On the other hand, the transparency mode really impressed me. In this mode, the GameBuds picked up subtle ambient sounds and piped them into my ears so effectively that I forgot I was wearing earbuds. In one instance, I didn't realize they were still near me until my voice slowed down. I could hear everyone else I was talking to very well.
ANC drains the battery faster, as does using Bluetooth. SteelSeries claims that the GameBuds will get up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge, with the charging case increasing that duration to 40 hours. In my testing, the earbuds lasted a little more than 10 hours with mixed ANC use, but I rarely needed to use them for more than 10 hours. Between turning on the charging case and turning on the case a wireless charger At night, I never got a “low battery” warning.
Made for gaming
The 2.4-GHz dongle isn't the only thing that makes the Arctis GameBuds ideal for gaming. SteelSeries has put a tremendous amount of development behind this arctic appWith nearly 200 game-specific profiles designed to highlight the sounds you want to hear in each game.
I tried it in my competitive game, overwatch 2With this profile, the more bassy notes were somewhat muted. Meanwhile, high-pitched sounds — like, say, the sound of Tracer's footsteps — stuck out much more than my normal headsets. I won't claim that the GameBuds gave me superpowers, but the subtle footsteps of a Flanker behind me now sounded like lightning striking next to me.
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Sometimes it was almost too much. I found myself playing at a lower volume than I usually do, so that the harsher sounds weren't as jarring. Still, like the games overwatch 2 Rely heavily on sound cues to know what's going on around you, and seeing a Reaper lurking behind you a second earlier could be the difference between life and death.
It's hard to say how useful each of the nearly 200 profiles will be. And, it goes without saying, but a slightly more optimized audio experience won't magically make you better at whatever game you play. “I'm grateful the option exists,” he said. It sounds even better when care is taken to tailor my audio experience to a specific game.
Before trying the Arctis GameBuds, I wasn't sure there was a need for “gaming” earbuds. Now? I am more confident. The 2.4-GHz dongle, audio profiles, and impressive transparency mode helped make my gaming sessions easier and more comfortable than normally wearing a full-size headset.