As the humble co-founder of this site, I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home as I network with our team of writers, putting together our next amazing review or viral article. Anyone who has ever worked from home will agree that it’s not like being on vacation – you’re always on. There are benefits, though: in addition to being able to eat questionable food without judgement and take client calls while wearing my boxer shorts, when I’m on a break, I get to blow off steam by playing video games.
When you’re a founder of one of the world’s most popular websites, however, there is no true break, so I constantly find myself on business calls during my downtime. If I’m wearing a gaming headset when a call comes in, I risk missing it entirely.
That’s why I was excited when I heard that SteelSeries was adding a new product to its Arctis line of headsets: the Arctis 3 Bluetooth model. This marks the first time that Arctis has ever built Bluetooth functionality into one of their wired headsets. Even better – it features simultaneous audio that allows users to get the most out of their gaming through the 3.5 mm cable while chatting, taking phone calls, or enjoying music via the Bluetooth connection.
The idea of taking calls while still being able to hear the in-game explosions and rat-a-tat of machine guns intrigued me. I had to give it a try.
You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression
I had high hopes while unboxing my Arctis 3 Bluetooth headset. Sure; the functionality sounded cool, but would they look clunky? Would they actually be comfortable to wear for long periods of time?
The Arctis headset, upon first glance, was sleek. They come in all black and are unexpectedly light for a larger over-the-ear headset. The ear cups are soft and the top band is flexible and very easily adjusted. What’s more, I found that the Arctis features a retractable microphone that also flexes and adjusts for ease of use. Nice!
The ear cups feature a mute button, volume rocker, and a Bluetooth connection button that are easy to access. They also feature ports for the 3.5mm cable and the charger. Speaking of charging, the battery on this set last a whopping 28 hours. I confirmed this by sucking every last bit of juice out of them over several days.
My Verdict
Overall, I find the Arctis 3 Bluetooth headset to be a very solid choice for the price. The noise-canceling microphone works wonderfully; no one has ever had difficulty hearing me. The audio is all-around great. It’s clear that the Arctis was built for gaming rather than music, but the bass and highs are decent. I like that they didn’t go 100% Bluetooth with this set. In addition to allowing for simultaneous phone conversations and gaming, the wired connection also helps prevent annoying delays in game sound.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an army to defeat, an important call to take – as well as a roll of raw cookie dough that has my name on it.
Do these get sweaty at all? I have a pair of Sony gaming headphones that have sort of corroded from my sweat and are super scratchy now. Looking for a new pair.
Not that I’ve noticed, not even in VR. Granted, I don’t sweat a lot.