The Fnatic React Gaming Headset is a Divergent Disappointment

Sometimes the norms are norms for a reason

Photo taken by the author.

I bought this headset with my own money. I don’t receive a kickback if you decide to buy one, and none of the links in this article are affiliate links. I wasn’t sponsored to write this, and I had full editorial control over this article.

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Fnatic, an esports organization that sometimes dabbles in computer peripheral design, launched the REACT gaming headset right at the end of 2019. They promised it would be a new take on a “back-to-basics” design, with all the things professional gamers need and nothing they don’t. The result is an awkward, muddled copy of HyperX’s popular industrial designs, with a sound tuning that’s suitable for only a narrow type of listening, and a poor level of fit and finish that had my pair show up splashed with adhesive.

The headset sells for between $55 and $75 depending on what discounts are running. In the box, you get the headset itself, a detachable boom microphone, and an extension splitter cable. Upon opening the pair I bought from Amazon, I noticed a small wet-looking spot along the side of the headband. This turned out to be some glue that was just hanging out there, taunting me.