SteelSeries Arctis Prime Review: A Comfy and Affordable Gaming Headset

The SteelSeries Arctis Professional is the holy grail of gaming headsets. It feels tremendous comfortable in your head, even whenever you’re neck-deep in alien blood throughout a raid in Future 2, and it renders audio with such readability that it transforms any gaming expertise by drawing you proper into the motion. Sadly, it prices $250. That’s why I used to be so stoked once I obtained my fingers on the Arctis Prime. For simply $100, it has the design chops of its costlier cousin, plus audio drivers that compete with extra luxurious headsets. 

The Prime arrived throughout the throes of an unprecedented and apocalyptic warmth wave that struck the Pacific Northwest. Like everybody west of the Cascades, I reside in a cabin within the woods with a closet stuffed with flannels and denims, and a larder stuffed with triple IPAs and craft espresso. We’re not a folks ready for triple-digit climate. Sweating, I put the headset on my espresso desk and regarded it as if it have been a snake, coiled, venomous, and poised to strike me useless. The concept of placing something on my head when it was so scorching outdoors felt like sure loss of life. 

However I did it. For the sake of testing, I sacrificed myself. Seems it wasn’t that dangerous, and that wasn’t the primary shock the Arctis Prime had in retailer.

Comfortable, Cool, and Clear

I’m a stickler for ear cups, the little padded half on headphones and headsets. If the feel is bizarre, it ruins the vibe. In the event that they’re too heat, I’m out. In the event that they get soggy and sweaty, mega go. My favorites are those on Apple’s AirPods Max. You recognize, that $550 sculpture of aluminum and mesh. They’re breathable however plush, squishy however sound-isolating. The Arctis Prime’s ear cups are very totally different however surprisingly comparable. 

They’re leatherette—a soft-touch fake leather-based with a foam inside—not material, however they really feel as light-weight and plush. I had them on for hours at a time earlier than they obtained sweaty and sticky, even on a swelteringly day. That’s spectacular. Often, ear cups are the primary downgrade when corporations attempt to make a less expensive model of flagship headsets. However the Prime feels nearly as comfy and light-weight as an ultra-luxe pair. In reality, evaluating the Arctis Prime to the Arctis Professional, they’re remarkably comparable. The construct high quality is unimaginable, and it doesn’t seem that SteelSeries minimize any important corners.

The one factor I don’t like in regards to the ear cups on the Arctis Prime is how they’re not simply detachable. You possibly can form of peel them off the headset, however they’re actually exhausting to place again on. Taking them off looks like they’re about to tear, which doesn’t encourage confidence. It is a good suggestion to wash out ear cups now and again, but in addition, they’re the a part of a headset that wears out essentially the most over time, and having the ability to replace them means you’ll be able to prolong the lifetime of your headset. 

Probably the most well-known options of SteelSeries headsets is the ski-goggle headband. It’s a stretchy piece of elastic material threaded by a sturdy metallic band and secured with velcro. It retains the headset in place and makes it straightforward to regulate, irrespective of how large (or small) your head is. The headscarf on the Arctis Prime feels prefer it comes from a way more costly pair of headphones. There’s even a delicate rubbery pad on the underside of the band for further padding.