Eons ago, I I worked in retail gaming headsets (among other things) back in the PS3 days. Even back then, I was annoyed by the fact that most headset manufacturers were releasing virtually identical versions of the same headset, differing only in their compatibility with the Xbox or PlayStation. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless may not be the first headset to put an end to this particular problem, but it’s my favorite.
The crux of this particular issue lies in how different console manufacturers handle wireless audio. Bluetooth is the default for wireless audio on most devices, but there’s just enough latency for gamers to notice. Especially if you’re playing competitive online games, where split-second timing matters.
Microsoft and Sony both have their own proprietary wireless audio systems to address this issue, but, surprise, they’re not interoperable. Worse yet, it’s generally too expensive to bother adding support for both in a single headset, as most gamers tend to have either one console or the other. Fortunately, the Arctis Nova 5X Wireless has a practical solution to this problem.
Enter the dongle
The Arctis Nova 5X headset is designed for the Xbox Series X/S (as the “X” in its name suggests), but the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle has a little switch that lets it toggle between Xbox compatibility and… everything else. You can use this headset with your PlayStation 5, Nintendo SwitchPC, and even your phone, just by plugging this little guy in.
Photography: Eric Ravenscraft
This isn’t the first SteelSeries headset to feature this feature: my previous Xbox gaming headset recommendation, the Arctis Nova 7Xincluded the same dongle. However, it is still rare for most wireless gaming headsets to support such a wide range of devices. More often than not, the Xbox is the only item on the compatibility list.
Additionally, the Arctis Nova 5X Wireless has a separate Bluetooth connection, allowing you to pair it with your phone or other devices to answer calls, listen to music, or put on your favorite podcast. While the 7X can play audio over both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz at the same time, the 5X only lets you listen to one or the other, though there is a handy button on the right earcup to switch between the two. In my experience, the transfer was nearly instantaneous. While this won’t help you listen to music while you game, it’s incredibly useful for switching tasks.
More power
The Arctis Nova 7X Wireless has been a strong contender for a while, but the 5X’s battery life puts it to shame. SteelSeries claims about 60 hours of battery life on a single charge (compared to less than 40 on the 7X), though that can be quite short if you switch to Bluetooth mode. In my testing, I was able to get close to 40 hours of battery life in mixed usage, which is still longer than most (though not all) gaming headsets on the market.
The headset also supports fast charging via USB-C, and it gets impressive battery life in just 15 minutes of charging. SteelSeries claims you’ll get six hours of gameplay from such a short charging session. I put my device on the charger and stepped away long enough to make a sandwich and watch a quick episode of a show. By the time I got back, it was close to 50%, which was more than enough to get me through the rest of the day and then some.
The Arctis Nova 5X is also the first SteelSeries headset to support its new companion mobile applicationI say “first” not because SteelSeries has promised to support other headsets, but because I really hope it does. SteelSeries GG App for PC can be a powerful tool for customizing your game’s audio, but I found the companion app simpler and more enjoyable to use.
