It has been a while since Steelseries has released a new lineup of their well-rated gaming headsets, but the time has finally come. Steelseries has just released the new Arctis Nova 5 wireless gaming headset. The Nova 5 boasts a retail price of $129.99. That’s $50 less expensive than the Nova 7 while retaining most of the features we love. More importantly, the Nova 5 is the first Steelseries headset to support on-the-fly Sonar audio presets on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S gaming consoles.
New Release: Steelseries Arctis Nova 5 Gaming Headset
PS5, Xbox, or PC models
Arctis Nova 5 Available at Best Buy
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PS5, Xbox, or PC models
Arctis Nova 5 Available at Steelseries
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For the first time, console gamers can quickly and easily select different audio presets on the fly much like their PC brethren. The new Arctis Nova 5 is compatible out of the box with Steelseries’ new mobile app. Much like the Sonar software that PC users have used to customize their game audio profiles, this companion app allows PS5 and Xbox gamers to choose different audio presets depending on the game they’re playing. Over 100 different presets are already available at launch. The way you want your audio tailored for an FPS, for example, is definitely not the same way you want your action adventure or RPG to sound. Many of these presets have been optimized by the actual devs, so you’re listening to the game as it was intended. The app installs on your smartphone and the changes you make are applied in real time. You don’t even have to quit out of your game for the changes to take effect. Currently this app is only compatible with the Nova 5, so existing Nova 7 or 7 Pro owners are out of luck.
Hardware wise, the Arctis Nova 5 looks and feels pretty similarly to the Nova 7. To keep the price point down, there are some features that are removed compared to the Nova 7. The headband is comprised of a plastic instead of steel core, probably the only downgrade that’s really worth mentioning. Although the Nova 5 supports both WiFi and Bluetooth, you can’t have both enabled simultaneously. And finally, the unique detachable earcup covers aren’t compatible.
In terms of ergonomics, the Nova 5 has the same suspension headband and air-weave cushions that makes the Nova 7 so comfortable. Sound quality is largely identical as well, thanks the the same 40mm neodymium drivers with 360-degree spatial support. Other creature comforts include a fully retractable boom mic, on-ear controls, USB Type-C charging port, and both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity. The Nova 5 does improve on the battery life; Steelseries claims 60 hours, versus the approximately 40 hours on the Nova 7. That’s really impressive and the only thing that would make it better would be hot swappable batteries (like the $350 Nova Pro). At $129.99, the Nova 5 has just about everything you’d want from the Nova 7 and leaves out everything you probably won’t even use.
We Love Steelseries Headsets
We picked both the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 and the Nova Pro as two of the best wireless gaming headsets of 2024. We also included Steelseries in our best Xbox headsets, best PS5 headsets and best PC headsets roundups. I myself own and use the Nova Pro as my daily driver after going through several headsets over the years, and it’s easily the best one I’ve used. Unfortunately, these two headsets are expensive: the Pro (wireless) retails for $350 and the Nova 7 for $180. The Nova 5 at $129.99 is a better value for most.
