These Are Cross-Platform Gaming Headphones I Could Wear All Day

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X are, hands-down, probably the most comfy headphones I’ve ever worn. That alone is purpose sufficient for me to love them—however, luckily, the opposite facets are largely simply pretty much as good.

Worth and Availability

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X headphones can be found in 4 colours: black, white, lavender, and aqua. The $110 value is similar for all 4. You should buy the headphones instantly from SteelSeries or discover them at Amazon or Greatest Purchase.

Headphones Designed for Taking part in Video games

SteelSeries headphones are created with players in thoughts, although I recognize the refined design of my black evaluate unit, which might completely fly below the radar. The brand’s a bit playful, and there’s a wavy design alongside the scarf, however that’s all that separates this from every other black headset.

As a gaming headset, the microphone shouldn’t be constructed instantly into the unit. As an alternative, it’s an added piece that comes included however have to be plugged into the headset’s 3.5mm jack. It additionally picks up any background noise, so do not anticipate to be taking voice calls whereas strolling up the street. This hyper-sensitive microphone sits subsequent to the USB port used for charging. It is nice for voice chat throughout video games, however it would not be my go-to for the rest.

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Persevering with alongside, you discover the ability button, which may also be used to toggle between the 2 connectivity modes: Bluetooth and a couple of.4GHz. As somebody who works on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and video games on a Nintendo Change 2, I spent everything of my time in Bluetooth mode. That mentioned, the X in Nova 3X denotes Xbox, however there’s little in the way in which that units this mannequin aside as an Xbox-specific headset. The two.4GHz possibility glows inexperienced, and there are over 100 presets for Xbox video games within the cellular app, however that is about it.

The amount rocker is a pleasantly tactile wheel that you just spin to regulate sound. It’s straightforward to seek out if you might want to flip down the quantity in a rush, resembling when your important different is shouting your identify from down the corridor questioning if you’re going to name it an evening, or if you’re making an attempt to sneak a fast play session in, however you assume you would possibly hear certainly one of your youngsters about to throw the opposite.

Indoor Microphone Pattern

Out of doors Microphone Pattern

Snug Sufficient for the Longest Classes

I like earbuds as a lot as the subsequent man, however they are often fiddly. Typically they fall out. I usually want to regulate them, by chance activating gesture controls within the course of. After they do keep in place, my ears develop drained after some time. None of that is very best throughout a recreation, when shifting my arms or just being distracted may end up in defeat.

Headphones aren’t at all times a silver bullet. I’ve tried on pairs that didn’t match comfortably on my head regardless of how I adjusted the band. I totally settle for that my head could also be the issue right here, however the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X caters to my skull completely nicely. This is because of a stretchy band that rests towards the highest of my head moderately than the scarf itself.

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This doesn’t distinguish the Nova 3X from different headphones from SteelSeries, however it does set SteelSeries aside for these of you questioning if you happen to’re able to make a leap out of your typical JBL, JLab, or price range Sony headphones from Greatest Purchase. It’s additionally a design distinct from the comparably priced Razer BlackShark V3 gaming headset.

That consolation is aided by how little these headphones weigh. At 260g, it’s straightforward to put on them all through a workday, for when these headphones have to do double-duty for skilled use. That is additionally 10g lighter than the aforementioned Razer headset.

Battery life hasn’t been a difficulty for me, because it not often is on Bluetooth gadgets providing over 30 hours of battery life. SteelSeries claims as much as 40 hours per cost. That’s considerably lower than the 70 hours Razer’s headset guarantees, but when I’m being sincere, I am not going to ding the Arctis Nova 3X for that. I’m admittedly not the sweatiest gamer, however I additionally put on these for hours whereas I’m writing, and the low battery indicator is rare sufficient that I can hardly keep in mind what it appears like. That is particularly the case when simply quarter-hour of charging is sufficient to make it by means of one other total workday.

So How About These 200 Presets?

Assist for over 200 video games appears like rather a lot, till you understand simply what number of video games there are on the planet. Understandably, the offered presets skew towards widespread AAA titles and cross-platform multiplayer video games. I hardly play both kind of recreation.

Most of my assortment consists of indie titles, and few of these make the record (none of mine have been included). As a current Change 2 gamer, I used to be happy to see a few titles on my chosen platform. Mario Kart World made an look. Way more surprisingly, so did Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

You’ll be able to browse the supported video games and alter your chosen preset throughout the Arctis companion app. Is it definitely worth the effort? Not for me. I can’t inform you I hear a lot of a distinction, and I believe the default “Flat” preset sounds nice as it’s. Dive into the record if you would like, however I believe most players will likely be nice with the out-of-the-box expertise.

Simply Change Between Platforms

The headset helps each Bluetooth and a 2.4 GHz connection. You’ll be able to simply change between the 2 with only a faucet of the ability button. The sunshine across the button goes blue when in Bluetooth mode and inexperienced when in 2.4Ghz mode.

An included adapter permits you to use 2.4GHz mode together with your platform of selection. With out the adapter, the receiver plugs right into a USB-C port. With the adapter, it might probably plug into a conventional USB-A.

2.4GHz permits for a reference to much less latency, however it’s additionally a quick method to change between a number of gadgets with out having to dive into Bluetooth settings. You’ll be able to hook up with your telephone by way of Bluetooth and your console by way of 2.4GHz, then change between them with a single button press.

Ought to You Purchase the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X?

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At over $100, these headphones are dear sufficient to be an funding, although they sit towards the decrease finish of the SteelSeries lineup. These ship on sound high quality, however that nearly feels secondary. They’re simply so comfy, and the tactile controls are a delight. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is simply an immensely sensible pair of headphones to personal, no matter whether or not you recreation or not.