1.
Taking over the testing responsibility for our guide to the best gaming headsets has felt a little like stepping into an already-moving car, but I wasn’t a stranger to the driver’s seat. Before the page was ever officially handed over to me, I had already made the headset my own. In March I bought the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3P, the same headset that would end up taking our top spot, and I spent my own $100 on it back before anyone called it ours. I haven’t put it down since. It’s been part of my setup for daily PC gaming, long chats with teammates, game sessions, and even just a lazy evening listening to music while tinkering with settings. So this isn’t just a product I tested once in a lab and moved to the next item on a list. It’s something I’ve used nearly every single day since March. That matters because it’s easy to praise a headset for its first hour; it’s another thing to keep coming back to day after day. Right now, and with that built up experience under my belt, there’s a pretty clean set up: three of the four color options available for this headset are currently on sale at various stores. That’s an easy thing to overlook, but colors can nudge the bottom line, especially if you didn’t care about having the “default” look in the first place. Usually the Arctis Nova 3 moves between $90 and $110. So at $90, the price is decent enough, but all of those little discount layers matter. When you can grab a less obvious color option, like the white version at a still lower price, the whole deal feels even more like a genuine bargain, not just a standard retail wiggle. After living with it for months, I’m okay saying it: I would have paid that full price and still been happy. Getting it for less—particularly in a color I actually like—makes it that much harder to resist for anyone in the market for a reliable, long-lasting wireless headset.
2
Before you get too excited, you need to make sure you understand what the Arctis Nova 3P is, and what it isn’t, on the compatibility side. That headset was designed to play gently with a lot of different devices. On the PC and most consoles, it works seamlessly in wireless mode. There’s one important quirk that trips a lot of people up, and it involves the Xbox. The Xbox version of the Arctis Nova will work with Playstation systems as well, as an excellent choice if you own both or plan to play across different friends’ homes. But the PlayStation version—the “P” in the name, really—will not work with Xbox. That’s a stale bit of platform fragmentation that still exists in the headset world, thanks to Xbox’s own wireless frequency taste. So if you’re actually an all-platform gamer, take the Xbox version, and you’ll be able to move across a PC, Xbox, and PlayStation without paying twice. The good news is that both versions are currently on sale, which means you don’t necessarily have to make a compromise based on comfort or technical quality. Choose the version according to your console collection, and you’ll still be looking at a nice discount. Also important, the Arctis Nova works not only wirelessly, but through a wired connection when you need it, like on things like computers, phones, and the Nintendo Switch. That flexibility is something I’ve rightfully come to appreciate: if a headset only works on one type of machine, that’s limiting; but a headset that can jump from gaming to a quick phone call or to a cozy bed-in front of a tiny Switch screen is a much easier recommendation. It just does what you need, when you need it.
3
I’ve tested similar number of headsets through this process, and some have certainly one of them birds in terms of sound quality or noise down trick, but I have never found one that I like more than this one in terms of whole package. There have been headsets with sharper audio, or more impressive software, but that doesn’t necessarily mean better, since overall comfort is one of those huge factors. The battery is a big reason I never reach for another pair. Practically, it lasts around 35 hours, and that sort of tells you a lot; you don’t have to worry, atmospheric jump, worry for constantly. It’s just neck easy, almost effortless. I can get weeks out of them with buzzing every day. The microphone is also clear, which is more important than people give credit for because your teammates hear your every move, and it also matters for in-game chat without annoying your voice. And the ear cups are supremely comfortable, made of a wrap that doesn’t push too hard and gives you good isolation without making your head feel like it’s been pinched. The whole design is also just light. It kind of disappears once you start playing. I have had more expensive headsets with great sound, but also heaviness that after an hour starts to make me change the position, pause and readjust. Not this one. It hits that perfect ease-related comfort quilt. It doesn’t end up with that hand-on-head fatigue after long sessions, which is a pretty decent achievement because many headsets fall short in exactly that area.
4
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing left. Since I’m a daily user, I’ve formed a small list of complaints, and my only real concern for me is that a small cover on the mic, the little pop cover, can come off too easily. In my case, I tend to shake my head during gaming—not because of my own mistakes, of course—because something happens with teammates, and the cover ends up flying off into the floor evidence. It’s probably partly my own fault for being so expressive, but it can happen to others as well. You can simply click it back on, but it’s one of those tiny details that usually no one mentions, but if you move around a ton, you might notice it. Another quirk is that switching between devices isn’t always as smooth as should be. For example, if you’re using the headset connected to your console and then want to move back to a phone or a PC, it can get a little tricky when you’re no using the USB-C dongle every time. You have to take a few extra steps, but it’s not not enough to feel like a dead end; just some steps. I’ve never actually used the app that goes with the headset, mostly because I have not needed it. But it does have some promising extras, like presets tailored to different games like Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto, which makes it a little easier for anyone who wants to bring out footsteps or other sound cues without tinkering. For someone who likes those simplified toolkits, that’s a worthwhile detail. Even with those small imperfections, I can say the positives are so much bigger that an unimportant complaint doesn’t shake my overall impression. It’s the kind of product that you judge on the daily use, not on little quirks.
5
If the main sale from just a unusually low price isn’t enough, there’s another route you can take to get an even better price. Amazon-owned Woot is currently selling the headset’s aqua color for $60, and that’s low enough to stagger you for a moment. That’s a massive amount of money for this level of harmony comfort, battery life, and wireless freedom. Woot is a trustworthy source, not a weird scam or a risky gray-market seller, so you don’t have to worry about getting a decent fake or a crushed box. However, there is a trade-off. If you buy from Woot, you only get a three-month warranty rather than standard one-year warranty offered through normal official retail channels. That’s a one obvious drop in cost, but that’s not with no strings. The 60 second is a change: if something he will probably detect the first three months, you’re still got stuck with a year warranty? No, that’s how the deal works; you’re unlocking with less coverage, so be aware of spending. For me, I might consider that $60 price. Basically, if you trust that an Arctis Nova’s build quality has been tested by us and this week after, the cheap version could be a great sleek deal. But for those who care about long-term trust and warranty peace of mind, paying the full discounted price at a regular online shop might be the smarter path. Either way, this speaks to a core value proposition: the Arctis Nova 3 already offers exceptional value at the standard price. I’ve said before, that’s not a bargain bin compromise. It’s a headset that deserves to be a daily driver.
6
The way I look at this, you have a headset that has become the measuring stick for everything else I test. It’s comfortable enough for all-day use, has a battery scale that is generally at the end, provides a crystal clear mic, and handles PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile with a choice of wireless or wired. My only complaints are the occasional vehicular mic cover and the rare for errr when switching without the USB-C dongle. The easiness of those issues is so small that doesn’t even bother me enough to call my enthusiasm. In fact, if you ask me, actually at full price this thing is still a no-brainer for a substantial dollar. If you’re in the market for a headset and you don’t want to spend hundreds, this is precisely where the sweet spot is. And when the price starts to slip, it becomes even more compelling. The sale situate right now—with three out of four colors at a low price, plus the Woot alternative for $60—might just be the easiest manner to jump in. Just remember to pick the right version for your main system. For PlayStation and PC users, the standard Nova 3P is the right place to start; for Xbox owners or anyone who wants full platform flexibility, the Xbox variant is the best pick. Because if the “wrong” version can’t be your primary you don’t want to be stuck. Ultimately, I’m not recommending this because I wrote the guide’s pages and I’m supposed to be confident. I’m recommending it for the same reason to recommend anything after living with it: it did not disappoint, and I would buy it again if I had to do it over. Actually, I already did—twice, once for myself and even once to another family. If you’re ready to pull the trigger, any of the discounted choices today will be a smarter value than most other headsets you can buy at this price, and one you’ll hopefully still be using months later, just as I do.
