SteelSeries has just announced and launched its first earbuds with the Arctis GameBuds. As usual when trying them out, I carelessly disregarded everything one might expect me focus on. Instead, I solidified my opinion based on a particular and peculiar fact: these earbuds actually fit my weird little ears.
Look, there’s a lot to objectively like about the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, but the simple fact is I’ve never been an “earbuds” kind of guy, so hearing about all its features didn’t really spark joy in me, you know? But what did spark joy in me was the fact that, after getting used to the push-and-twist movement required to fit them, these things fit snug as a bug.
I long ago abandoned all hopes of owning and using earbuds because of my strangely small ears with what must be the most disastrously designed ear canals on the planet (I’ve even had a doctor comment on my narrow ear canals, so it’s not just me). They always slip out.
That’s why for the longest time I’ve used bone conduction earphones: because they sit over my ears, not in them. The Arctis GameBuds have me reconsidering this decision now, though, because like Cinderella’s slippers, these GameBuds fit my ears like a… glove?
Given I’d committed all earbuds to the flames years ago and hadn’t regularly used any for a long time, I did struggle a little to insert them properly right away. Doing so involves placing them gently into your ear and twisting slightly. Seeing me struggling and looking sheepish, a SteelSeries rep actually put them in for me at first—an experience I shall treasure—but before too long I got the hang of it.
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I sat, I stood, I even moved with these things in my ears, and not once did I feel the telltale slip and slide of a bud about to pop out.
SteelSeries says it’s designed these things using “over 62,000 ear scans” to “build the perfect design”. When I heard that I thought that’s probably the usual marketing fluff, but after having them fit snugly and confidently in my ears, I started to wonder. Maybe there’s something to all this R&D malarkey.
Of course, none of this would be the least bit relevant if the earphones themselves were rubbish, but they’re not. In my estimation, at least, they’re pretty damn great for their $160 MSRP.
The basic rundown is as follows: Two svelte earphones, 10-hour battery life, Qi fast charging in the included pod case, IP55 water resistance, 360-degree audio, ANC, transparency mode, Bluetooth 5.3 and 2.4 GHz wireless, game-specific sound profiles a la Arctis Nova 5, and cross-compatibility with all manner of devices including PC, PS5, and Xbox (if you buy the Xbox-compatible version).
These last couple of points are what seem to distinguish the Arctis GameBuds from other earbuds, because most don’t do compatibility across all consoles, and the per-game profile gubbins is unique to SteelSeries. Which isn’t to say it’s great—our Andy didn’t rate the utility of such profiles very highly in his Nova 5 review. But hey, an extra feature’s an extra feature, right? And regarding features the GameBuds do seem to have the lot, which is great at this price point.
Sound-wise I was pretty impressed when I tried them, too. After I’d gotten over the shock of the earbuds staying in my ears, I got to gaming and listening to music with them. I didn’t have too long with them so I can’t offer more than a quick impression, but I found them to offer plenty of clarity and a decent amount of bass.
I was also possibly unreasonably impressed by the mechanical switch clicks that occur when you press each ear face—none of this haptic touch malarkey, just good, solid buttons. Buttons, I might add, that I expect I’ll be pressing a lot to switch between 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth connection, which will probably be my use case: gaming via 2.4 GHz on my handheld and then switching to Bluetooth on my phone.
For at least a while, though, I’ll probably just marvel over the fit. The Arctis GameBuds really have made me reconsider my attitude towards earbuds and the possibility that my ears could be happy housing them once again.