SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds for PlayStation/PC/Switch/Mobile — Quick-Switch 2.4GHz + Bluetooth 5.3 — Active Noise Cancelling — 100+ Game Audio Presets — 40H Battery with Qi Charging Case - White

I picked up these earbuds because I was looking for a portable wireless gaming headset solution that would retain the full quality audio quality while being in a voice chat or Discord call. These earbuds totally hit that mark. I normally use bluetooth headphones that while sounding good when playing something solo, if I get into a call or play a game where the mic is active, the sound quality of any bluetooth headphones goes way down to being almost un-usable. With these earbuds, you can play a game and hear your buddies without a compromise to sound quality! From my experience, they are decently comfortable. I'm not a fan of in-ear, earbuds like these. I can generally wear them for about 2-3 hours before I need a break. I prefer the comfort of Airpods Pro/Bose QC Ultra/AirpodsGen3s much better to these. Even with the smallest tips, I get some fatigue in my ear canals. With that being said, the ANC is pretty low. It might be adding a little bit of cancelation, but you're likely to get the same cancelation because these block your ear canals. Nothing close to Bose or Apple's ANC. The transparency mode is decent. My main annoyance with transparency on these is they have a constant hiss. Seems like you are outside with a constant low breeze in your ears. You can kind of place things in the room, but its no where near Apples transparency mode. I would give it a functional rating. You can carry on a conversation without having to pull out a bud. With Apple's AirPod Pros however, I feel that there is no loss of hearing. Those feel like you don't have anything blocking your ears. Good to have, but not up to par with premium bluetooth headphone offerings if you were hoping to replace those. Now for call quality. The mics are definitely really good for sitting at your desk. People usually say that I sound better than my built-in laptop mic. But not better than my Yeti mic. These aren't super good when you are moving around. Once you start moving around they seem to block out your voice or make you sound far away as you move your head. That being said, because you are using a dongle, these offere a really low latency signal, with minimal quality loss. This I would say are the biggest strength of these earbuds. Now for the subject of audio quality. When playing games, the audio quality is pretty good. I was able to place enemy movement around me when playing Hell Divers 2. I also did enjoy the cinematic feel of Final Fantasy 16. The audio quality for music I would say is decent. Its definitely not as good as my Bose QC Ultras. One song I used for direct comparison, was Persona 5's Beneath The Mask (Rain Edition). With the Bose headphone, I was able to pick up the strumming of the guitar, and place each instrument as it game into the song in the room. Each strum I felt I was able to make out the picking of each chord from the guitar. With the Steelseries buds, it seems that as more instruments came into the song, I lost quality of any instrument that was already playing in the track. The little details became harder to discern and the overall sound while not bad, became more muddied out. If you don't listen to music nearly that closely, you probably will find these great with Punchy preset. But for me it was definitely a big hit to quality in comparison to my current daily driver headphones. For me these were purchased to serve one purpose. To have a set of gaming headphones that kept higher quality game sound while being on a call. I am very happy with the functionality that these bring for that. I suspect that if you don't have any headphone you use on the daily, you can probably pick these up and be happy. They are definitely a really versatile set of earbuds that specialize in Gaming. TL:DR If you already have some Sony/Apple/Bose headphone you use regularly, these are not going to be a great replacement for those. The strength is solely a gaming headset. If you don't have those type of headphones, or are looking for only gaming headphones, you won't be disappointed with this set.

All around high quality earbuds. My only real gripes are that the case leaves some things to be desired like a hinge mechanism that opens wider and feels less flimsy, and a better magnet. Sound quality, latency, and battery of the earbuds in 2.4Hz and Bluetooth are great, but you are sacrificing audio quality for convenience at a sub $200 price point. I did not test noise cancelling as I personally don't like the resulting drop in overall quality of the listening experience, and my environments never get very loud anyway. Lastly, I'm not really sure how I feel about the physical buttons on the buds rather than touch sensitive alternatives. It could potentially earn 5 stars depending on my long term impressions later on.

Extremely happy. I bought these for work, actually, and do not use them for gaming. There aren't many 2.4G options in ear buds, and these are certainly the best for my situation - though it may not be yours. I'll explain. I previously used Sony Linkbuds because they are open ear earbuds (maybe the only ones on the market). I appreciate being able to hear my colleagues around me so that we can work or people can get my attention. These Arctis buds retain that transparency even being closed-ear. In fact, the Arctis Gamebuds solve a lot of complaints I had about the Sony Linkbuds - namely battery life and audio delay. In 2.4G mode, delay is an invisible 2ms or so, and the stream appears to be uncompressed at the device's sampling rate of 16bit 48000. The flat sound profile is also exactly what I need for the small amount of basic audio editing I do, and the speaker quality is more than good enough as a middle ground between my desktop monitors and my high-profile headphones. As a work headphone, you do have to install the desktop or mobile app, either one, to set the buttons on the gamebuds up for media consumption, but you can then uninstall the app and the buds will remember the settings. By default, the buds are set up for mic control and noise cancelling, but I swapped the single tap controls to pause and advance media. I'm especially pleased that you can double-tap-and-hold to change volume, which is something most buds don't offer. They're also comfortable enough for a full day of work. Try the small caps they provide, as I was surprised how well they fit. Negatives: ANC is nearly useless on these, like all earbuds, but I don't care because I don't use it (and I want the open-ear transparency as much as I can get, without using the bud's own "transparency" mode with relays outside sound through the buds). You will also note that bluetooth only supports SBC, so while most people will be happy with that an audiophile will very much notice the huge hit of compression artefacting when using bluetooth instead of 2.4G. The 2.4G radio is also not particularly strong, which is common of this technology, so be sure you have a mostly clear line of sight or few metal obstructions. Pairing time on 2.4G is also extremely dependent on that clear line of sight. You may also want to turn off the "auto shutdown" feature on these in an office environment, as you cannot wake the buds without placing them back in their case first.

The left earbud never turned on out of the box. Eventually I managed to get an update to make it work after using them for only a week. Gun shots in games started making a strong pop noise that would hurt my ears and randomly it broke and started screeching the broken tv noise. I loved the concept but almost got ear damage from these. Very disappointing.

I was looking for an earbuds that I can also use for gaming. My 1st choice was the Sony top of the line buds; however, it lacks versatility. My next choice was the JBL; however, I'm not very familiar with the brand and when I saw the news on SteelSeries releasing an ear bus for gaming, I know it should be the one. I had to build up the patience since the release is still a few months away and the delivery also took a few weeks but it was all worth it. Comfort: light on ears and really fits nice, you won't ever feel it will fall off. Sometimes you won't even feel that it's there. Sound and Connection: BT connection is good. With the addition of equalizer you can enjoy music more based on your taste. 2.4 connection is great, I never had any disconnects and when I use it for voice chat in PS5 while playing Throne and Liberty, there is no lag and my friends can hear me clearly. You also have the options of Transparency, ANC and no controls which is very useful on different uses. i usually just wear 1 buds when outside to make sure I still hear my surroundings and transparency help on those instances. ANC is good as well, there was a construction outside our office and you can hear the tractors banging and this mode helped my reduce those noises; however, I had to be more aware since I also can't hear my colleagues at times. LOL Build: I can say that it is premium. The design and materials used are so good, it doesn't even look awkward when you're wearing it. Not like other earbuds that looks like a tumor on your ear that will fall off any time; however; it would be great if they can reduce the size and make it more compact and square or cylindrical more? So it won't look as bulky in my pants. Battery: Good, maybe it is because of the added features but it is enough for my daily use of music and gaming. I get around 8 hours more or less depending on the features I use (ANC/Transparency/None) Overall, it was worth the price and wait. It is one of the beds buds I've used and will likely be my main go to when gaming. Cheers Steelseries! Great Job on this one!

I'm a fan of the sound, and of the fuctions of the buttons on the earbuds, but not even 3 months after purchase the right earbud is constantly giving me issues with either connecting while the case is closed (even though I've set it in place securely, closed the case, verified it has started charging and disconnected from my phone and the dongle, and then not moved it since closing it) or running the battery down rapidly (I'm talking watching the percentage drop multiple times over the span of a single minute on the steelseries gg app) and a factory reset has not helped. I've had less issues with significantly less expensive pairs of earbuds.

I purchased this to replace a normal overear steelseries headset. It is nice having the option to have one ear in and one out. After using them for a month or so, I can report the good and bad. The Good they are light and they fit nice in the ear. This will differ for each person, of course. The software is nice being incorporated with the GG app. It works well with your phone and PC at the same time. The battery lasts a long time in the earphones. The bad and why three stars not five. The earphones can become disconnected from the case, and there is no easy route to repair them. I had to look up a video to figure it out. The dongle sometimes will become disconnected with the computer, almost like the USB-C end isn't long enough or is not making a good connection. This will make it so the headphones disconnect from the device.

If You're Looking For High-Performance Wireless Earbuds That Seamlessly Blend Elite Gaming Functionality With Everyday Convenience, Look No Further Than The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds. Whether You're Gaming On Your PlayStation, PC, Nintendo Switch, Or Mobile Phone, These Buds Deliver Exceptional Audio With Zero Lag And Premium Comfort. After Daily Use Across Platforms, Here's My Full Review: --- Pros Lag-Free QuickSwitch Technology – Easily Toggle Between 2.4GHz Wireless And Bluetooth 5.3 In A Split Second. Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) – Truly Impressive For Earbuds—Blocks Out Background Distractions While Gaming Or Commuting. Massive Battery Life – Up To 40 Hours Of Total Use With The Charging Case (Qi Wireless Charging Compatible). Over 100+ Game Audio Presets – Optimized Sound Profiles That Bring Games Like Call Of Duty, Fortnite, Or Elden Ring To Life. Compact & Durable Carry Case – Portable And Sturdy, Great For On-The-Go. Low-Latency Audio – A Huge Plus For Competitive Gaming Sessions. --- Cons No On-Ear Volume Control – Volume Must Be Adjusted Via Your Device. Not Ideal For Intense Workouts – While Secure, These Aren’t Sports-Specific Earbuds. Premium Price – Worth Every Dollar, But Not The Cheapest Option If You're Only Using Them For Casual Listening. --- Useful Features Quick-Switch Dongle – Plug-And-Play USB-C Dongle Included, Allowing Near-Instant Connection To Gaming Consoles Or PC. Bluetooth 5.3 Support – Offers Wider Range, Faster Pairing, And Improved Battery Efficiency. Customizable EQ Settings Via Companion App Qi Wireless Charging Case – Drop It On Any Wireless Charger—No Cables Needed. Integrated Microphones – Crystal-Clear Voice Chat, Great For Discord Or Multiplayer Lobbies. Compact Form Factor – Sleek White Aesthetic, Fits Securely In The Ear For Long Sessions. --- Why These Should Be Your Everyday Earbuds These Aren’t Just “Gaming Earbuds”—They’re Your All-Day, Every-Scenario Solution: At Home: Game Lag-Free, Stream Movies, Or Take Zoom Calls. At Work: ANC Helps You Focus, And The Mic Handles Calls Cleanly. On The Go: QuickSwitch From Bluetooth To Console Means No Pairing Headaches. In Transit: Lightweight With Long Battery Life—You Can Use Them All Day Without Running For A Charger. Bottom Line: These Are The Only Earbuds I Need, And The Only Ones I Recommend. --- Final Verdict: 9.6/10 — Highly Recommended The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Are Built For Gamers, But Designed For Life. They’ve Earned A Permanent Spot In My Gear Bag, And If You’re Someone Who Loves Gaming, Music, Or Just Great Tech, They Deserve To Be In Yours Too. Buy Them Once. Use Them Everywhere. Game Like A Pro, Live Like A Boss.