both the SteelSeries mobile and desktop apps will let you control these settings and display individual battery life levels. earphone and charging case.

The ANC does a good job of filtering out the sounds around you when you’re playing loud music or a game, but you’ll still hear some audible sounds if the volume is low or your game doesn’t have an audio tone.

SteelSeries promises that the charging case delivers 40 hours of battery life, with 10 hours per use and three additional charges thanks to the case. I found that the battery drains about 10 percent per hour using the 2.4GHz connection, so battery life looks like it will last. The case also offers Qi wireless charging (not Qi2) and a USB-C connection on the back that will provide around three hours of playtime and 15 minutes of quick charging.

While GameBuds work on all consoles and PC, there are separate models for both Xbox and PlayStation. If you buy the PlayStation model, it will only work on Sony consoles, PC, and mobile, but the Xbox version works on all platforms. The Xbox variant includes an additional chip to comply with Microsoft’s security policies and a slide button to switch to Xbox compatibility. The white model is exclusive to PlayStation, and there are black variants for both Xbox and PlayStation.

SteelSeries is entering the increasingly crowded gaming earbud market, going up against Sony, Razer, and Logitech. The $159 price of the Arctis GameBuds is less than the $199 Sony is asking for the PlayStation Pulse Explore, and the GameBuds even include ANC support that Sony surprisingly left out. Sony offers ANC with its $199 InZone Buds an impressive 12 hours of battery life, but those still lack the wireless charging case offered by SteelSeries.

Although the $149 Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed ​​does include ANC, it only delivers three hours per charge. Logitech’s $179 G Fits have better battery life at seven hours but lack ANC. SteelSeries has clearly found a gap in the market where they can offer lightweight earbuds with Bluetooth connectivity, a mobile app, ANC, and a wireless charging case, all for $159.

The Arctis GameBuds are available for pre-order today in black and white versions, priced at $159.99 (€169.99). The GameBuds will be released worldwide on October 29.