SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review: The Best Way to Listen to Your Steam Deck

I look down astatine the SteelSeries’ $160 Arctis GameBuds case, and I consciousness my look screwing into a choky shot of puzzlement. I’m not confused by the GameBuds, a elemental and—mostly—effective plan for taking good-quality gaming audio connected the go. I’m perplexed wherefore much companies don’t bash thing arsenic evident arsenic what SteelSeries has done. As in, they enactment the damn dongle wrong the buds case. If you’re looking for the champion mode to get personal, wireless audio for your Steam Deck oregon handheld, these are easy your champion option.

Bluetooth earbuds are cosmopolitan and near-ubiquitous, but—inexplicably—the low-profile buds plan hasn’t go fashionable among gamers. More specifically, gaming cogwheel brands haven’t jumped into the abstraction with arsenic overmuch gusto arsenic they person with headphones. This past year’s astir recent, notable effort was Sony’s PlayStation Pulse Earbuds, a companion to the Pulse Elite headset. While they supported PlayStation 5’s 3D audio features, they were contained successful a agelong portion for a case, not thing I would telephone portable.

Other wireless bud options like Razer’s Hammerhead Hyperspeed and Turtle Beach’s cheap Scout Air deficiency 2.4 GHz connectivity. What I truly privation from these gaming earbuds is the 2.4 Ghz connectivity and Bluetooth successful a bundle I tin instrumentality everywhere. SteelSeries enactment some the buds and dongle successful the aforesaid case. The lone different akin plan comes from Sony with the $200 InZone buds and the somewhat much pronounced dongle.

The GameBuds are the follow-up from the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Headset. Those over-ear headphones were alright for their price, but the low-profile dongle was poorly designed, and it would screen up your console’s oregon PC’s different USB-C slots. The GameBuds’ USB-C dongle is offset, meaning you tin plug 2 into a PlayStation 5 Slim’s beforehand ports. It besides means it won’t instrumentality retired the broadside of your Steam Deck similar an antennae, acceptable to interruption oregon crook if knocked the incorrect way.

Considering each that, you’re inactive getting bully audio with coagulated ANC, a beardown artillery life, and a acceptable and consciousness that marque maine keen connected swapping retired my accustomed buds for listening to euphony connected my commute. My lone existent contented was their inclination to disconnect if the buds ever jostle wrong your ear.

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review: Build Quality and Comfort

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I person regular issues with earbud comfort. I often person to effort connected aggregate sizes of silicon in-ear buds, and adjacent then, they thin to gaffe retired of my ear. The plan connected the GameBuds is the saccharine spot for me, astatine slightest connected astir occasions. I mightiness request to set 1 oregon the different if I’m walking about, but they’re peculiarly snug and—for the astir part—comfortable.

You won’t hide they’re successful your ears, but there’s nary consciousness of tightness either. The integrative is meant to beryllium flush against your ear, truthful the automatic shutoff volition enactment if you region your buds. I had occasional issues erstwhile moving wherever they would jangle successful my ears and origin them to power disconnected erstwhile I didn’t privation them to, though lone for a moment. You tin crook disconnected this mounting successful the app, but that’s a symptom if you’re utilized to akin features connected your AirPods oregon different high-end earbuds. The contented is lone erstwhile you’re moving around, truthful it shouldn’t beryllium a occupation if you’re playing a crippled sedentary.

The GamBuds besides usage carnal buttons for their controls alternatively than the capacitive ones connected different costly buds similar the Pixel Buds Pro 2. The close broadside controls your opus oregon game, portion the near lets you prime from transparency oregon ANC modes. If you triple-tap the buds, you tin power betwixt 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connected the fly. If you privation much power implicit your buds, you’ll request to usage the Arctis app. Once connected, you fiddle with the debased done precocious ANC settings oregon set the microphone’s sidetones. You can’t usage the app astatine the aforesaid clip your buds are connected done Bluetooth to different device, though you tin if you’re acceptable to 2.4 GHz mode.

SteelSeries says you should get a 40-hour artillery beingness with the GameBuds’ lawsuit oregon a small much than 10 hours for each bud. In my experience, utilizing them for gaming and euphony for a afloat week is close connected point. I didn’t complaint them for a afloat week and a half, utilizing them daily, and inactive had capable powerfulness to usage erstwhile penning this review.

The different large diagnostic of the app is the immense enactment of EQ presets. SteelSeries claims each 179 are built for circumstantial games. I couldn’t find a major, caller rubric that wasn’t there, but adjacent with the regular Flat EQ preset, I wasn’t uncomfortable successful immoderate game. Depending connected the game, it tin beryllium hard to spot the difference, though, for definite titles, the EQ quality tin beryllium significant.

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review: Sound Quality

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You don’t get an obscenely large brace of earbuds with the Arctis Gamebuds, but they bash the occupation of immersive audio erstwhile playing crossed some console and PC. I’ve utilized them crossed PC, Steam Deck, and PC and didn’t find a concern wherever the GameBuds weren’t welcome, adjacent if they won’t beryllium arsenic aggravated arsenic an over-ear headset.

I was satisfied with the bass levels connected the gamebuds, particularly for thing priced astatine $160. The treble was besides fair, but the dependable prime could beryllium connected the game. I was precise blessed with the dependable successful a crippled similar Cyberpunk, but I recovered it was conscionable just erstwhile playing Mortal Kombat 1, with oregon without each game’s abstracted EQ profiles. Then, erstwhile playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor with 3D audio connected PS5, the EQ profiles would mean the quality betwixt good audio and fantabulous directional audio, wherever the footwear of a lightsaber felt similar it was humming close adjacent to my ear.

On Steam Deck, I’ve utilized the GameBuds to play Metaphor: Refantazio connected the sofa portion my roommate finished Persona 5. There’s presently nary EQ illustration for that game, though I enjoyed it for the involvement of listening to the game’s soundtrack anyway. The ANC does a bully occupation suppressing each by the highest oregon lowest tones. I’ve taken the buds retired arsenic my day-to-day brace of earbuds, and the ANC is bully capable to artifact retired each sounds prevention for a passing subway train. It was bully capable to drown retired a bongo busker connected a bid successful motion, which is coagulated capable successful my book.

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review: Verdict

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For the involvement of simplicity, I deliberation these buds are the cleanable companion to a gaming handheld similar a Steam Deck. I’ve had issues connecting my Bluetooth earbuds to my Steam Deck and akin issues with Windows 11 handhelds similar the Asus ROG Ally X and the Lenovo Legion Go.

These are the kinds of buds you tin instrumentality with you anyplace and inactive get bully audio adjacent erstwhile you request to plug it into your PC, PS5, oregon Switch. There’s a abstracted brace for Xbox that’s besides compatible with PC, but unless you’re an Xbox mainstay I would suggest opting for the much unfastened audio device. There’s plentifulness of different prime buds retired there, immoderate for somewhat cheaper than the GameBuds. But for axenic portability, SteelSeries is my existent prime for gaming connected the go.