The best Xbox Series X games demand your full attention. If you want to feel like there's really nothing between you and the game, you will need the best controller and headset to blur the lines of reality. Most people skip out on the later option, but once you experience the quality a great headset can provide, you will never be able to game without one. Besides all the upcoming Series X games you have on your shopping list, add one of these headsets to the top.
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro headset currently tops our picks for the best gaming headsets. Unlike a lot of gaming headsets, you don’t need an adapter with the Arctis Nova Pro. It can connect directly to your Xbox Series X. Even better, you can simultaneously connect another device to the headset via Bluetooth.
Internally, the Arctis Nova Pro uses 40mm neodymium drivers with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz. Although the frequency range doesn’t reach as high as some audiophile-class headsets, it can still hold its own in the sound department. The wide soundscape of the Arctis Nova Pro gives players much more positional awareness in games and, combined with a digital surround sound solution, even more so. The headset itself is stereo, but you can use Windows Sonic Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos for Headphones on your Xbox Series X to achieve virtual surround sound.
Externally, the Arctis Nova Pro features SteelSeries’ signature suspended headband — which is very comfortable, even after hours of playing — and large, plushy ear cups. Additionally, the headset comes with a Discord-certified ClearCast gen 2 microphone that you can retract back into the headset.
When it comes to features, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air headset matches the Arctis Nova and does so at a lower price point. The headset supports native wireless with Xbox One, Series X, and Series S — no dongle is required — or can be plugged in directly. It works with Windows PCs, too, without the need for any adapters. The QuickSwitch button also lets you change between wireless and Bluetooth inputs with the touch of a button.
Audio-wise, the Turtle Beach Atlas Airs are excellent. The large 40mm drivers handle bass better than most other gaming headsets, and they help position sound around the soundscape.
There are certainly cheaper headsets than the Astro A10, but none of them match the build quality, features, and performance of Astro’s entry-level headset. Starting with sound, the Astro A10s can go against the best of them. The dual 40mm drivers are tuned by Astro for gaming, which is a process each headset undertakes, from the $50 Astro A10s to the $300 Astro A50s.
Additionally, the headset comes with a uni-directional microphone with flip-to-mute functionality and a detachable 3.5mm cable, ensuring you can continue using the headset even if the cable breaks.
What really stands out is this headset’s build quality. Like all budget headsets, the A10s use almost exclusively plastic. Instead of trying to cram multiple adjustment points around a plastic body, Astro went with a single point of adjustment: Up and down on the ear cups. Comfort is a little worse as a result, but durability is vastly improved (there are simply fewer points of failure).
Not that you should worry about comfort too much. With large cushions on each of the earcups and a sliver of cushioning on top, the A10s are still very comfortable, even for long gaming sessions.
The Razer BlackShark V2 is a competitive gaming headset with a design that's much more reminiscent of earmuffs than a gaming headset. As such, the BlackShark V2 is all about performance. The dual 50mm Razer Triforce titanium drivers are excellent at positioning audio around the soundscape. Additionally, Razer uses separate tuning ports for high, low, and mid frequencies. The result is clearer audio around crossover points, such as the low-mids, where other headsets see a significant drop in frequency response.
Equally as important as sound quality is microphone quality, and the BlackShark will not disappoint there. The microphone doesn’t suffer from compression in the same way as other headset microphones, offering more vocal clarity at higher frequencies. Additionally, the mic is supported by an included USB sound card, allowing you to access features like a mic EQ, ambient noise reduction, and a voice gate.
Comfort is excellent, too. The gripping force is a little tighter than other gaming headsets, but with a weight of just 262 grams, that’s easy to forgive. Other premium features include a dedicated volume control knob on the headset, a detachable microphone, and a windscreen for the microphone. The Razer BlackShark V2 is easily the best wired headset on Xbox Series X, but it’s also one of the best in general if you play competitive titles.
The Razer Nari Ultimate is one of the most unique headsets on the market. It has haptic feedback (or rumble, just like your controller). Razer HyperSense, as the feature is called, is about as gimmicky as it gets. The crazy thing is, it works.
Sound is just vibration, so adding additional vibration on top of that doesn’t translate to shaking on your head. Instead, HyperSense goes a long way when it comes to emphasizing low-end frequencies. Explosions and gunfire, in particular, shine on the Nari Ultimates. That’s because HyperSense doesn’t use standard haptic feedback motors. Instead of operating at a fixed frequency like rumble in a controller, the Nari Ultimates use a frequency range, allowing the vibration to match the resonance of whatever sound it’s trying to replicate.
HyperSense is the star of the show when it comes to the Nari Ultimates, but the headset is still impressive otherwise. The massive earcups and suspended headband are comfortable enough for long gaming sessions — though still slightly behind the Arctis 9X — and the headset comes with THX spatial audio. The “for Xbox One” version supports wireless on Xbox One, Series X, and Series S, too. Be careful, though: Razer sells another version of the Nari Ultimates that work exclusively with Sony consoles.
Xbox didn't leave this market only to third-party headsets and has created its own official wireless headset. Rather than go for a high-end, expensive option like many others, the Xbox Wireless headset is very affordable given how much quality you get. It supports Dolby Atmos, noise canceling, and voice isolation technology.
Despite its name, this headset is good for more than just games. You can use its Bluethooth functionality to listen to music or make calls. Pairing it with the app further helps you tune the headset's output to fit your current needs. While the over-ear coverings are comfortable enough, the basic band is a bit stiff and may not fit everyone well for long periods of time.
As a premium headset, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset looks and feels exactly as high-quality as the price tag suggests. They are slick and don't have any of the garish "gamer" angles or colors other headsets do for those who prefer to keep things a bit more low-key. While gaming, you can look forward to blocking out all distractions with its noise-canceling technology and powerful sound quality powered by Dolby Atmos. It even uses a virtual boom-arm to let you communicate in multiplayer games without any awkward mic arm extending from the cups. Top it all off with some memory foam earcups for maximum comfort and you're set for a long gaming session.
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from graphics cards to processors to PC cases, Jacob also writes the ReSpec column and newsletter that covers the intersection of PC hardware and gaming. If it's something you can plug into a gaming PC, there's a good chance Jacob has used it.
Although Jacob is interested in just about anything in or around a PC, he's currently reporting on graphics cards, PC game optimization, and gaming monitors. At Digital Trends, he's dug deep on the untold origins of the Steam Deck, uncovered the truth behind poor PC port optimization, and broke the story on Microsoft's Bing Chat going off the rails.
Before joining Digital Trends, Jacob contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and PC Invasion, among various other outlets. Jacob has been a guest on TWiT and NBC, and his work has been cited in Fox News, Futurism, and Business Insider.
As if tinkering with the latest PC hardware wasn't enough, Jacob spends most of his free time living the PC gamer life he writes about so frequently. That includes playing the latest games, but also poking around on his PC to see what he can break, just to see how it works. When he gets a moment to step outside and "touch grass," Jacob enjoys tabletop games, wandering the shops of St. Louis, and forcing his lazy Corgi onto walks.
Jesse Lennox covers all things gaming but has a specific interest in all things PlayStation, JRPGs, and experimental indies. Jesse has been writing about games for over 10 years, starting off as a volunteer and eventually finding his way into doing it full-time. He is constantly striving to push his boundaries in what he covers and finds thought-provoking and important angles to highlight within the games industry.
Originally double-majoring in English and Education, Jesse came into games media as a profession by accident. After an unfortunate layoff, he took his passion for writing about games seriously and was lucky enough to find Digital Trends and other outlets such as Pocket-Lint, Classic Nerd, and Gamepur to write for. He has held numerous writing positions, as well as several editing roles, and is always on the hunt for new opportunities to grow his skillset.
Based in Colorado, Jesse spends at least two hours every morning training in the gym to set his mind straight before a full day of writing and gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?