Eons ago, I I worked at a retail store selling gaming headsets (among other things) back in the PS3 era. Even back then, it bothered me that most headset manufacturers had virtually identical versions of the same headset, differentiated only by whether they were Xbox or PlayStation compatible. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless may not be the first headset to do away with this particular annoyance, but it is my favorite.
The core of this particular issue comes down to how different console manufacturers handle wireless audio. Bluetooth is the default for wireless audio on most devices, but there is a latency issue that gamers would notice. Especially if you play competitive online games, where split-second timing is important.
Both Microsoft and Sony have their own proprietary wireless audio systems to solve this problem, but surprise, they are not interoperable. Worse yet, it is generally It’s too expensive to bother adding support for both into a single headset, as most gamers tend to have one console or the other. Fortunately, Arctis Nova 5X Wireless has a practical solution to this problem.
Insert the Dongle
The Arctis Nova 5X headset is designed for Xbox Series X/S (as the “X” in its name implies), but the 2.4GHz USB-C adapter has a little switch that lets you toggle between Xbox support and… everything else. You can use this headset with your PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, and even your phone just by plugging in this little device.
Photography: Eric Ravenscraft
This isn’t the first SteelSeries headset with this feature; my previous Xbox gaming headset recommendation, the Arctis Nova 7Xincluded the same adapter. However, it’s still not common for most wireless gaming headsets to support such a wide variety of devices. More often than not, the Xbox is the exception on the compatibility list.
On top of this, the Arctis Nova 5X Wireless have a standalone Bluetooth connection, so you can pair them with your phone or other devices to answer calls, listen to music, or put on your favorite podcast. While the 7X can play audio over both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz at the same time, the 5X only lets you listen to one or the other, though there’s a handy button on the right earcup to switch between them. In my experience, the transfer was almost instantaneous. While it won’t help you listen to music while gaming, it is incredibly useful for switching tasks.
More power
The Arctis Nova 7X Wireless were a solid contender for a while, but the 5X’s battery life puts them to shame. SteelSeries advertises about 60 hours of battery life on a single charge (compared to less than 40 on the 7X), though that life can be shortened quite a bit if you switch to Bluetooth mode. In my testing, I was able to get close to 40 hours of life with mixed use, which is still more than most (though not all) gaming headsets on the market.
The headset also supports fast charging via USB-C, and offers impressive battery life from just 15 minutes of charging. SteelSeries claims you’ll get six hours of gameplay from such a short charging session. I popped my unit on the charger and walked away long enough to make myself a sandwich and watch a quick episode of a show. When I returned, it was close to 50 percent — more than enough to get me through the rest of the day and then some.
The Arctis Nova 5X is also the first SteelSeries headset to support its new mobile companion appI say “first” not because SteelSeries has promised to support other headsets, but because I fervently hope so. SteelSeries GG App for PC It can be a powerful tool for customizing your game’s audio, but I found the companion app simpler and more enjoyable to use.