Steelseries Arctis Nova 3X Wireless Headset Review

As the headset guy, even I get confused by the sheer number of models out there—especially when they all have such similar names. Say you don’t have an Xbox or PlayStation and want something for the Switch or Switch 2. Most headsets are branded for Xbox or PlayStation, but many do support the Switch. So, which ones are actually worth buying? 

Pricing is all over the place, especially here in Australia, where headsets often go on sale. Sometimes it’s worth picking up a premium model at a discount rather than going for a “midrange” option. The Arctis Nova 3X Wireless usually go for a couple of hundred, but when discounted, these midrange cans punch above their price. 

The Arctis Nova 3X Wireless is a bit of a refresh, and in some fresh new colours as well – we got the Aqua one, but there’s also white and lavender as well, but black too if you want to go stealth. Now you’re probably wondering, why would I have the Xbox ones? Well, long story short, the only real thing you need to know between the 3X and the 3P is that the 3X works on Xbox, the 3Ps don’t, but both will work on anything else. That includes the Nintendo Switch 2, which the headsets have been updated for (you might need to do a firmware update though). 

These are light and bright headsets. When you pick them up, they’re clearly very lightweight but don’t feel cheap at all. Some of the plastics might be on the basic side, but overall, it all feels pretty durable. The floating headband is super comfortable, and even for my fat head, with a bit of adjustment, they sit up there and just sort of melt away. There’s a good amount of tension on your noggin too. The ear cups are deep enough to help get the best sound possible out of them. They’re not the highest-end headphones I’ve ever used, no—but they’re super solid, and across a range of games, the audio was lively and clear. Music sounded good too, with a noticeable bass-heavy leaning.

There’s no custom equaliser, but there are presets you can set in the app for specific games. Over 200 games are listed, with SteelSeries tuning things so that, for example, gunfire in shooters is easier to locate. There’s even a preset for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp—I’m not sure how that one works, but it’s there. There’s no active noise cancellation, but once the headset’s on and something’s playing, it does drown out a bit of background noise. I had the washing machine going while blasting some Yello and then playing Donkey Kong Bananza, and it was totally fine.

This headset also works well as a regular pair of headphones, thanks to the detachable boom mic. Microphone quality seems slightly improved over previous models, and the added pop filter on the boom likely helps with that. All the controls are located on one side of the headset: there’s a mute switch that sits a little lower when engaged (and makes an audible noise), and a scroll wheel for volume. Oddly, changing the volume with the wheel doesn’t adjust it simultaneously in the app, which feels a bit inconsistent. The volume wheel also has a clickable function, letting you pause/play music and perform a bunch of other actions in combination with the power button.

The power button, on its own, turns the headset on and off when held—but it also switches between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth modes. Using the power button and volume wheel together for controls can feel a bit awkward though.Let’s talk about the dongle for a second. It’s nice and simple, plugging into USB-C. On this 3X version, there’s a physical switch to toggle between Xbox and PC (with “PC” basically meaning everything else). The dongle is compact too, which is great when using it on the Switch—it doesn’t stick out much. You can also plug it into the top USB-C port on the Switch 2 to avoid worrying about it getting bumped. There’s a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box as well, so you can use it with the Switch or Switch 2 dock.

Battery life is great with a promised 40 hours of battery when using it in Bluetooth mode, I’ve been using this non-stop since I got it and haven’t had to charge it once (aside from when it was plugged in for a firmware update). Also fantastic is that it’ll get 9 hours of playback in just 15 minutes of charging so if you do forget to juice up, it won’t take long to get back to it. The only thing that worries me with the lighter colours is that they might stain or get dirty more easily—but the ear cups are replaceable, so that’s always an option.

For the price, the Arctis Nova 3X Wireless is a solid piece of kit. Compared to the more expensive Nova 5 models, it offers most of the same experience at a lower cost. The smaller dongle, the included adapter, and the ability to remove the microphone and use the headset as regular headphones are all smart additions. The brighter colours are also a welcome change from the usual sea of black gaming headsets. It’s definitely one to keep on your shortlist if it fits your budget.

The Steelseries Arctis Nova 3X is available now from multiple retailers including JB Hi-Fi , for a RRP of $199.95AUD. Be sure to look for either the 3X or 3P version, as the “Nova 3” is also an older model.

Vooks received an Steelseries Arctis Nova 3X for the purpose of conducting this review.