Steel Series Arctis GameBuds are the first gaming headphones I actually want to buy. Sony, Razer, and Logitech all offer similar gaming-focused headphones, but SteelSeries is the only company to offer low-latency headphones with Bluetooth connectivity. And console compatibility, a mobile app with powerful per-game EQ settings, active noise cancellation, and a wireless charging case, all for $159.99.

It’s a unique combination at this price, and I’ve enjoyed it in recent weeks, even swapping out my trusted Arctis Nova Pro headset for these headphones for PC gaming. Unlike Bluetooth-only headphones, GameBuds also work on PlayStation or Xbox, so I use them for gaming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6among other games.

The Arctis GameBuds look a lot like Jabra’s discontinued Elite line of earbuds, housed in a pill-shaped wireless charging case that can deliver up to 40 hours of battery life in total. The case also includes the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle which can be connected to a gaming console, PC or phone. There’s a cable inside the package that turns it into a USB-A dongle, for those who don’t have a USB-C port.

Each earbud has a single button. Pressing the left button cycles through transparency and noise cancellation, while the right button is play/pause. You can also long press the right earbud to increase the volume or long press the left earbud to decrease it.

Switching between Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless is done in just three clicks with the side buttons and is instant. Unfortunately, you can’t use Bluetooth at the same time as 2.4GHz mode, so you can’t listen to music from your phone alongside game audio from your PlayStation or Xbox. This is a shame because many other SteelSeries headsets, like my Nova Pro, are capable of this.

GameBuds come with a variety of silicone tips to help you find the best fit for your ears, so you can get the most out of active noise cancellation mode. They use four microphones to eliminate distractions and filter sounds around you well if you’re listening to loud music or gaming, but they’re nowhere near as good as Apple’s AirPods Pro or Bose headphones. You will still hear ambient sounds if the volume is low or your game doesn’t have much audio.

Audio quality is good for $159.99, and the EQ presets let you choose options with more bass if you’re listening to music or a flat EQ if you’re listening to podcasts. There is also a transparency mode and you can control the levels of ANC and transparency modes in the Arctis mobile app. This app is by far the best part of the Arctis GameBuds because it also includes the gaming EQ presets that have become so popular and useful on the SteelSeries line of headphones. There are presets for over 100 games, and you really notice the differences when you switch between them. THE Valorant The preset is set so that it’s much easier to hear footsteps in this game, and it can honestly be the difference between winning and losing a fight because you hear the other player before you see them.

The same presets are available on the SteelSeries desktop app, so if you use them on a gaming PC you’ll be able to enjoy Sonar — SteelSeries’ excellent audio system for Windows. I hated that SteelSeries forced you to use Sonar, but it’s actually a much superior audio management system on Windows than what Microsoft offers. It even has spatial audio and AI-powered noise cancellation for the microphones to filter out things like your dog barking in the middle of a game or video call.

I use the GameBuds primarily on a PC, but it’s easy to plug the USB-C dongle into an Xbox or PlayStation as long as you’ve purchased the right version. All GameBuds models work with PlayStation, PC and other consoles like Switch. But Xbox users will have to get the Xbox versionwhich is the same price but includes an extra chip to adhere to Microsoft’s security policies as well as a slider button on the USB-C dongle to switch to Xbox compatibility. It’s disappointing that the Xbox version only comes in black; the white version is pretty.

I’ve used the GameBuds with my Xbox and the setup is seamless. Simply plug in the dongle and Xbox recognizes that a headset is connected and assigns it to your profile like any other headset. You can then control EQ settings, ANC and more from the Arctis mobile app.

The mobile and desktop apps also list battery life, which I think is almost the 10 hours SteelSeries claims. Using the ANC and microphone regularly, I averaged about nine hours, but if you turned them off, it’s closer to 10 hours. It doesn’t seem to make a difference whether you’re in Bluetooth or 2.4GHz mode.

The case has enough extra battery life to charge the GameBuds about four times before needing to plug them into a USB-C charger. You can also charge the case on a Qi wireless charger, so I was able to use the same charger that I use for my AirPods Pro.

The only issues I encountered while testing the GameBuds were with video calls on my PC. Sometimes the sound distorted to the point that the earbuds felt like they were vibrating during calls when the other person’s microphone was too high. I managed to get this under control by reducing the chat volume in the Sonar app. I also found that the 2.4GHz signal still breaks in the same places in my house as the Nova Pro Wireless earbuds. But that’s only when I stray too far from the dongle.

I wish the GameBuds had a mode that lets you change microphone inputs on the fly. I use a dedicated I’d also like to be able to use Bluetooth and 2.4GHz modes at the same time, so I hope SteelSeries continually improves these GameBuds like the rest of its earbuds. But that doesn’t mean you should buy them hoping they’ll improve in the future.

If you’re looking for something less gaming-focused with better sound quality and are willing to spend a little more, there are plenty of other headphone options. But for $159.99, it’s a great option for your PlayStation, Xbox, or PC. The GameBuds are comfortable, sound great, and offer great gaming presets that you won’t find on other headphones.

Photography by Tom Warren / The Verge