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The SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds are the best gaming earbuds I've ever popped inside my large Scottish ears, and I swear by using them with the Switch 2. It's just difficult to recommend them to friends as their full £159.99 price is a lot to stomach at a time when everything from heating bills and the average cost of the weekly food shop continues to climb.
Amazon UK has some limited time deals on offer that have managed to make my life so much easier. Today, the SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds are down to £94.99 at Amazon, their lowest ever price here in the UK. I've seen them skim along the £100 price mark in the past, but they tend to shoot back up shortly afterwards. This limited deal means there's £65 off in total, which is going to make me yapping on about them to my fellow Switch 2-owning pals easier than ever before.
It's all thanks to that additional USB-C port. I despise fiddling around with Bluetooth, as it takes time to pair and issues pop up constantly. These have Bluetooth for those who want to use it, but you can more easily take out the slimline wireless 2.4GHz dongle and pop it on top of the Switch 2 for a low-latency and practically automatic connection.
The Game Buds also sound fantastic despite their small size. I was a bit wary that they would sound tinny or muffled, but the little 6mm neodymium can pack a punch. The upbeat jazz-inspired stylings of the Mario Kart World soundtrack sound sublime, with even low bass frequencies feeling like they're getting their due through the tiny audio drivers. Thanks to the inclusion of active noise cancellation, I've also been able to sit back in a cafe and tune out the rest of the world. Drifting around in free-roam mode unbothered by the world's goings on is exactly how gaming on the go should be.
What makes these especially handy for the Switch 2 is their compact size. While I'll always prefer to use one of the best Nintendo Switch headsets when it comes to sound quality, packing a pair of cups into my bag isn't fun. They take up a lot of space, space that's already limited if Ninty's handheld is coming with me. Even in their wireless charging case, the buds are just about the same size as the palm of my hand.
I've been able to fit my Switch 2, the Game Buds, a whole makeup bag, and even a spare controller in one of my backpacks, which would have been a far harder feat with a headset, let me tell you. Of course, you could save even more space by grabbing a wired alternative like the 1More Triple Driver earbuds.
These start at £69.99 at Amazon, so they're even cheaper than today's Game Buds deal, and can pop into the headphone jack of the Switch for a just as straightforward setup. Their small size also means you can keep them in your Switch 2 case, something I can't manage with the Game Buds. The hi-res certified three-driver earbuds also have an extended frequency response of 40,000 Hz, which is marginally larger than the Game Bud's 20 - 20,000Hz range, so you're getting a more in-depth sound at a lower price to boot.
If you don't mind spending a bit more, there's also the Razer Moray in-ear monitor buds you can grab instead. These start at £129.99 at Amazon, but they come packaged with a set of custom ear tips in varying sizes, so you pick the best fit for your ears. Despite SteelSeries' large £159.99 MSRP, their buds don't come with additional tips, which has always been a bit of a sore spot for me - especially as my large ears require comfort above all else.
With both of these alternatives, you don't have to worry about charging too. That's worth remembering as the Game Buds can only muster 10 hours until you need to pop them in their charging case.
If you're looking for a more compact alternative to a headset, the SteelSeries Arctis Game Buds should however, be your first choice when it comes to the Switch 2, especially when they're as low as £94.99. Just remember that this is a limited-time deal, so it won't stay under £100 for much longer.
Our hardware team has also rounded up the best Nintendo Switch 2 cases, the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express Cards, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers if you're looking to give your Ninty gaming setup a boost.
