SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review: The ultimate luxury gaming headset?

While tech brands like SteelSeries already offer a wide range of gaming headphones that feel premium, you could make the argument that the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is the first instance of a truly high-end, luxury gaming headset. 

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is designed to serve as a do-it-all solution for console, PC, and everyday listening — offering a combination of high-fidelity audio, flexible connectivity, and thoughtful convenience. Its price is still rather high, even when discounted. That said, the experience is well and truly worth the cost — especially if you want the absolute best level of gaming audio you can get on any platform at home and beyond.

High-end design and comfort

The Nova Pro Wireless is the type of model that doesn’t scream “gaming headset” at first glance. If anything, its sleek profile, retractable microphone, and matte finish makes it feel more like a premium pair of travel headphones compared to models from other brands that focus on flashy RGB. 

As someone who normally opts for black, the white model wowed me with a clean, understated elegance that would suit working remotely in a coffee shop just as well as connecting to a PS5 at home. And if you like customisation, the Nova Pro Wireless is designed to swap its headband and twin speaker plates with those of alternative colours from Nova Booster packs. The standard silver and white looks classy, but the mint colour is my new favourite — refreshing the white headset with an extra hint of personality yet still bringing a compatible, elegant aesthetic to my setup.

As for comfort, the way that the flexible steel headband evenly distributes weight offsets some of the small inconvenience I’ve had with slightly cheaper, yet still great, headsets. When wearing the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X, for example, I’d need to quickly remove it for some small relief after about four hours. 

With the Nova Pro Wireless, I felt none of this fatigue whatsoever. So I could keep playing Gears of War Reloaded for as long as I wanted without any additional stress.

Brilliant audio performance and connectivity

The Nova Pro Wireless wouldn’t be a luxury gaming headset without being able to generate first-rate audio for gaming and other media, and it thankfully does that in spades. Like with the aforementioned Arctis Nova 7X and other models in the SteelSeries arsenal — such as the Arctis GameBuds — the Nova Pro Wireless comes in two models that either work with everything but Xbox (PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PC, etc), and everything including Xbox. 

This is due to the alternative wireless protocols under the technological hood that require a dedicated connection method to connect to Xbox consoles like the Series X and S. Where this differs in the Nova Pro Wireless’ case is the included OLED Base Station, working as a USB-connected 2.4GHz control hub for the headset — letting you switch between the dedicated Xbox USB-C connection and the other USB for devices like the PS5 and Switch 2.

With the Nova Pro Wireless, SteelSeries bundles in two USB-C cables so you can plug in both to jump from one to the other on the fly.

As for how the sound performs, the Hi-Res drivers not only provide a fuller, richer, and more detailed sound compared to most gaming headsets, but can be tweaked to your liking as well. The Base Station already comes with a range of dedicated EQ presets, including a bass boost and the ability to hear footsteps in an FPS like Fortnite, but you can also create custom presets on Sonar within the SteelSeries GG app. 

Although it feels like an inconvenience that you can’t create custom presets within the Base Station, with SteelSeries’ Arctis mobile app, it’s still incredibly handy for PC or console gamers who don’t mind a bit of back and forth. 

Console players have specific audio support of their own as the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is compatible with both Microsoft Spatial Sound for Xbox or Tempest 3D Audio for PS5. No matter which system you’re playing on, the spatial imaging feels mighty enough to accurately pinpoint foes in Call of Duty, take in the beautiful soundscapes of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, enjoy the thrill of engine revs in Forza Motorsport 5, or simply revel in the wacky music of Mario Kart World when connected to the USB port on your docked Nintendo Switch 2. 

The only caveat with a feature like the Base Station is that the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, at its best, isn’t really a portable headset to take on the go if you constantly want to use the 2.4GHz connection. On the other hand, the Bluetooth compatibility works great with handheld devices like the Switch 2 and smartphones.

The 2.4GHz connection and Bluetooth work simultaneously. So you can listen to ACDC on Spotify through your phone whilst playing Battlefield 6 on PS5, if you like.

Solid noise control, fit for everyday use 

That same premium audio from the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is made even better with Active Noise Cancellation enabled. Using a hybrid microphone array, the headset reduces background distractions like keyboard clatter or household chatter. 

I found that the noise-cancelling doesn’t shut out as much outside noise compared to my favourite Sony XM4s, at least when I’m out and about, but it’s good enough to create a more immersive bubble when gaming or binging series like Wednesday at home. 

I found the Transparency Mode is equally useful, letting you hear your surroundings without removing the headset — making it ideal for when I was watching Demon Slayer when cooking.

Clean microphone performance

As a gamer who doesn’t go multiplayer too often, SteelSeries’ extractable ClearCast Gen 2 microphone ended up being another major bonus thanks to its AI-powered noise reduction. When getting into a group chat with my friends during a Star Wars Battlefront 2 marathon, they not only said that my voice quality sounded way crisper than when I’ve used the microphone on my Razor Kiyo streaming webcam, but they couldn’t hear the background noise of the extractor fan either. 

The Arctis Nova Pro’s ability to adjust the volumes between the chat and games we were playing came in clutch as well. With some minor tweaking required, the handiness of the base station and high-quality audio of the mic mean that only a bit of trial and error is needed to get the balance right compared to other headsets.

Swapple battery system — the star of the show

The crown jewel of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset is its hot-swappable battery system. 

Included with the headset are two batteries: one to keep inside the headset itself, and one you can actually charge within the base station. You can keep playing on one battery — lasting around 20 hours each — and then exchanging with the base station without needing to turn the headset off. 

While there have been a plethora of wireless gaming headsets from various brands that boast practically indefinite battery lives, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless remains the first where you could technically keep playing forever — whilst sounding fantastic with versatile connectivity and comfort.

Where to buy the Nova Pro Wireless?

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset is available to buy at popular retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.