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There's no shortage of President's Day PS5 deals this week, but amongst all the discounted white-label games and flashy controllers, it's the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless that's caught my PS5-loving attention.
In the past few months, the premium PS5 headset has been jumping between $299.99 at Amazon and its full eye-watering $379.99 MSRP. Fortunately for President's Day, the best PS5 headset I've ever used has settled at the sub-$300 mark, where you can grab it if you're fast enough. This headset now has the newer SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite to contend with, which is the more luxurious pair of the two. However, the PS5 doesn't support its Hi-Res audio ways, making the Pro Wireless still the best option for those after a premium sound for the Sony pixel-pusher.
Why you should buy the SteelSeries Pro Wireless over the Arctis Nova Elite
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the more elite headset, but it's not entirely worth it if you're a PS5 owner.
If you jump between the PS5 and a gaming PC, then by all means you should think about grabbing the Elite if your bank account can spare the $599.99 (Amazon) for a gaming headset alone. However, its biggest selling point isn't compatible with the console as the PS5 maxes out at 48k/16bit, and can't compute the 96kHz/24-bit audio that the Elite is designed for. With that in mind, its price doesn't feel entirely justifiable for those who stick with the PS5.
For $300 less today, you can get plenty of the same benefits, including those hot-swappable batteries that make charging almost obsolete, the customizable ear cups, and a retractable high-quality microphone. The Pro Wireless also has the 'Game Hub' in the form of a Base Station, which can connect to three platforms at a time. It's not as fancy as the Elite's version, which can hook up to four sources, but if you only play the Sony console, that feature will be redundant anyway.
The 40mm neodymium drivers of the Pro Wireless continue to make everything I play, from Marvel Rivals, Death Stranding Director's Cut, to Doom Eternal sound sublime, even if the pair doesn't quite match the frequency range of its Elite rival. As the 40mm carbon fibre drivers of the Elite are held in place with brass rings, they can produce a range of 10-40,000 Hz, which the Pro can only achieve via a wired connection.
The sound difference is not going to be noticeable to the average pair of ears. If you're truly fussed about having the most high-end headset out there, the Elite is there. However, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless remains my premium pick for the PS5, especially when it sits below that $300 price mark like today.
I've also rounded up the best Xbox Series X headsets, the best Nintendo Switch headsets and the best PC headsets for gaming if the Pro is too pro for your PS5 gaming needs.
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