Gaming headsets make for pretty decent work headphones, as long as they don't look too over the top. If they just happen to be wireless, with a comfortable fit, decent mic, and solid battery life, that's even better. If you've been looking to get yourself a gaming headset, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Dragon edition is currently $130 on Amazon, and it's one of my most used headsets of the last six months.
Being $70 off its retail price, this is currently the cheapest we've seen this red headset variant sell for since its launch last year. In our SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless review, we praised the comfortable headband, great feel, fast charge, and affordability, and all of this remains valid two years later. However, this deal makes an affordable headset almost at a wireless budget level, punching well above its weight.
This became the headset I use in the office, partially because it was spare when I first joined PC Gamer, but mostly because the soft headband and comfortable earcups mean I can use it all day without any discomfort. The worst thing I can say about using it over time is that I occasionally get that dreaded headphone bump in my hair when I take it off.
Coming with a 2.4 GHz dongle, you can get low latency audio from your PC or console, but also simultaneously connect to your phone via Bluetooth. Once set up, sound quality is very good for its price point, especially when you start to customize EQ settings. You won't miss out on the rumble of footsteps around you, or the thunder of a sniper in your hands.
Though the battery life is very solid at just under 40 hours, it is a bit annoying to monitor as the battery life indicator is in the headset itself, meaning you have to take it off to get a read. If you plug it into a USB-C cable for a few minutes every week, that should be enough to keep you going. If it does go dry, you can get up to six hours of battery life out of just 15 minutes of charging.
One of the few points where the SteelSeries shows its reasonable price point is in the mic, which is just okay. You won't cut out in meetings and words come through fine, but it's still notable if you want a really clear mic in your headset.
However, from my handful of months with it now, its quality has shone through, and it's well worth considering at its current price.
