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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro PC/PS5 Wired Gaming Headset Review
Just over four years ago, when SteelSeries first announced their “Pro” series of headsets, I had a negative reaction. The marketing focused on hi-res audio support, something that isn’t all that useful outside the production realm and something that no single game had shipped with at the time.
I ended up really liking the headsets when I reviewed them for all of their other non-hi-res features and qualities. They were a legitimate improvement over the standard Arctis headsets, with premium extras targeting enthusiast customers. But they also had a hinge design that has cracked over the years for several users.
Now, the landscape has changed. The original Pro headset got a budget refresh in the “Prime” model, and SteelSeries has replaced the rest of their lineup with the new “Nova” series. The Nova Pros launched first, followed by Nova updates of their cheaper models that I’ll be covering in the coming weeks (spoiler: those are really great).
I started my Nova Pro journey with the wireless Xbox version, and it was a bit of a hit-or-miss thing. The underlying hardware was no doubt excellent, but I ran into numerous small issues that I don’t usually expect in such a high priced item.
Today, after that whole preamble, I present my review of the wired Nova Pro. It no longer has the RGB lighting of its predecessor, but it has the upgraded design and speaker drivers from the Nova Wireless. It also still retains the hi-res capable DAC/Amp combo in the box, though even all these years later there are still zero games that support this feature.
I bought this headset myself out of my own pocket, and wasn’t asked by SteelSeries to write this. I don’t use affiliate links.
OVERVIEW
The Arctis Nova Pro (official site here) sells for $249.99. Just like the wireless version, it’s available in Xbox or non-Xbox varieties. Microsoft made the boneheaded decision during the Xbox One design process to require USB headsets to have special licensing purely out of greed, so that’s why you need to buy a different headset if you want to use it with Xbox consoles.
