It’s taken a minute, but there are finally a handful of earbud options specifically for gamers, and I couldn’t be happier about this. While there are a million and one earbud designs to choose from overall, ones that specifically take aim at the gaming crowd are far less plentiful (unlike gaming headsets). One more that’s just been added to the pile comes from SteelSeries with its new Arctis GameBuds, which also happens to be its first-ever earbuds.
I’ve been using Razer’s competing Hammerhead Pro Hyperspeed earbuds ever since I reviewed a little over a year ago. What makes them and others like them, including the new Arctis GameBuds, unique is a faster, lower-latency 2.4GHz connection option by way of a bundled USB-C dongle that you plug into your PC. While Bluetooth is convenient, it’s not the best wireless technology for gaming.
The Arctis GameBuds join a small but growing army of earbuds that offer a high-speed 2.4GHz connection to PC and console, in addition to Bluetooth (version 5.3, in this case). That gives it added versatility, with support for mobile devices, gaming handhelds, desktop and laptop gaming PCs, and both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. That said, if you’re a console gamer, you’ll have to choose which version you want—PS5 or Xbox, as the latter requires a different dongle.
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Bring ANC And 360 Audio To PS5, Xbox And PC Gamers
