SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Small in stature, huge in performance

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SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Two-minute review

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds mightiness beryllium nan best gaming earbuds I’ve ever tested. As an wide package they present connected each front; from artillery life to audio quality, to comfortableness and fit, to features. They are genuinely awesome and are 1 of nan easiest recommendations I’ll ever make.

Coming successful chic achromatic aliases slick achromatic (depending connected nan level version you spell for), each GameBud is of a compact and neat creation that sits nicely successful nan ear, pinch a elemental push-and-twist mobility to support them secure. They’re lightweight too, and nan touchpad makes for easy control. The lawsuit is besides compact and tin easy gaffe into a pouch neatly.

The GameBuds’ stature whitethorn beryllium small, then, but they cram successful a bunch of features that make nan proposition incredibly compelling - earlier you moreover put them on. With progressive sound canceling (ANC), IP55 water-resistant rating, and multi-platform compatibility, nan characteristic group is disconnected to a beardown commencement - but it gets overmuch better. 

The inclusion of a quick-charge usability and a wireless charging-compatible lawsuit is an fantabulous prize and intends you person different chance to support your lawsuit and buds juiced for longer use, while dual 2.4Ghz and Bluetooth 5.3 connection nan latest wireless connectivity. The header characteristic and prize nevertheless is, for illustration this year’s summation to nan SteelSeries headset lineup, nan Arctis Nova 5 Wireless, nan GameBuds activity pinch nan SteelSeries Arctis App giving you entree to much than 100 expertly designed audio presets for an tremendous magnitude of games. 

A bully creation and extended characteristic group are each good and good, but it needs to beryllium backed up pinch value and excellence successful gaming audio - which nan GameBuds do by nan bucket load. Channeling each that makes SteelSeries gaming audio cogwheel fantabulous and outrageously bully for each games, nan GameBuds supply superb audio, crossed each genres and gameplay situations, beryllium they quiet and tense, aliases engaged and wild. Our testing revealed hardly immoderate weaknesses successful work, play, and intermezo use, and nan GameBuds are immoderate of nan finest-sounding buds I’ve used.

Caveats and negatives are fewer and acold betwixt connected nan whole. You will get a amended fresh pinch third-party foam tips arsenic nan modular rubber ones provided are basal astatine best, and nan controls do return a noticeable magnitude of unit which intends you will stone aliases push nan earbud into your receptor a spot each clip you prosecute pinch them. However, beyond that, there’s very small to detract from nan GameBuds’ capacity successful immoderate way. 

Some competing gaming earbuds whitethorn fulfill their peculiar little pinch much specificity - for illustration nan PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds and their PlayStation Portal compatibility, for illustration - but if you’re looking for nan astir complete package generally, past these mightiness conscionable beryllium nan champion gaming earbuds you tin bargain correct now.

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Price and availability

• List price: $159.99 / £159.99 / AU$359
• Launch astatine retailers connected October 29
• Pre-order banal fluctuated owed to popularity

Squarely successful nan aforesaid value bracket arsenic nan Sony Inzone Buds, nan Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed buds, and nan PlayStation Pulse Explore buds, nan GameBuds find themselves successful bully company. All are targeting nan high-end wireless gaming earbud market, and each gain their spot successful it, pinch nan GameBuds surely doing capable to swipe shoulders (or ears, I suppose) pinch nan aforementioned sets.

Already proving incredibly popular, nan SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds person sold retired connected nan brand’s ain storefront successful nan pre-order shape too, and I’d expect liking to stay precocious aft launch.

Given nan characteristic group connected connection here, I deliberation nan GameBuds are priced reasonably and almost aggressively; they tin tally a title pinch immoderate different premium earbud set, and spell a agelong measurement to warrant nan value tag. 

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Specs

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Design and features

• Neat, tidy, and compact design
• Push controls are intuitive but request a spot of pressure
• Wireless charging is simply a awesome bonus

Weighing only 0.19oz / 5.3g each, it only takes a elemental push and a flimsy twist to make them beryllium nicely and fresh comfortably successful nan ear. SteelSeries says it has utilized scans of 40,000 ears to thief style nan creation of nan GameBuds, though gaming earbuds will ever beryllium taxable to your ain unsocial ears. I person recovered them comfortable, connected nan whole, while besides easy to interact with, and not taxable to falling retired of my ears easily.

Much for illustration nan Pulse Explore earbuds, however, I person recovered successful my testing that nan included receptor tips are bang average; serviceable astatine best, but not superb for really agelong sessions. I person overmuch preferred utilizing third-party foam tips arsenic a solution for a amended fresh - and 1 that immunodeficiency sound isolation and value too. It's somewhat disappointing that different acquisition is needed to augment and really get nan champion retired of nan GameBuds’ fit.

The GameBuds ditch nan accustomed touch controls often seen connected earbuds and instead, opt for thing much akin to a laptop touchpad. This makes accidental inputs overmuch harder which is welcome, but I person recovered that nan touchpad still requires a decent push to actuate, frankincense somewhat rocking aliases pushing backmost nan earbud while it’s successful your ear. It ne'er rather feels for illustration I’m pushing them retired of position aliases making them loose, but it’s still not rather perfect.

The 2.4Ghz wireless connectivity is not caller but is excellent, and nan corresponding dongle is wonderfully compact and has been designed pinch nan PS5’s USB-C ports successful mind, ensuring it doesn’t artifact 1 larboard while plugged into another. Teaming this pinch Bluetooth 5.3 rounds retired a robust pairing of wireless connections.

In position of compatibility, our PlayStation portion will play bully pinch PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, and mobile. If you want nan champion level of multiplatform compatibility, however, past spell for nan Xbox version, which follows nan modern gaming headset inclination of being compatible pinch each awesome consoles and devices.

The lawsuit is simply a mini pill box, pinch a bully decorativeness and compact nature, carrying nan 2 buds and nan dongle successful sweetly. The ace up nan sleeve of nan lawsuit is nan truth that it’s wireless charging compatible, however, and this is simply a really invited other characteristic adding a invited level of functionality to what is different conscionable a regular charging and carrying case. Having different intends of charging and imaginable artillery life tin beryllium a captious facet for wireless gaming peripherals, and having specified an other without nan request for a cablegram is moreover better. Adding this onto nan claimed artillery life of up to 10 hours per complaint for nan buds and you’ve sewage a robust proposition. 

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Performance

• Excellent audio for earbuds
• Incredible elasticity and customizability pinch nan app
• Great artillery life

Straight retired of nan box, nan SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds person fantabulous sounds. Crammed into those mini 6mm drivers is an audio soundstage that’s incredibly elaborate and wonderfully vibrant up and down nan spectrum. I was moreover nicely amazed by nan amount, quality, and extent of bass. Along pinch nan Pulse Explore earbuds (with their fancy planar magnetic drivers), these produced immoderate of nan finest gaming audio I’ve knowledgeable successful buds. From single-player games for illustration Star Wars Outlaws and Doom (2016) to playing Diablo 4 online pinch a pal, nan GameBuds excelled. After a while, it didn’t consciousness for illustration I was receiving audio from conscionable mini earbuds, and nan buds tin surely tally immoderate PS5 headsets aliases Xbox Series X headsets for their money connected audio value alone.

This default audio value is made amended pinch nan Arctis Companion App. Replicating its occurrence pinch nan Nova 5 headset, nan companion app allows you to switch betwixt expertly crafted audio presets while playing games simultaneously. These presets and this elasticity are not a gimmick, either, and you tin really find EQs to suit each kinds of games that will heighten nan audio experience. The ANC does termination disconnected nan bass a small arsenic I’ve ever recovered pinch it, but it’s robust capable to stay a invited feature.

As mentioned above, really utilizing nan onboard controls walks nan risky statement betwixt being bully for avoiding accidental presses, while requiring a spot of unit truthful arsenic to move nan buds a small pinch each push. It’s not a woody breaker and is different point I person sewage utilized to pinch clip but remains a flimsy crease successful nan experience.

Going immoderate measurement to mimic a solution that nan Nova Pro Wireless offers pinch its infinity powerfulness strategy (USB-C cablegram charging, while its dock besides charges a spare artillery fresh to switch successful astatine immoderate point), I person recovered nan case’s wireless charging functionality to beryllium a awesome boon and a good measurement of extending nan complaint and life disposable to me. More broadly, successful my testing, I’ve recovered nan artillery life claims SteelSeries astir nan buds to beryllium existent to life (around 10 hours per complaint for nan buds).

The mic is beautiful bully too, for immoderate earbuds astatine least. After a flimsy raising of nan measurement of nan mic connected PS5, my buddy reported that I didn’t sound thing majorly different from my accustomed headset too, and it besides came crossed arsenic crystal clear during activity and telephone calls.

With specified capacity connected offer, layered connected apical of nan good design, and extended characteristic set, it's capable to opportunity that nan SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds are immoderate of nan champion successful nan business and could beryllium nan only brace of gaming earbuds you’ll ever need.

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How I tested nan SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds

• Tested complete nan people of 4 weeks
• Used connected aggregate platforms including PS5, PC, and mobile
• Compared to different earbuds from nan likes of Razer and PlayStation

I tested nan SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds complete nan people of astir 4 weeks for my review. Putting them to nan trial connected my RTX 3090-powered gaming PC, PS5, and mobile, I utilized them for a full big of functions from gaming to activity meetings, from telephone calls to euphony listening

They replaced my accustomed earbuds, nan Razer Hammerhead True Wireless earbuds erstwhile going retired for walks aliases connected nan commute, and they replaced my SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless connected PC and PS5 for activity and play. As a result, I was capable to comparison them straight to those headsets, arsenic good arsenic nan PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds that I person for usage connected my PS5 and PlayStation Portal.

In position of circumstantial games, I tested nan GameBuds pinch Frostpunk 2 connected PC, and connected Doom (2016), Star Wars Outlaws, Pentiment, and Diablo 4 connected PS5 (the second being an online co-op playthrough pinch a friend who was capable to verify nan value of nan mic during gameplay action). 

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First reviewed September/October 2024.