Member-only story
SteelSeries Arctis Prime Gaming Headset Review
Do you want to pay $80 extra dollars for RGB lighting and a USB volume dongle to go with your gaming headset? SteelSeries now hopes that you do, but if you manage to avoid this pitfall within their product lineup and look a little deeper, you’ll instead get one of the best deals in gaming audio.
The Arctis Pro and I have a long history. I ranted online when it was first announced with a hi-res audio marketing focus, in spite of the fact that zero games used hi-res audio at the time. That hasn’t changed in the intervening years, either.
However, when the headset actually launched, I loved it for its breathtaking accurate sound, reasonable comfort and build, and many connectivity options. I also enjoyed the even-more-expensive wireless model, though I’ll admit it’s not targeting a very large demographic with its exorbitant price and the battery life isn’t up to industry standards.
Now, SteelSeries has released the Arctis Prime, and it blows the entire Arctis Pro lineup out of relevance. Sure, it doesn’t come with some of the bonus extras or audio processing boxes you’ll get from the more expensive models, but this is the exact same core headset selling for just over half the price of the entry-level Arctis Pro option, hi-res drivers and all.
This is one of the best-sounding headsets you can currently buy, and its new value price puts it up against many other competitors that should be worried. The older Arctis Pro lineup now seemingly only exists to wring extra profit out of consumers who think they might want some bonus features that don’t add that much over this core experience.
Note: I bought this headset myself at Best Buy. I don’t receive any kind of kick back or compensation if you decide to buy one. All of my stories are one hundred percent free of affiliate links because I don’t believe in the practice. My full monetization and reviews policy can be found right here.
