Customer Ratings & Reviews

In general I am an over-the-ear headphone person for just about anything audio when I need discrete sound, they just are more comfortable for me. I think I sacrifice some active noise cancellation with this, but it’s a comfort thing for me. I have always used over-the-ears for gaming because that has been the only thing available for dedicated gaming sound historically, especially if little to no lag is crucial. The GameBuds by SteelSeries change all that. Two things come into play for me when gaming sound is needed. An immersive experience, and no lag. These GameBuds provide both very convincingly. First, you have two modes for connecting to a device, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless by dongle into your controller or computer. This is where the no lag comes in. I tested both BT and the wireless dongle modes and had a noticeable difference in lag between the two, with the dongle connection being superior by far. One goal hit for me. The other is immersive experience. Here I plugged into the companion app (free download for computer or mobile device). In the app you can tweak the sound of these buds and make them your own sound. This includes toggles for computational effects (like surround), and a graphical equalizer. The toggles work about the same as most headphones with these features, it’s ok, but for many sources they are marginal at best. The equalizer is truly great though, especially on the computer. You are able to select preset configurations based on specific games, or actually use sliders to create a custom profile These profiles stay with the GameBuds and will be your sound for any source. The mic is fine for earbuds, I do prefer a boom closer to my mouth for clearer communication, but these have decent pickup and do suffice. The side tone feature is ok, it reduces the “pressure” you might feel when you talk, but it’s nothing remarkable. I’m glad it is there. For music sources these are pretty good actually. I believe it relies solely on one codec (SBD) so it’s not going to be high bit rate, but the equalizer gives you a level of sound elevation that many earbuds do not. As for active noise cancellation and pass through I would say these GameBuds don’t deliver class leading performance. Pass through sounds muffled compared to other options and ANC works, but it’s not enough for me to keep the volume of my sources lower. I would overall recommend these if you like earbuds and want a no compromise, anti-lag solution for gaming, as long as you use the dongle connection. For BT connections, music listening, video, etc, I’d say there are better solutions out there.

Order has yet to arrive. It’s been stuck with FedEx and I cannot get a reason as to why or how to fix it.

Not loud at all easy on the ears but not good sound

My order keeps getting cancelled even though I have had best buy for years

Awful. Didnt even get to use them. Best buy is awful

Right out of the box - They are attractive, lightweight, and feel like they have a good durability / quality. Set up - I didn't have any issues pairing it with my xBox but when trying to pair it to my phone it took a few tries. Once it was paired, connection seemed strong on both devices. The case doubles as a charger, storage and contains the USB dongle. This was a great idea and works well. Sound quality - These are pretty decent but I feel like they could be louder. I messed with the settings but nothing felt quite like a regular over-the-ear headset. This could just be a me thing, because my teenage son prefers these over the over-the-ear style. When playing COD or Fortnite, I just didn't think I heard the footsteps as well as I could have. The noise canceling was decent, but definitely not up to par with some of the more established noise cancelling headphones. I could still her kids in the backgroud while wearing them, but it definitely did lower the outside noise. Comfort - These are comfortable and you won't have to deal with your ears being squished. Overall - I'd give them 4 out of 5 stars as they are serviceable depending on the style of game you play.

I was excited to receive these game buds because I felt that they could make my gaming experience even better, however after the first few minutes with them I realized that they were going to be unusable. Once I paired the Game Buds to my phone and downloaded the app, I then connected to my PC and updated the firmware via the Steel Series Engine App and made sure I was properly setup and up to date before I used them. Once I started using them, I noticed the Sound was really good. Playing games on XBOX sounded great. Lots of bass for explosions and there was decent level of detail in the game. I then proceeded to play some music through them and was again surprised that they sounded decent. I was now excited to use them as my primary device. Once I joined my friends through the XBOX party, the first thing they said to me was " you sound like you're in a tunnel" meaning there was a noticeable chamber like sound, almost an echo coming from me whenever I would talk. I wasn't bummed yet as I figured there was a setting I could adjust to fix this. I went through the app and even reached out to technical support. The app did nothing to solve this and technical support was useless. They told me to make sure they are up to date and then reset the Game Buds. This did not work either. So, the fact remains that since I play online with my friends in a party chat every single day, I cannot use these. They say it's really annoying to listen to the way my voice sounds and so I have gone back to my other Artis Headset. Other features of the headset are the ability to use them via Bluetooth with your phone as well as 2.4Ghz mode for XBOX or PC. You can fully customize the EQ via the phone application as well as change your sidetone and microphone volume. If only the microphone quality was better, they would be awesome. Another feature that I find is not particularly good is the transparency and ANC modes. The transparency is lack luster at best and the ANC barely sounds different then ANC OFF. These headphones feel rushed and not well thought out. I wanted to love these but the microphone being on the sides of your head means that your voice just won't come thru the same as if you were using a conventional headset with a mic right Infront of your mouth. I guess this is why no one has tried this before. I feel like if you don't regularly participate in voice chats, then they could work for you as they do have decent sound, but I cannot use these for how I game.

I have always been a big fan of SteelSeries headsets and I have used them regularly throughout the last few years. Their quality has always been top tier even on less expensive sets, so I was very excited when I saw they had come out with a new pair of earbuds and with good reason! While the earbud design doesn't allow for quite as much sound quality as a full headset, the drop off would only be noticed by the highest tier of audiophile. These earbuds come likely as close as can reasonably be expected. When paired with the companion app on your mobile phone, these will really shine. There are tons of audio presets for a variety of situations and listening modes. I have primarily used these on my Xbox Series X and my mobile phone. Setup on both was super easy and convenient. Same goes for switching between bluetooth and Xbox. I highly recommend connecting to both and using the phone app to control things and set everything up. These earbuds fit comfortably in my ear which as far as I know is fairly normal sized. The noise cancellation works amazingly as I have tested running on a treadmill in the gym since there's not a lot of outside noise interference at home. Not once in the miles I put in did they fall out while running which is a very important requirement for the gym so as to not have any funny security videos of you falling off the treadmill trying to catch them go viral. Directional sound in gaming also works excellent as I do tend to play a lot of the online games such as Call of Duty or Fortnite.

I got these Arctis Gamebuds to try out on my switch and pc. I had luck with another brand's 2.4ghz connection working on the switch, so I figured I'd try these, and they worked, mic and all. Since they are buds, very portable. I had been using an auxiliary Bluetooth plugged into the switch and Bluetooth setting on other headphones to go wireless. Now it’s all one brands unit, less funbling, and the connection is way more solid. The build on these are fairly good, very lite, but the plastics and feel are like similarly priced regular earbuds. They do feel lighter than many of mine. The fit in ear is good, and the seal is not bad either. With noise cancelation on, it is difficult to hear people as close as 8 feet to me talking. What I am going to have to clearly deduct a point for is setup and instructions. I had issues the first time working with these. First, I downloaded the app, then connected to the Phone like they said, and I saw a lot of settings in there. But you cannot update firmware by phone. It immediately wanted me to do and update, and it clicked on the instructions on how to download the program on the computer to do that connected by 2.4ghz. Fair enough, I did that hooked up the dongle and nothing, no sound, no mic. I fumbled around for 45 minutes or so then gave up the first night because of other commitments. The second time I went to hook it up, it all connected right away. It set up 3 different things to choose from under sound manager I noticed, and apparently I had not picked the right one. It was also recognized in the program, and then I could update the firmware and play with the mixer. This came with virtually no instructions on what to do,and I had to rely on their website help links, which I do not find laid out the best. Call me old, which I am, but I’m a guy who likes to read instructions before doing something that has multiple steps. The only instructions included on the box were what the buttons do. I’m annoyed because really, there was no need to set up on my phone, but again, I did what the qr code said. I guess I can change the setting before I use the switch. In the box there is a usbc to usb adapter, and a usbc charging cord and 2 sets of tips (small and large) Once I got these working, they sound good. I set up a custom equilizer, but there are a ton of game tweeked versions for over 100 games. Pretty cool. Overall it is a solid 4 stars because they work good.

The SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds are the wireless earbuds I’ve been searching for! I was really excited to try these because I’ve always preferred a lighter, more compact option compared to the heavier, bulkier headsets most people have grown accustomed to. These "Gamebuds" (a clever name for gaming earbuds) offer a fantastic alternative to those larger headsets. They fit very comfortably in my ears, with no issues of falling out or becoming uncomfortable even after extended use. The app is decent, but the advertised presets don’t seem to differ significantly from one another. However, the voice chat performance on this device is excellent, which is a major plus. The earbuds are fairly intuitive in terms of touch controls, although I still find it helpful to have my phone nearby with the app running as I’m learning to memorize the specific touch and press commands. One major disappointment, though, is the poor bass quality. As someone who has reviewed other listening products over the years, I feel SteelSeries has a long way to go if they want to compete with higher-end options on the market. Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t partner with a company (one whose name rhymes with “Close”) to improve this aspect. That said, these earbuds do a great job for what they are. Just keep in mind that if you’re expecting an experience comparable to a full home theater setup, you’re likely to be disappointed. These earbuds are fantastic otherwise. Cool Bonus: you can also use just one earbud for a wireless microphone.

I'm a headphones geek. But even my favorite set of cans can be uncomfortable, like when I'm trying to lay back in my recliner while playing Xbox. The cans are so big that unless my head is perfectly flat against the back of the chair, they end up bumping against it. And with most headsets these days having important controls and dials on the back of the earpieces, I'm always turning them off or changing the volume inadvertently. Laying down is also an issue with them. For comfort's sake, I had to find something else to use for my late night gaming sessions on the recliner or while settling into bed. So yeah, I have another set of wireless earbuds now. "Gaming" earbuds. But you know what? These earbuds are way better for gaming than any other earbuds I've tried pairing to my consoles. The difference is the 2.4 Ghz dongle. Regular earbuds connect via bluetooth (which this pair will also do, in case you want to use them for your phone or tablet), which can introduce lag. You know how annoying it is to watch a show and the actors' lips move slightly out of sync with the audio? Well, it can be an outright dealbreaker to try and play some games with audio lag. What's more is that the dongle can be used on any system, no more pairing and reconnecting and disconnecting and unpairing and so on trying to use the same earbuds on multiple devices. The dongle is USB Type C, but there's a C to A adapter in the box. The dongle has a switch on it labeled PC/Xbox, but don't be fooled. PC mode works on Playstation and Nintendo Switch, it' s only the Xbox that needs a proprietary communication protocol for full use of features. What I really like about this set is the dongle actually fits in the earbuds case! You can take it with you easy peasy! Listen to music through bluetooth on the phone on the commute to work, then plug the dongle into the work pc for a the morning teams meeting. Swapping from bluetooth to 2.4ghz mode is done by triple tapping the right earbud. There is an actual button with a tactile click, instead of capacitive buttons that tend to be finicky. Those are the only "gestures" that I have figured out, since it seems that every earbud manufacturer seems to assign tapping and holding a set number of times to different functions. What is volume up on one set is pause on another, so I never bothered to memorize any of the actions. The audio is pretty good with these in. I was surprised by the bass levels when pumping out some old school jungle tracks. Even though it wasn't bone vibrating, I could still catch all the subbass hits with the appropriate amount of thumping instead of a weak puff. Instruments weren't as crisp and tightly individualized as they are on my reference cans, but it doesn't detract from the overall audio experience. Unfortunately these don't have multipoint bluetooth, they can only connect to one device at a time. So my dreams of a complete all in one solution for all of my consoles, pc, phone & tablet were temporarily dashed. That is, until I remembered my iOS tablet has USB-C. So I did the only logical thing and plugged the dongle into that. A notification popped up asking if the device was headphones, so I said yes, and lo and behold, it worked! So yeah, this is it, the mimimalist solution to listen to every device with one set of wireless earbuds. One thing that I don't like is how quickly these go on standby mode. While I'm working, I like to keep them in for the impromptu teams call, but if no sound is playing for a few minutes the buds turn themselves off. While the app says it's only after 30 minutes, it really feels like a lot less. It can also be changed in the app or the PC program. The instructions say to turn them back on, put them back in the case momentarily (annoying if you don't have case on you) or according to the FAQ on the website, press and hold the button on each side for 3 seconds (which at the time it happened to me I hadn't yet read the instructions). Only a minor nuisance, but one I seem to run into often, usually while picking something to watch while also getting setup to settle in for some cozy couch gaming after the rest of the family has gone to bed.

After spending a couple days using these earbuds I was very surprised with the sound. The sound is very similar to the Xbox wireless headset with a couple of exceptions missing. I played Indiana Jones and could tell which way the footsteps were coming from. The sound was crisp and clear. The ANC-active noise canceling worked pretty good as I couldn't hear my wife talking to me when trying to play. It took me a little bit to get used to the controls but I finally figured out how to use the mute and the volume up/down. Now with the exceptions I mentioned. The have to do with chat/mic and game sound. From what I could tell there is now toggle for chat and game volume. The earbuds seem to keep both at half as a balance. I tried to change it in the chat mixer on my Xbox but it was all grayed out and would t allow me to change this setting. Perhaps it can be changed with the mobile app that can be downloaded on your phone that includes a bunch of presets or even allow me tk set up a custom config but from what I could tell in the mobile app it only allowed the change for game sound. I saw a few of my friends playing COD and they had a private party set up so I decided to join the party and see how their voices sound and how my voice was heard by them. Their voices were crystal clear on my end but they were actually using the Xbox wireless headset that has a better mic. When they were hearing my voice they said it was crystal clear but the only difference was thag it sounded like I was talking through a tin can. They said it was not bad though as they could understand everything that I was saying so the mic on the earbuds is pretty good and I can only see it getting better with future technology changing. I was contemplating wether or not to give these earbuds 4 or 5 stars but I decided on 5 based on the quality of the product and the effort that steel series has made. The chargeable case is sturdy and even has wireless charging. The case hold the earbuds and the usb s dongle all in one safe place for safe keeping. It was not hard at all to pair the headset to my Xbox. As soon as I plugged it in it automatically connected. Effortless just how I like. I ended up giving these earbuds a 5 star review because I was not too sure at first only owning over the ear headsets but I was very surprised by the sound and quality. I would recommend these to any consumer looking for an affordable audio option and mutiple device options.

I will start by saying that if you’re looking for a pair of gaming headphones for competitive play these are not it. There are other options out there around the same price range, BUT if you are looking for some gaming headphones that do the job and you can use outside of gaming for music and exercise, then I think these might be great for you! Personally, I am the type of gamer that sometimes plays competitive fps games and so I need me over the ear headset with a great microphone. However, other times, I am casually playing a story game mode or good RPG game, and I just need good sound, so I don’t disturb the wife the sound from the game. I have found that these Arctics GameBuds are perfect for me in these scenarios. Further, when I am done playing, and I want to listen to some music while cooking or cleaning the house, these have been my go-to headphones. I have some AirPods, but I actually find myself grabbing these now because of the audio files provided by the Arctis app. There are so many audio profiles it’s awesome. I love it! Likewise, using them at the gym while running or doing some weightlifting, has been a good experience for me. I have the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for my serious gaming, and these are now my favorite for my casual gaming. Love them! I highly recommend them if you think you need some casual gaming buds that you can use outside of gaming as well.

If you want overpriced mediocre earbuds to listen to music on your phone, these are it. I've had nothing but issues and frustration trying to get these set up. First the good- Paired easily by Bluetooth to my phone (Pixel 6 Pro) Sound quality is ok, nothing special. ANC sort of works. The bad- There are no instructions or tutorials on how to use these Artis Gamebuds. Just basic generic instructions. I really wanted these to be used with my Xbox One X for gaming and had high hopes. These do not work with my Xbox. The dongle won't connect at all. The app is no help. It states there is a firmware update, that can only be done on PC. If you don't have a PC, you're out of luck. What is the point of having a phone app, if you're going to require a PC to make any updates? I downloaded SteelSeries GG on my PC, created a SteelSeries account, Earbuds wont connect. The instructions on the SteelSeries website are for headphones, not earbuds. Plugging the case into my PC, with and without the earbuds, yields no results. I can connect the earbuds to my PC via bluetooth, but the GG app still says not connected. Tried connecting to the dongle on my PC. That connection stays connected for PC audio, but the PC SteelSeries GG app Still shows nothing connected. I've tried every manner of connection, restarting, unpairing, etc without success This has been an exercise in frustration and futility, along with precious time (hours at this point) wasted. No reply to email sent to SteelSeries. Cannot recommend at this time.

Sound great a lot of bass in such a tiny package, easily connected to my devices. Only complaint is that it was super easy activating the buttons on them when you just trying to adjust them or take them off

I purchased these earbuds from the Steelseries website, and they were already linked to my xbox series x when I plugged in the dongle to my xbox console, but after that it was a complicated process to use these gamebuds. The gamebuds don't always respond when trying to program them, along with an unresponsive connection issue with my cellphone to attempt to connect to the steelseries app. The process of wirelessly connecting to my laptop was another issue. It took me all day to find a way to connect the gamebuds back to my xbox, and the sound is either too loud or just too low, there should be an option to adjust the volume levels at a gradual level. I had to return these gamebuds even though steelseries originally didn't want to give me an option on their website to return this item for a refund. Not necessarily a bad item, but not as receptive as expected for the price they're charging along with limited onnection and volume options.

Got it as a Christmas gift. Havent used it yet. Hopefully good