SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P Wireless Multi-Platform Gaming Headset — Mobile App Control — 40 HR Battery — Neodymium Magnetic Drivers — 2.4GHz/Bluetooth — PS5, PS4, PC, Switch, Mobile — Black

Wow.
CONTEXTI used to have an audio interface, a dedicated XLR mic, and studio grade headphones; audio quality and clarity was something I was hyper fixated on and I wanted the best price to performance ratio.When I finally got tired of all the wires and complexity, I downgraded to a dac/amp combo, an open back headphones, and a plug-in headset mic (V-Moda BoomPro, we’ve all been there). This setup did ~90% of what my expensive setup could do, with only one wire from my headphones to be managed. I stuck with this setup for years.I finally became annoyed with the single wire after accidentally sending it flying off my desk when I went to stand up. I knew that my current setup was THE BEST sounding in terms of both audio and microphone quality, but that one wire was irritating me. I searched far and wide for the best sounding wireless gaming headset. I thought of the HS80 from Corsair, but the battery life was abysmal and it was heavy. I had the Corsair Virtuoso, but it was uncomfortable even after aftermarket ear cushions. This Steelseries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless had just released and I decided to give it a go.REVIEWVideo reviews online boasted about comfort and battery life, which was my biggest two points.With a 40 hour battery life, I was skeptical, but it has lived up to its claim for me. I use my headphones mostly over the weekends and have long gaming sessions during these times (5+ hours). Battery has held up well. Throughout the week, it will barely go down in percentage. Charging is with a USB-C. I usually plug it in for a couple hours, when I do need to charge, and it’s good to go for another long session.Comfort has been wonderful. I’ve got a big head and these felt great. Clamping force was pretty soft, but secure. The ear cushions are also the same as the older versions of these headphones, so you can buy any third party ear cushions (cough Wicked Cushions cough) and tweak the feel of them easily if you prefer a certain material type.2nd point on comfort: THESE ARE LIGHTWEIGHT! That’s it. I was pretty impressed with how light they are. Some would say that’s a knock to quality, but I’m enjoying them as my two biggest needs are battery life and comfort.Connectivity has been solid. Switching from my iPhone to my computer at a touch of a button on the side of the headset switches it from Bluetooth to 2.4 (dongle). I don’t think I’d wear these outside, as I’m more of an AirPods guy for portability and travel, but it’s nice to walk around the house and still be in a call using these. The range on the dongle is a good distance, but nothing crazy; don’t expect to go across the house and still be connected, but it’ll stay connected a room over. If you DO end up getting too far from your PC and your Discord call gets choppy… hit that side button on the headset and continue the call on your phone.Microphone quality is great and detachable. Coming from me, a dude who was so fixated on getting great microphone quality, I am so pleased with how my voice sounds with this microphone. Is it the best out there? No. Taking into consideration that this IS a wireless headset, is it the best out there at this price point? Arguably so. I purchased this for $109.99.Side of the headset has the power button that doubles as the toggle for 2.4 or bluetooth. It also has a volume wheel and a microphone mute button.For what it is, I’m choosing these all day at this price.STEELSERIES APPLICATIONFor those of you who aren’t aware of this beautiful, wonderful, FREE software for both your computer and phone, please read this.MOBILE – Arctis ApplicationPC – Steelseries GG ApplicationI CANNOT RECOMMEND USING THEIR SOFTWARE ENOUGH! THE PC SOFTWARE WILL WORK WITH ANY DEVICE, IT IS NOT JUST FOR STEELSERIES DEVICES!You’re able to EQ your sound AND adjust your own microphone’s sound signature. It also has its own noise canceling, noise gate, and compressor for the microphone. It’s like Logitech’s Blue software and NVIDIA’s Broadcast Application in one for audio.You’re also able to mix audio and allow for separate channels. In this regard, it’s also like VB-Audio VoiceMeeter.And yes, if you didn’t read it the first time, the software is FREE. FOREVER.TLDR- Great battery life- Great comfort- Great audio- Great microphone- Great aftermarket ear cushion support- Affordable price- Amazing software- Wireless 2.4 G and Bluetooth, but not simultaneous

great starter headset for casual gaming
love the color and sound quality for casual gaming. not sure if this would be good for competitive players but there are options in the steelseries app to optimize the settings for certain gaming.connects pretty quickly and automatically via bluetooth.i accidentally hit the mute button often and i wish it made a different sound for mute/unmute. the microphone is fine, it’s not very sensitive so if you speak quietly then it’s not going to pick it up. i use it without the cover and keep it half an inch from the corner of my mouth to pick up my voice. microphones on headsets are never as good as a separate device, but this is convenient so i’m fine with it. i think i would have to research more thoroughly to find an affordable mid grade (~$100-150) headset with a microphone better than this. i would only recommend this as a starter headset and it’s a pretty good price for what it is.haven’t had it long enough to comment on it’s durability, maybe i’ll update in a year-ish.

Does not work with Switch 2 out of box
Update (October 2025): So finally was able to get these to work on the switch. I had to use another app to temporarily have a virtual windows machine. Installed the SteelSeries windows app and then was able to update the headphones. After the update they do work on the switch.Leaving it a one star cause these should have worked out of the box. Once they were working tho… best gaming headphones for the money. The mic alone on them out does other headsets my friends use that cost much more than these do.Original review:This does not work with the Nintendo Switch 2. Plugging in the dongle the Switch recognizes the microphone but not output audio. This is not mentioned anywhere on their site or on this listing. These were released after the switch 2 and the product information says it works with switch. It does not work with the switch.The app is cool, not many console focused headphones allow for adjustment through an app rather than requiring to hook the headset up to a Windows computer. HOWEVER, when you try to use the app to customize the EQ there is a pop-up that says you have to do it on a computer. Okay, that is a bummer, but they have a MAC version of their software, great.Downloaded the MAC version of the software and it has tabs to see what’s on sale, to enter give aways, and then their “Engine” (used to modify the EQ). …The headphones won’t connect. They actually connect to my Mac, but they will not connect to the SteelSeries Engine software. Turns out while the app was created for Apple Silicon, the Engine part does not work with MACs running Apple Silicon. There’s a help article I got to from within the app that says their engineers are working on the issue. The M1 chip has been out for 4 years… FOUR Years…. no one at SteelSeries is working on this if this has been broken for 4 years.I am so disappointed. I was looking forward to using these with my switch and playstation.

They came in a nice classy packaging that would make for a nice-looking gift.The build quality seems good, they feel a little light which is a good thing for comfort but does make you wonder if they’ll be durable.It is super comfortable, light to wear, the elastic thing keeps it in place and the fabric on the cushions is perfect for long sessions.The sound quality is very good, the balance is neutral. They can be punchy and bassy depending on your equalizer settings but they’re not overly bassy.I love that the mike is detachable, I don’t always use it and it’s nice to be able to get it out of the way.Bluetooth connection was quick and easy and seamless.The 2.4 connection was seamless also, you don’t need to plug in drivers or anything, the computer just recognizes the dongle and it works instantly.The range for both is somewhat similar, you can get out of the room easily.I like the volume knob, I prefer that to buttons, it’s more intuitive to use.I also like that there’s a physical push button to mute the mike, you can know if it’s muted by touching it and seeing if it’s pushed down or not, which can be convenient.Battery life is great, I charge it once in a while when I think about plugging it and it seems to be enough.It can charge while using it, which is huge for me, as I’ve had wireless headphones that can’t be used at all if the batetry is dead and that was quite inconvenient.I haven’t used the spatial features to their full extent, but the low-latency is great when connected via 2.4It doesn’t have active noise cancelling but that isn’t really the point of this.Other than the build which can feel a bit flimsy (but again makes the headphones very comfortable) I don’t have much bad things to say about these, they’re great.

I use this headset for my PC and have no complaints. It easily pairs, the 2.4ghz mode works flawlessly and it’s so comfortable. Time will tell how its durability is.

So far so good and it’s a very good product and we are enjoying it.