The Nintendo Switch has a lot going for it, but it’s no friend to wireless headphones. After launching without Bluetooth support, Nintendo eventually enabled support for wireless headphones that rely on USB dongles — a nice feature, but one that’s practically useless when your Switch is undocked. Now, SteelSeries has a solution: the Arctis 1 Wireless, the first pair of wireless cans that you can easily use with the Switch in handheld mode.
SteelSeries’ key innovation is a small 2.4GHz wireless receiver, which connects to the Switch’s USB-C port and instantly pairs with the accompanying headphones. (A USB-C to USB-A adapter lets you easily connect it to the Switch Dock, as well.) While there are similarly small Bluetooth Switch adapters on the market (like this $40 Homespot device), the Arctis 1 Wireless is a step above with loss-less and low-latency sound quality. And don’t worry, it’s a multifunctional beast too, with support for the PlayStation 4, PC and Android devices, and a 3.5 millimeter jack for everything else.
During my brief testing, the Arctis 1 Wireless sounded almost as good as the SteelSeries Xbox One cordless cans. I could hear the fine details of Breath of the Wild’s phenomenal score, and feel the impact of every critical attack in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. They fit just as comfortably as SteelSeries other entries, thanks to their sturdy-yet-flexible ski goggle mask design, and you can also remove the microphone, making them look like a standard pair of headphones.
The only major downside with the Arctis 1 Wireless is that they’re $100 — twice the price of the wired model. But for many gamers, it’ll be worth the cost to cut the cord.
Author: Devindra Hardawar
Source: Engadget
