SteelSeries, the manufacturer behind multiple of the best headsets for consoles and PC, is jumping into the nascent gaming earbuds market with the Arctis GameBuds. Slated for release on October 29, these wireless gaming earbuds sport a 2.4GHz wireless connection with a compact dongle as well as Bluetooth with compatible devices. With the GameBuds, SteelSeries has sandwiched its speaker drivers inside tiny in-ear buds with active noise-canceling tech. SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are available to preorder now for $160 at Best Buy.
Like the manufacturer's range of wireless headsets, the Arctis GameBuds come in two different models: one geared toward Xbox and PC, and another for PlayStation and PC. The Xbox edition will work wirelessly with all platforms, including PlayStation consoles. The PS5 version supports all platforms except for Xbox. If you're unfamiliar with this trend, Microsoft has a custom wireless protocol that prevents non-officially licensed gear from syncing with Xbox consoles. PlayStation, meanwhile, uses a conventional wireless protocol, which allows some "Xbox" wireless headsets and earbuds to connect to PlayStation devices.
Both models are available in an all-black design, but PlayStation users who want to match their earbuds to their PS5 console have the option of white GameBuds, too.