SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Gaming Headset Review
The $100-ish wired gaming headset market is so incredibly crowded with decent options. It exploded in popularity after the iconic original HyperX Cloud set new standards, and dozens of companies have taken a crack at it over the years.
I don’t get that excited about $99 wired gaming headsets any more. But the Arctis Nova 3 is worth some serious hype. It’s the best example of this product tier I’ve seen in a long time. Given the industry-wide march towards wireless models — it’s probably one of the last big hurrahs for wired headsets at this price.
I bought this headset at retail with my own funds. I wasn’t asked by SteelSeries to write this.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 (official site here) replaces the old Arctis 5 model from 2017. It has a built-in DAC/amp and RGB lighting on the ear cups. Instead of an analog connection with a separate control dial, the Arctis Nova 3 uses a direct USB-C connection system. It connects digitally to a USB port on PC, Switch, or PlayStation 4/5. If you want to use an analog connection for Xbox or you just want to bypass the DAC, SteelSeries also includes a USB-C to 3.5mm cable in the box.
