SteelSeries is well known not only for its fantastic variety of gaming peripherals and accessories but also for its consistent quality. From the Arctis Nova Pro to the Arctis Nova 5 and even the Arctis Nova 1, it’s safe to say their newer headsets have all been winners in their own right.
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds present an interesting alternative to an ever-expanding market; how can they achieve fantastic sound and premium features like ANC, in a package made for gamers? Thankfully, the Arctis GameBuds go one step beyond, ticking all the boxes that merge everyday listening and gaming, for one of the best options in their class.
Design
As far as their design goes, the Arctis GameBuds play things relatively safe. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however, as they’re getting more than a few things right. For one, I’m not a fan of earbuds and tend to veer towards over-ear options for both gaming and everyday listening, simply because of how comfortable they feel. That being said, the GameBuds are surprisingly comfortable.
Availabvle in both black and white, they feature a push and twist design that requires you to not only push them into your ears but twist them, as they turn deeper into the ear canal for a snug fit. The issue I have with earbuds in general is that they tend to fall out or become dislodged depending on what I’m doing. You’ll even find small, medium and large-sized silicone tips to choose from, should they feel a little better in the ears.
While what I just described might sound incredibly invasive, these buds lock in quite well and continue to sit well even during longer sessions. I must admit, I haven’t tried these during a full-blown workout, but given their AquaBarrier IP55 rating along with dust and splash protection, I think these will fare just fine in most situations.
The package itself is somewhat compact, even if newer earbuds like AirPods for example, are cramming things into much smaller charging cases. Even so, the GameBuds are fitting in a 2.4 GHz USB-C dongle within the case, so I’ll give it a pass. A small gripe I do have with the charging case, however, is that the lid doesn’t feel that sturdy and doesn’t take much force to close. On more than a few occasions, the lid would fall and shut with only the lightest movement, before I could even get the buds out.
The earbuds themselves also include outer buttons, on both the left and right earbuds. The instructions do admittedly make it seem like these are touch controls, but it’s worth noting here they are physical buttons that you have to push.
You can tap and hold either the left or right earbud buttons to increase or decrease volume, while the left tap will cycle through ANC modes, the right tap will answer an incoming call while tapping twice to end a call. It’s all relatively intuitive, but I appreciate the amount you can do on the fly without needing to pick up a device.
Roudning out the package, you’ll find a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and a USB-C to USB-C adapter, should, you want to plug this into a device without a USB-C port.
Overall, their snug fit, IP55 rating and interchangeable tips make a solid case for various uses, both outside and in. While I wish the charging case was a little smaller, the included 2.4 GHz USB-C dongle certainly makes a difference to the entire package, so it’s not for nothing.
Sound & Functionality
Don’t let the size of these things fool you; they sound great. The slight lack of bass is understandable, given the naturally smaller driver size, but the 360-degree spatial audio more than makes up for that. There’s an incredibly wide sound stage to experience, which will boost the gaming immersion. And I’m just talking about the experience as it is, right out of the box.
There are over 100 game audio presets ready to choose from via the Arctis companion app, and they’re all pretty much based on current individual titles, all of which have been fine-tuned with that experience in mind. Alan Wake 2? Check. Black Myth: Wu Kong? Check. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Surprisingly, check.
While these EQ settings generally adjust the levels of certain audio layers in the experience, there are still a crazy amount of options to choose from. While Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 isn’t on this list, I chose the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III EQ setting as the closest alternative and immediately noticed the boost in certain audio cues like explosions and footsteps, so it’s certainly worth checking out.
The Arctis GameBuds also include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and while it’s not the best ANC I’ve come across, it’s better than a fair few earbuds I’ve tested in the past. While this is still quite a premium feature for gaming-focused headphones and earbuds, it’s an incredibly welcome addition. I feel like this is better suited to the user and their specific environment, and might even play a more pivotal role when outside the house as opposed to gaming.
There’s also a transparency mode that lets sound in, and I think this is just as impressive. If you’re gaming, but still need to be aware of certain sounds around you, it’s a much more efficient way to get a quality audio experience without intentionally blocking out everyone around you. If you have infant children for example, and need to listen out for late-night wake-ups, it’s a great addition.
The microphone on the GameBuds is certainly serviceable, but I wouldn’t say it’s fantastic. It picks up everything relatively well but fails to block out any background noises, which can make things sound a little muddy depending on your environment.
The GameBuds also allow for both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and you only ever need to tap the right earbud three times to switch between the two, which works incredibly well.
I love how the included 2.4 GHz USB-C adapter is “L” shaped this time around, as opposed to the 2.4 GHz USB-C adapter of the ArctrisNova 5, which sat in the middle and essentially blocked the USB-A port on my PlayStation 5. Now, PS5 users can plug this into that front USB-C port and also charge the controller from that USB-A port above.
Battery life is also great on these things, clocking in at 10 hours from the earbuds themselves, and 30 hours from the charging case. It falls in line with certain earbuds within this price range, but with USB-C charging, these will never be out of action for long. A 15-minute charge can give you up to 3 hours of battery, and these things are also Qi-charging compatible should you have a wireless charger.
Software
The SteelSeries Arctis companion app returns, and while there’s not much to say about it, I do appreciate what it brings to the experience. It’s incredibly easy to navigate and fits everything onto a single page.
Here, you can choose EQ presets, change between 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connections, adjust microphone sensitivity, switch between ANC and transparency modes and even adjust their effectiveness. There’s not a whole lot you can’t do on the earbuds themselves, but if you wish to finetune things for whatever reason, you’ll at least be able to jump on the app.
I will also mention here, that the Arctis Gamebuds provide full Sonar software support via the desktop app on PC, which will let you fine-tune certain EQ settings even further.
Verdict & Value
Overall, the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are a fantastic alternative if traditional over-ear headsets don’t do it for you. Through their comfortable fit, solid audio quality, ANC and multiple ways to connect, these earbuds are some of the best all-rounders you can find, with gaming in mind.
While the charging case is a little large and the microphone quality rather average, I just don’t think they detract all that much from the incredible value these earbuds provide.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Excellent sound quality; Decent ANC and transparency modes; Over 100 EQ presets to choose from; Decent battery life and versatility
Lowlights: The charging case is a little large and flimsy
Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Price: A$359
Available: Now
Review based on unit supplied by SteelSeries.
