The recent Razer Pokemon Collection wasn't very super effective at igniting the 26-year-old Pokemon fan within me. It felt lazy compared to past collaborations, and by that point, I had already seen a ton of gaming accessories plastered with Pikachu and friends' faces.
The Gengar Kraken Kitty V2 gaming headset is much more, and is exactly how I believe a licensed bit of gaming tech should look in every which way and form.
There are still images of the Pokemon found throughout this wired pair of cups, but the original design team went all out in replicating the deep purple colors, and the adorable spikey ears and tuffs of hair I associate with the classic Gengar aesthetic. It's so good that the first time I glanced its way after Razer launched it outside of Asia, I genuinely considered re-joining the world of cosplay and basing an entire outfit around it, and the iconic ghost Pokemon from my childhood.
I take licensed gaming headsets pretty seriously as they're often an amalgamation of my two favorite things: nerdy IPs I adore and gaming accessories.
The previous Razer Pokemon Collection felt like a waste of the Pokemon branding, but this Gengar Kraken Kitty V2 is anything but. The moment I feasted my eyes on the Razer headset as I pulled it out from its shimmery purple packaging, I was grinning from ear to ear, just like the ghostly bad boy himself.
I had seen images of it before, as it was originally exclusive to Asia, but I didn't fully appreciate just how stunning it would be in person. The official promo images don't quite do the gorgeous dark purple colorway justice, nor just how brightly the Razer Chroma-powered RGB silhouettes of Gengar on the side of either ear cup glow.
I assumed that the ears and recreations of Gengar's hair tufts on the headband would feel cheap and flimsy, too, but they're super sturdy and have a nice weight to them, but not so much that it makes the headset uncomfortable to wear.
That comfort is aided by the lovely, matching plush dark purple leather-coated earcups. The leather coating is the perfect shade to match the rest of the headset, but Razer went the extra mile by including a ring of lighter purple leather between the cups and padding, which matches the padding on the underside of the headband. These little details help break up the dark colorway, without losing out on its purple identity, and it looks absolutely stunning.
All these lush official Pokemon design elements come at an extra $40 / £50 cost, but that's pretty common with licensed tech. Whether you're willing to pay for that depends on how big a Gengar fan you are, as you could instead grab the original Razer Kraken Kitty V2 USB headset for just $99.99 at Amazon, or directly from Razer, in either Quartz Pink, White, or Black and save some cash in the process.
Without its ghostly Gengar aesthetics, this headset is essentially just the Kraken Kitty V2 USB headset.
It features the same Razer TriForce 40mm audio drivers, which are also found on the Razer Barracuda X, and the same Razer HyperClear cardioid microphone. That's not a bad thing by any means. Playing through the spooky game Still Wakes the Deep through this spooky Pokemon headset sounded delightful, and even without the benefits of spatial audio support, the 7.1 surround sound made the eerie chatter of the game's monsters sound as if they were in my living room with me.
The microphone is also alright and gets the job done. Much to my annoyance, it's not detachable, but fortunately, the boom arm is bendy enough that you can push it away when not playing online games or chatting to your friends via Discord, and it will actually stay out of the way.
My only issue with the headset is that, much like the original, it's a USB wired pair of cups and doesn't use a 3.5mm jack. For any console players, like myself, who have their PS5 a few metres away from their sofa, that's a big issue. I had to sit right at the edge of my seat, not because I was scared of Still Wakes the Deep, but because the headset wire wasn't long enough to sit back and relax.
Razer recently launched the Kraken Kitty V3 X for $59.99 at Amazon, the new wired headset as part of the Kitty line-up. This Kitty headset features the same Razer TriForce 40mm audio drivers and 7.1 surround sound, but comes with a 3.5 mm jack for better wired compatibility.
Like any bit of licensed tech, it's not a perfect headset by any means. Those wired limitations make it better suited for PC players, and that's a bit of a bummer given you're only going to find the most recent Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and mobile gaming platforms.
Its extra $40 / £50 markup over the original Razer Kraken Kitty V2 headset isn't ideal either. However, that's a small price to pay for what is, in my opinion, one of the best-looking headsets the brand has released to date. Not to mention, a fantastic collector's piece for any die-hard Pokemon and Gengar fans.
Now, if only the rest of the Razer Gengar Collection could get the same overseas treatment.
- View all Razer headsets: at Amazon
- Razer Kraken Kitty V2 USB Wired Headset:
$99.99$86.99 at Amazon - Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro Wireless: $179.99 at Amazon
Not into wired headsets? Check out our guides to the best PS5 headsets, best Xbox Series X headsets, and the best Nintendo Switch headsets for a full range of alternative wireless alternatives.
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