Sound high quality is clearly tremendous necessary for a PC gaming headset, as are long-term consolation, ambient noise isolation, and a microphone with clear noise cancellation. Ideally, it must also have replaceable ear pads for prolonged lifespan and a body that doesn’t creak.
All of these issues are well-known givens. But after I’m purchasing for a PC gaming headset nowadays, there’s one different characteristic that has change into non-negotiable for me: hot-swappable batteries.
I by no means even knew I’d love these a lot till I acquired my SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless 5 years in the past. It was an on-sale extravagance—a deal with to myself through the pandemic—that has opened my eyes to the wonders of hot-swappable batteries. All these years later, it has change into one in every of my favourite PC gaming equipment. Here’s why.
Who cares about battery life?
I love wi-fi devices. I’ve a wi-fi gaming keyboard and a ridiculously pointless wireless gaming mouse with a wireless charging mouse pad system. And whereas I don’t ever want to fret about charging my mouse, my keyboard nonetheless often has me reaching for a USB cable. Phones, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, and others issues with batteries often catch me out, too.
What I’m saying is, it’s a ache whenever you wish to use a tool however its battery is drained… so you’ll be able to’t use it whenever you want it.
Jon Martindale / Foundry
But with my SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, that’s simply not one thing I want to consider due to its hot-swappable battery.
When the battery runs low, it beeps. I can then come out the battery—like we used to do with cell telephones again within the day—and pop it on the charger, then stick my backup battery as a replacement. It takes about 5 seconds and I’ve a completely charged headset once more. I can do it whereas mid-game, and it’s so quick I don’t even should warn my allies on Discord. I may even do it with one hand, if I really feel so inclined.
Just just like the Logitech PowerPlay mouse pad that ensures my wi-fi mouse stays charged whereas I’m utilizing it—a giant motive why that’s additionally one in every of my all-time favourite equipment—the hot-swappable battery in my Arctis Pro Wireless is the top of wi-fi battery comfort.
Expensive, however not a “halo” characteristic
The PC house has quite a few nice examples of so-called “halo” merchandise. The sorts of devices and parts that may be wonderful to have… in the event that they weren’t priced past attain.
Halo merchandise are purported to be aspirational and make you suppose the remainder of the model’s extra reasonably priced merchandise are equally spectacular. Think alongside the strains of Herman Miller’s “gaming” chairs or Nvidia’s Titan-esque RTX 5090 graphics card. These are merchandise that merely aren’t designed with on a regular basis folks in thoughts.
SteelSeries
Hot-swappable batteries aren’t like that. Yes, they’re solely obtainable on among the dearer wi-fi gaming headsets, however they aren’t hundreds of {dollars}. The newer model of my very own headset—the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless—is just round $310 as of this writing. That’s not low-cost, but it surely isn’t prohibitive both.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Wireless has an identical hot-swappable battery design, and that one retails for round $330. But I’ve seen it on sale for nearer to $200 at occasions, making it a viably cheaper different to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless choice.
And should you’re extra thinking about headtelephones than a headset (i.e., you don’t want a built-in mic), the Fairphone Fairbuds XL are about $250.
It’s a characteristic value combating for
While I could be tempted to explain hot-swappable batteries as a “nice-to-have” characteristic, it’s really reached the purpose of a “must-have” for me with regards to shopping for future PC headsets.
But that type of places me in a pickle. I’m truthfully shocked that hot-swappable batteries in headsets haven’t caught on as broadly as I’d hoped, even so a few years on from my authentic SteelSeries buy. There simply aren’t that many choices to select from.
I’ve discovered some headsets like mine that may do what I need, however not as many as there must be. There are wonderful gaming headsets on the market with incredible sound high quality, nice consolation, and lengthy battery life, however when you transcend a sure level, all that’s virtually redundant.
Fairphone
A 30-hour battery life is helpful, positive, however in actuality, if I’m not charging it as soon as a day, it solely takes one slip-up and I’ll discover myself wanting to make use of it in the future but it surely received’t be charged sufficient. That means plugging it in and utilizing it wired or ready for it to cost, which defeats the purpose of a wi-fi headset within the first place.
Wireless headsets—and wi-fi units usually—are about freedom. You aren’t supposed to fret in regards to the tether, however a low battery warning at all times drags you again to actuality: you are tethered and at all times have to fret about protecting it adequately charged.
Not so with hot-swappable batteries. It’s simple to maintain a backup battery absolutely charged and able to go, and I can cease worrying about how a lot battery is left within the precise headset. And when it runs out, it’s simple sufficient to swap out. It’s the perfect of all worlds.
Hot-swappable batteries are priceless
I do know I stated earlier than that headsets with hot-swappable batteries aren’t halo merchandise, however I’m not so delusional to suppose that $300 headsets are mainstream. It’s past what most individuals would take into account “reasonable” for a headset. But should you are paying that a lot for a headset, then it ought to include premium options that respect that premium price ticket.
For me, hot-swappable batteries are the créme de la créme of gaming headset options. They make wi-fi work the way it ought to. They’re so sensible and helpful that I received’t even take into account a headset in that value vary anymore if it doesn’t have them. Indeed, I don’t know if I’d purchase any wi-fi headset with out them ever once more.