Last week, Razer unveiled the latest addition to its long line of cat-ear-having headsets, the Kraken Kitty V3. This new headset is designed to "transition seamlessly from streaming setup to cosplay accessory" thanks to its new 'Cosplay Mode,' which allows you to plug its USB-C cable into a power bank to keep it illuminated for cons and events.
As someone who used to cosplay before the word was even mainstream (yes, I'm that old), it's great to see brands like Razer acknowledge some of the most creative and hard-working individuals that have been fueling comic cons for decades, but just be careful when it comes to taking gaming tech to conventions. The $99 (via Razer) gaming headset looks neat, but any tech worn at a busy show floor is going to be a target for anything from damage to theft. I'd feel far more comfortable if you settled for using it to make videos with your friends at home than putting accessories that will be pricey to replace in harm's way.
The Razer Kraken Kitty V3 is currently available through the Razer online store for $99, but it might take a moment before it appears at other US and UK retailers like the rest of the Kraken Kitty line-up.
When I've had cosplays that called for headsets or headphones in the past, I went down the cheap route. Hatsune Miku's Magnet outfit requires a pair of cans with butterfly wing attachments, while mine were fake and built up from foam pieces. I didn't want to lug around real headphones or stick Glow EL wire around tech I actually used that couldn't be removed later.
When it came to putting together a Futaba cosplay from Persona 5, I did dabble in a real pair of cans for many years, but grabbed the cheapest, less than £10 pair of wireless black headphones I could find. Futaba, being the nerd she is, likely would not have settled for a cheap headset, and in reality I could see her preferring a Razer headset like the Barracuda V2 Pro instead, but utilizing real and expensive accessories to replace them just wasn't on my mind. By that stage, I was more than familiar with what conventions were like since cosplaying from 2010, and running the risk of damaging or losing something I used for gaming or music every day wasn't going to be an option. Cosplay is expensive enough without factoring in replacing a gaming headset.
That's why, while Razer states that users can "keep the RGB lighting illuminated at conventions, cosplay gatherings, and community events" on its official blog, I'd recommend omitting the 'conventions' part. At $99, the Kraken Kitty V3 is one of the cheapest in the Kitty lineup (especially the Kraken Kitty V3 Pro that costs $179.99 / £179.99), but replacing even $100 when cosplay is pricey enough is not going to be fun.
Of course, there's every likelihood nothing will happen to your accessories, and I'm not your mom, so you can entirely do as you please. Just as someone more than familiar with the con circuit and headsets, I don't want to run the risk of your $100 headset, which isn't typically designed to withstand the climate of an over-sold and packed convention, ending up needing to be replaced. That's before I even get into the fact that it weighs 315g, and when adding heavy wigs into the picture, you don't really want that stuck on your head for multiple hours at a time.
If you do want the headset for gaming, streaming, and frolicking around in cosplay at small gatherings and meet-ups with your friends, there's plenty to like here. The pair is equipped with Razer's signature 40mm TriForce audio drivers, which sound great, and they feature a HyperClear cardioid microphone too. They're also Chroma-powered, so you can use Razer's Chroma app to sync them up to any other RGB-riddled Razer tech you have laying around.
However, typically, conventions and expensive tech you don't want to replace or have any harm come to them don't mix. No matter how purr-fectly cool and illuminating they look.
- View all Razer Kraken Kitty gaming headsets at Amazon
Want more headset options? Check out our guides to the best PS5 headsets, best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best PC headsets for gaming while you're here.
