Welcome to Game Mode, our new hub for home cinema enthusiasts and hi-fi fanatics who also strive for picture and sound perfection for their video games.
We've been discussing the benefits of HDMI 2.1, trying out the latency on the top premium projectors, and dabbling in Dolby Atmos gaming for quite some time, so it only feels natural to dig a bit deeper and scout out the best products, settings and tips to help your games look and sound incredible on your home cinema set-up.
We're kicking things off with a premium pair of gaming headphones. Meet the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite.
At £600 / $600 / AU$1349, it's hard to deny that these headphones are anything but super premium. For reference, they cost more than the Apple AirPods Max 2 and Sony 1000X The Collexion, and they're only marginally cheaper than Bowers & Wilkins' PX8 S2 premium noise-cancelling cans.
So, do these headphones justify that high asking price? I've been putting them through their paces with some seriously intense gaming sessions over the last couple of months to put them to the test – these are just the sacrifices I make...
Game changing sound...
These headphones tick a lot of boxes for me. For reference, I've been using the Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless Headset since 2020, so these premium cans were quite the departure.
To contextualise, that's sort of like upgrading from a Volkswagen Golf to a Rolls-Royce.
Everything feels more premium, from the luxurious aluminium yokes to the memory foam ear cushions covered in a smooth vegan leather-style material; comfort is an immediate A+.
SteelSeries also justifies that sky-high price tag with an extensive list of features, including a 40mm driver, made from a two-piece design that features a carbon fibre drive unit with a brass surround in each earcup.
The headset also supports an extensive list of spatial sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS. SteelSeries claims that they're the first gaming headphones on the market to support Hi-Res and Hi-Res Wireless audio, with support for signals up to 96kHz/24bit.
The headphones themselves are only half the magic, as SteelSeries also includes a rather impressive wireless receiver called the GameHub in the box.
Outfitted with a small OLED display, it can show detailed audio signal information, adjust settings, and it even has a spot to charge a spare battery, meaning your headset is essentially never out of charge – I don't mean to be dramatic, but I don't know how I ever lived without this feature.
There's also a feature called OmniPlay, which allows you to physically connect up to three consoles (or two consoles and a gaming PC) at one time, plus a smartphone or handheld system via Bluetooth.
I also can't forget to mention the Arctis app, which unlocks a huge array of game-specific EQ settings that have been created by SteelSeries' team of sound engineers in tandem with developers and pro-level gamers.
It's worth mentioning that this is my first time using a gaming headset with active noise cancelling (ANC), too. I wouldn't call it game-changing for day-to-day use, but I do see the appeal for those who like to "lock in" with absolutely no distractions.
However, what you're really here to find out is if these headphones justify their price tag when it comes to sound quality. After playing a whole host of titles, including (but not limited to) Grand Theft Auto V, Marathon, Battlefield 6, Rainbow Six: Siege and Forza Horizon 6, I think they're really quite impressive.
With large-scale action games such as Battlefield 6, the Arctis Nova Elite sounded hugely spacious and placed me right in the centre of the action, and yet they remained impressively precise when needed for competitive Marathon matches.
The engines of muscle cars in Grand Theft Auto V growled with an extra layer of texture and low-end rumble, while spent bullet casings clinked upon the ground with a pleasing sparkle in Rainbow Six: Siege.
So far, so good. However, it's not all perfect.
During a session of Forza Horizon 6, it felt as though the headphones leaned towards a fairly zingy and bright presentation. In our experience, gaming headsets tend to be tuned this way on purpose, so it's not necessarily an issue that's exclusive to the Arctis Nova Elite.
In some ways, it can be useful, as the pronounced treble does a great job of drawing your ear to subtle sounds. A key example is being able to hear far-off gunshots and nearby footsteps in Marathon; in this regard, the Nova Elite has truly helped me improve my situational awareness, and I'm willing to bet that it's helped me come out on top during several intense firefights.
However, the audiophile purist in me does make me wish that they were tuned slightly more neutral at times, as cinematic single-player games can sound somewhat flavoured.
I also found that a lot of the top-end features require you to hook these cans up to a PC. As someone who does practically all of their gaming on a PS5, it was a shame that I couldn't squeeze all the features out of this pricey pair of headphones. However, to cut SteelSeries some slack here, that's more of an issue with the PS5 than anything else.
Should you buy them?
These aren't your traditional hi-fi headphones, and they're certainly not an investment you should take lightly, but I do think that these are ultimately a rather impressive pair of gaming-focused headphones.
With a bucket-load of features, a high-quality and comfortable build, and crisp, detailed and spacious sound, it's hard to pick faults. The hot-swappable battery is a genuine game-changer, too.
That being said, those who prefer a more neutral sound may prefer something a little bit more traditional. Plugging in a pair of the best headphones directly into your controller will likely yield a more authentic sound; however, that involves being tethered by a cable.
It's also worth noting that SteelSeries has recently launched a step-down model in the form of the Arctis Nova Omni, which appears to share many features with the Elite at a lower (but still considerably premium) price tag.
But if you are a serious gamer who takes competitive matches seriously, or you want a pair of headphones that don't compromise on the features front, then the Arctis Nova Elite are a mighty fine option.
MORE:
Read our full Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless Headset review
As well as our picks for the best gaming TVs
PS5 vs Xbox Series X: which console is right for you?
