{"id":13361,"date":"2024-11-15T09:35:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T09:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=13361"},"modified":"2024-11-15T09:35:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T09:35:59","slug":"steelseries-arctis-gamebuds-review-dongle-earbuds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=13361","title":{"rendered":"SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds Review: Dongle Earbuds"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Transparency mode, on the other hand, really impressed me. In this mode, the GameBuds picked up subtle ambient sounds and piped them into my ears so effectively that I forgot I was wearing earbuds. In one instance, I didn\u2019t realize I still had them in until my voice sounded muffled. I could hear everyone else I was speaking to just fine.<\/p>\n

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ANC does drain the battery faster, as does using Bluetooth. SteelSeries claims the GameBuds will get up to 10 hours on a single charge, with the charging case extending that duration up to 40 hours. In my testing, the earbuds lasted a bit longer than 10 hours with mixed ANC use, but I rarely needed to use them for more than 10 hours straight. Between the charging case topping them off, and popping the case on a wireless charger<\/a> at night, I never got so much as a \u201cbattery low\u201d warning.<\/p>\n

Built for Gaming<\/h2>\n

The 2.4-GHz dongle isn\u2019t the only thing that makes the Arctis GameBuds ideal for gaming. SteelSeries has put a fair amount of development behind its Arctis app<\/a>, with nearly 200 game-specific profiles designed to highlight the sounds you\u2019d want to hear in each game.<\/p>\n

I tried this out in my go-to competitive game, Overwatch 2<\/em>. With this profile, the more bassy tones were somewhat muted. Meanwhile, the higher-pitched sounds\u2014like, say, a Tracer\u2019s footsteps\u2014stuck out way more than they do on my usual headsets. I won\u2019t claim that the GameBuds gave me superpowers, but the subtle footsteps of a flanker behind me now sounded like lightning striking next to me.<\/p>\n

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