Unlike the Arctis 1 and 3 that only connect by 3.5mm cable, the 5 can do that and USB Type-A via the game/chat mixer. It has a slightly more full sound than the Arctis 3, and its build is nearly identical. The Arctis 5 is an RGB lighting enabled headset targeted to PC users. There’s a wired version of the Arctis 3, but also one with Bluetooth. The Arctis 3 is a significant step up from the 1 in sound, and has a bit better build with thicker plastic, but no metal.

There’s a wired and wireless version of this. The build is plastic with a bit of metal reinforcement on the frame. The sound is a bit muffled, but passable. I would rather use these for a long night of binge gaming than many of the other headsets I’ve reviewed in the past based on comfort alone.The Arctis 1 is the budget model. Each deliberate step Steelseries made with the Arctis 3 seems like a brilliant choice in design, comfort and functionality, and on that basis, these are great headphones. It supports both traditional 3.5mm and dual 3.5mm for PC, and if you need it, there is an extension wire packed in the box. That ear is also the home to the volume control and offers two spots for detachable adaptors. Attached to the left speaker is a retractable microphone piece that can actually sit inside the headset when not in use.

The fabric under the headband works like a tensor pillow tightening up as the device’s arms slide down either side of the user’s head, while the speaker cushions are soft and provide the perfect amount of padding that makes the device feel natural over the user’s ears. Surprisingly, I never wanted to take them off, as they sat on my head in a very unobtrusive manner. Underneath the headband lies an elastic cloth, and each speaker has an airweave ear cushion over the earpieces. Flashy stickers aside, the comfort level of these headphones is almost unmatched. It’s a fun little aesthetic addition that goes with the style design. Its outer shell is a hard matte black plastic that looks sleek, and packed inside the box is a pack of stickers to give them some personality. At first glance, the Steelseries Arctis 3 looks kind of basic.

Steel series arctis 3