SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless headset review – the Switch 2’s best friend

SteelSeries’ confusing naming convention aside, its line of Arctis Nova headsets never ceases to amaze me. From the more affordable options to the top-of-the-line Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, each has its own value for you to choose between, whether you’d prefer budget or premium. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless falls into the former, yet it’s still a great gaming headset, with excellent performance out of the box.

While the Arctis Nova 3 may sound familiar, likely because it’s already one of the best headphones on the market in the budget range, this new model is the latest iteration. It may be called the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless, but it’s not just a simple improvement over the first version; the new one comes with a host of reasons to pick it up for your handheld console.

Straightaway, the value on offer here is brilliant. At $109.99 / £99.99 from SteelSeries, it sits on the edge of being almost in the mid-range budget options, but it has the specs to say it deserves it. Sporting 40mm neodymium drivers, the audio quality is superb, delivering everything from low-frequency intense explosions to the high-end whispers of the grass as you walk through it, which is great for those who love playing FPS games or those who want a nice cozy game to enjoy.

There’s no Active Noise Cancellation, which is unfortunate but expected. However, for the price, the performance is absolutely incredible. That’s without taking into account the fact that it’s wireless, offering up to 40 hours when connected via Bluetooth (30 hours on 2.4GHz with the included dongle). Best of all, it supports fast charging, with just 15 minutes of charging giving you nine hours of battery life.

It’s an impressive package that is only further enhanced by SteelSeries’ Arctis App. Admittedly, most software from peripheral companies falls behind (cough cough, Razer), but I’ve always found the Arctis app to be fairly useful. If you don’t like messing around with EQ settings and headsets in general, there’s a whole bunch of existing profiles that enable you to switch to game-ready settings, from Fortnite to Call of Duty.

It’s a multi-platform killer of a headset, one that you can seamlessly switch from playing Switch games with to listening to music on your gaming phone. The ease of use makes it even more worth buying, but you’ll have to make sure you grab the Nova 3P Wireless, as that’s compatible with PS5 as well as Xbox, while the 3X only works on Xbox and not PlayStation.

Speaking of listening to music, the detachable microphone makes this headset convenient to take on the go without having a large cable with a foam cover hanging over your mouth. I wouldn’t say they’re the optimal choice for use when listening to music, and I’d recommend checking out the best earbuds with the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds instead for that. However, if you end up buying the Nova 3 Wireless, it’s still a great option to have.

The clarity of the headset’s microphone is pretty good, too. When testing it, my friends didn’t notice much difference between my usual Nova Pro Wireless mic and the one in this budget-friendly headset. The only difference was apparently that I’m not “as clear as usual,” but that means it’s still good enough if it can be compared to the roughly $300 bit of tech.

It’s not perfect, though. Admittedly, the power button and the volume wheel on the device feel a bit cheap, and the microphone mute/unmute button even more so. That’s a small issue for an otherwise excellent value headset, which has instantly made it a mainstay for my best Switch 2 accessories collection.

That being said, if you’re in the market for a new pair of headphones that don’t break the bank, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless are exactly that. If you can look past some minor issues, like a lack of ANC and some cheaper buttons (which I think you probably can), you’re getting a great deal here.

Even if you don’t have a Switch, it’s also a great headset for Valve’s handheld or the best Steam Deck alternatives. However, I’m keen to use the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless on all of the upcoming Switch games for the new handheld.