If you’re serious about your gaming, then a proper gaming headset is a great shout. They don’t just immerse you in your favourite games either. In fact, they can actually help you to play better too. With higher audio quality than built-in TV speakers, you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly where that gunfire’s coming from and take out your enemies before they even know you’re there.
So, we’ve had a look at one of the best available at the moment – the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 – to see what makes it tick. And from what we’ve seen (and heard) so far, we’re pretty impressed.
Immersive audio: 100+ game presets & neodymium drivers
When you get the Arctis Nova 5, it’s kind of like having your own personal sound engineer. There are over 100 game audio presets to pick from that have been specially designed by developers and esports pros. What are they for though? Well, some are there purely to make you feel more immersed. While others are made to give you an edge in combat.
By enhancing footstep sounds, your foes won’t ever get the drop on you again. Or, if you bump up the noise of someone planting explosives on your base, you’ll always know where and when you’re under attack. All in all, it’ll give you a big audio advantage.
Make sure you download the Arctis companion app for your phone as well. Then you’ll be able to swap to any of these audio presets without quitting the game and ruining your flow.
All of that audio goodness is delivered by a set of neodymium magnetic drivers. And these make everything way more realistic. Distant explosions and tanks rumbling by are punchy and full of deep bass. While that rousing speech from a general pre-battle is crystal clear, with pinpoint mids and crisp highs that means you’ll hear every word.
Crystal clear communication with a ClearCast 2.X mic
Talking to your teammates is key if you want to dominate the multiplayer battlefields. And that’s where the ClearCast 2.X mic comes into play. With 2X the clarity of their previous models, no one will miss a single order, making it even easier to pull off that flanking manoeuvre.
The squad won’t struggle to hear you either – even when your housemate’s practicing the violin next door or doing a spot of hoovering. That’s all down to the super effective ClearCast AI Noise Cancellation tech, which keeps your voice front and centre while blocking out any racket. SteelSeries have even tested this against the sound of jet planes. And it doesn’t get much louder than that!
When you’re kicking back later on with that single player campaign (and don’t need the mic for now), it won’t get in the way. It’s fully retractable, and tucks snugly into the headset whenever you’re not using it. Neat.
Play longer with a huge battery life and fast charging
You can squeeze a lot of gaming into a week. And with a 60-hour battery life here, you’re pretty much covered for every session and then some before you need to think about grabbing the charger.
And when you do need a quick top up, you won’t have to wait long to dive back into the fight. Charge your cans for just 15 minutes and you’ll get 6 hours of use out of them. Pretty impressive, right?
Seamless multi-platform connectivity with USB-C wireless
Play on a bunch of different consoles? Well, you won’t need a special headset for each one. With a small USB-C dongle, you can quickly hook the headset up to your PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest, phone, tablet and all manner of other handhelds. It’s ideal when you want to swap from your lounge setup to gaming on the go without skimping out on your audio quality.
Onboard controls and instant device switching
If the sounds of that space battle are getting a bit much, it’s easy to quieten things down. You’ve got a few on-ear controls that let you adjust the volume without digging through a bunch of settings. So, you won’t have to pause the action to sort out your sound, and risk getting shot down while you do it.
And let’s say your mate gives you a call in the middle of a mission. Usually, you’d need to grab your phone and take the headset off. But here, you can quickly swap to Bluetooth 5.3 with a press of a button and have a natter while you finish of your objectives. When you’re done, hit the same button and swap back to your in-game audio – all without missing a beat.
Memory foam ear cups and lightweight design
A good gaming sesh can easily last a few hours. Or if you’re anything like us, from the afternoon and long into the night. So, you want to make sure your headset is nice and comfy.
SteelSeries have made sure the Arctis Nova 5 is as lightweight as possible. Meaning that even after you’ve dumped a whole day into levelling up your character, you won’t feel like you need a neck and shoulder massage to recover. Throw in the memory foam ear cups that sit snugly on your ears, and you’ve got yourself one seriously comfortable headset.
You’ve got the new headset. How about some new games to go with it? Head over to our upcoming games page for all the latest info on the biggest adventures hitting consoles this year. We might even have a few discount codes there for you as well…
