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We all know that SteelSeries has all manner of gaming peripherals – keyboards, mice, and yes, headsets. Those are all great, but not everyone likes to have a pair over over-ear headphones. Earbuds have been quite popular for years now, and fully wireless ones are almost the default when it comes to listening to stuff on your phone. Your gaming console, though, that might not play nicely with a Bluetooth setup. So, that’s where the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds come in.
SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds: what they are
On one hand, the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds are going to seem very familiar. They look like a pair of in-ear monitors that have had their wires snipped, and store in a charging case. Or, you know, your standard pair of bluetooth earbuds. But then you see the extra dongle that comes with them, and there’s more to it.
While the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds can indeed use bluetooth, the included USB-C dongle allows the bud to communicate over 2.4 GHz, which is interesting for a few reasons. For one, that’s going to give you higher-quality sound with less lag. Secondly, it’s how you can get wireless connections to your Playstation or XBox. Frankly, it floors me that they won’t allow bluetooth connections, but so be it. SteelSeries is here with your solution.
The case, as we mentioned, is a charging case for the earbuds. The earbuds themselves can get up to 10 hours of run time (likely less with ANC turned on), and then you’ve got three more charges in the case itself. When it comes time to charge the case, you can do that on your favorite qi charger, keeping everything wireless. Additionally, the case offers a storage spot for the 2.4 GHz adapter, so you don’t have to worry about misplacing it.
What else?
The SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds can handle the SteelSeries 360 audio, giving you a more immersive, spatial experience. Then of course there’s the active noise cancellation, and over a 100 audio presets that you can flip through in the mobile companion app, allowing you that perfect setup. Oh, and the bluetooth vs 2.4 GHz connection? You can switch between those with a triple-tap on the earbud. With those two modes of communication, these really can connect to anything out there, including:
- PlayStation
- Xbox (requires Arctis GameBuds™ for Xbox*)
- PC
- Switch
- Mobile
- Meta Quest
- Handheld/Cloud Gaming devices
Wrapping things up
Myself, I like over-ear headphones for longer sessions, though I do have a place for earbuds in certain scenarios. Still, though, the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds aren’t the headset I’d go for. Then again, that’s a personal preference sort of thing. If you’re all about that earbud life, we say go for it. The SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds just released yesterday for pre-order, with shipments hitting at the end of October. They’ll be running $159.99, and you can check out the details at steelseries.com
