Why It’s My Everyday Gaming Headset
I review a fair bit of gaming gear. It’s one of the perks of the job I guess, but it also means I rarely get attached to any one product; to any one thing. As a general rule, and for the most part, a headset lands on my desk, I use it for a few weeks, gather up some thoughts, and send those comments live to the baying public. From there, it’s usually packaged back up, stored away for future reference, before moving on to whatever arrives next.
With 90% of the gear that passes my way, that’s normally how it goes.
But the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni headset? That has been a little different.
It wasn’t supposed to become my everyday headset. I’d fully expected to finish up with it, reviewing it alongside the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II, before dropping it back into its box and carrying on rotating through the pile of other excellent headsets that come to market. That hasn’t happened though.
Instead, every time I sit down for an Xbox session, pick up my ROG Ally X, or even fancy listening to a bit of music while working, I find myself reaching for the Nova Pro Omni. It stopped being the headset that I was testing, to ‘my headset’ going forward. I guess that’s the biggest compliment I can pay it, and SteelSeries.
This Quietly Becomes Part Of Everyday Gaming
Why? Well, some headsets are desperate to remind you how premium they are. They throw RGB lighting everywhere, cover themselves in branding, and have more features than you ever really need. They want everyone, and anyone, to know that you’re wearing an expensive bit of kit. We’ll blame the streaming world for that need for interaction. The thing is, the Nova Pro Omni isn’t really like that.
It looks smart, granted, especially in the Midnight Blue finish I’ve been using, but it’s most certainly understated. And that is similarly true about how it feels on the head – it basically disappears. I’m a big fan of a headset that utilises a suspended headband, and that is true here – even after some fairly lengthy gaming sessions I’ve never found myself rushing to take the headset off.
That might not sound particularly exciting, but comfort is one of those things you only notice when it isn’t there. Plenty of headsets feel brilliant for an hour before your ears start getting warm or your head starts wondering what you’ve clamped to it. And many more headsets are heavier than they really need to be, compounding the situation.
Yes, £350 Is A Lot Of Money
There is, of course, a bit of an elephant in the room. So, let’s get this out of the way. Three hundred and fifty quid is expensive. There’s no dressing that up.
If someone asked me whether they would need to spend that much on a gaming headset, I’d probably say no. There are some fantastic options available for half the price, and a few that come surprisingly close for even less. For instance, the RIG brand from Nacon always feels of a higher quality than the price they demand.
But after living with the Nova Pro Omni for a while, I do understand where the money goes. For instance, the build quality is fantastic, the plastics feel properly premium, the earcups remain as comfortable as ever – what with their memory-foamed vegan leatherette style. Nothing about it gives the impression that corners have been cut.
The Dual Battery System Is Better Than Expected
And I’ll happily admit that one part of the Pro Omni package caught me by surprise. If you’d asked me before using the headset whether a removable battery would influence any buying decision, I’d probably have shrugged. Yet I’m a bit of a convert, even if I have rarely had need to utilise that dual battery, infinite power system.
The spare battery sits charging in the companion GameHub control unit, while the other is found powering the headset itself, and when it eventually runs out, something that doesn’t happen particularly often, it’s a ten-second swap before SteelSeries have you back in the game. There’s no need to run a 3.5mm cable hanging out of the headset (although you can if you really want to), and there is no need for that awkward wait while it charges. Gone are the days when you panic, suddenly realising you’ve forgotten to plug the headset in overnight to prepare for the next day’s gaming.
One Headset For Xbox, PC, Handheld And Mobile
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni also excels in connectivity. One day it’ll be connected to an Xbox Series X via wireless and the GameHub. The next it’ll be paired with a ROG Ally X through Bluetooth. And even more, it’ll utilise that Bluetooth for mobile phone connection, running music while I’m working. Multiple connections mean you fast realise you don’t need to own separate headsets for separate jobs anymore. The Nova Pro Omni gradually becomes the one for everything.
It feels strange to get this far into a piece and not yet have mentioned the audio. But this is SteelSeries. It’s probably no surprise that the sound quality is exceptional.
I’ve thrown all sorts at these headphones over the last few weeks. The roar of engines tearing around Japan in Forza Horizon 6. The quieter atmosphere of slower indie games. Late-night sessions where I wanted to completely switch off from everything else. And yes, every, single, time, this is a headset that has delivered.
Effects, music, dialogue – thanks to the 40mm neodymium magnetic drivers it all has room to breathe, without one ever overwhelming the other. And once you add in the ANC (active noise cancellation), it’s incredibly easy to lose yourself in whatever you’re playing. Sometimes that’s exactly what gaming should be. It’s sometimes all we really want.
Perfect then? Not quite.
The GameHub Isn’t Quite Perfect
You see, I’m not totally convinced about the GameHub control system. Yes, it is clever. Yes, it allows you to connect multiple systems, charge the spare battery, adjust profiles and jump between devices. That’s all pretty useful. However, it’s only really useful if you’re sat at a desk.
The thing is, I mainly play Xbox from the sofa. That means the GameHub often sits just far enough away that I can’t really be bothered reaching for it. Most of the time I change what I need directly on the headset or through the SteelSeries app instead. And I still can’t get over the fact that the GameHub is black in colour, when the Pro Omni I’m using is Midnight Blue. Surely matching things up wouldn’t have been that big a deal for SteelSeries to initiate? Stick another £20 on the asking price and I’d happily have paid that for a colour-matched GameHub.
An Expectation Changer
All that said, the more I use the Arctis Nova Pro Omni, the more I realise its biggest strength. Nothing about it feels gimmicky. Nothing feels like it exists purely as marketing speak. Instead, every part seems designed to make gaming just that little bit easier, a little more enjoyable.
You’ve got supreme comfort. You’ve got stable wireless performance. You’ve got stunning audio. The brilliant microphone. The dual battery system. It’s a cracking package.
Then you’ve also got the price, and would I recommend everyone spends £350 on a headset? Probably not.
But, would I recommend the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni to someone who spends hundreds of hours gaming every year and wants one headset capable of doing absolutely everything? Without hesitation.
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The complete review, including specifications, feature breakdowns, images and scoring, is available over at TheXboxHub.