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As the resident gaming headset nerd of the team, I've reviewed a ridiculous number of cups in this year alone, and that number keeps climbing. Yet, any time I've had a moment to spare between testing whatever new fangled headset comes my way, I make sure to pick back up the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless.
The headset takes what I love the most about SteeelSeries' mid-range headsets, from their great sound, fantastic mic quality, and lightweight fit, and adds quality of life features like fast charging and a new slimline wireless dongle, while keeping its cost to just above $100. Now, it's even cheaper at $89.99 at Amazon thanks to this week's Black Friday headset deals, making it easier to blether on about it than ever before. If you're after a low-cost headset and don't want to miss out on quality, this is the budget pair of cups you should grab this November.
Why I keep returning to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless headset
Each time I bring up this great value headset, I need to get this out of the way. I tested the Lavender SKU, so that's why the photo of it you see above is showing a lovely pastel purple shade. While I've never seen the 'Nova White' colorway in person, under its bright white exterior, it's the same pair that's secured its place on our best gaming headset guide, and the one I recommend to anyone and everything looking for a good-quality pair that's as close to the $100 price mark as possible.
Even at its full $109.99 MSRP, I'd fully recommend this headset, which is compatible with everything from the Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, and your desktop gaming PC. I most commonly use it with my Switch 2, and that's because it's equipped with fast charging, which can juice it up with 9 hours of playback in just 15 short minutes. Typically, its battery lasts up to 30 hours, which is pretty average, but the speedy charging makes up for that, and makes it ideal for any portable gaming fans, so long as you have access to charging when you're out and about.
In my SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless review, I shared that it was a "fantastic-sounding" headset, and that's not changed. This headset comes equipped with the same 40mm Neodymium drivers as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless, which bring a nice, balanced sound to games, regardless of the platform, which is why I return to using it pretty regularly. However, the best part is that as a SteelSeries pair of cups, you can download the Arctis app for free on your smartphone and get access to over 200+ game audio presets, which makes everything sound even better.
There are official presets made for everything from Dead by Daylight to Mario Kart World, and I now don't play the latter without it. The preset manages to make the roars of the karters' engines less overbearing while keeping the exhilarating action of the latest kart racer as exciting as ever. It helps that the headset is integrated with Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless support, so I can get truly absorbed into the game (and any game with an available preset) without any annoying wires to be found on top of that.
If you have a little more to spend, I'd still recommend the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless as it's also a multi-platform queen, has audio preset access, and a more premium sound for $289.99 at Amazon today. However, if you want a sub $100 pair, the Arctis Nova 3X Wireless should be your pick-up of choice.
- View all Black Friday gaming headset deals at Amazon
- View all Black Friday gaming headset deals at Best Buy
- SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless |
$379.99$289.99 at Amazon
On the hunt for more Black Friday gaming deals today? Don't forget to check out our hubs for the best Black Friday PS5 deals and the best Black Friday Xbox deals.
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