Whether you’re a wannabe streamer, an aspiring eSports pro, or a casual gamer who enjoys the occasional round of Battlefield, a good gaming headset is an increasingly essential purchase.

Whatever your needs as a gamer, SteelSeries has a superb selection of headsets available for all budgets.

You’ve got cheap and cheerful headsets like the Nova 1P, Wireless GameBuds that are great for day-to-day use, and higher-end options like the Nova Pro for hardcore gamers.

If you’re serious about gaming and money is of no issue, SteelSeries even has a luxury tier headset that takes premium to another level, and with a price tag to match.

We’ve spent the past few weeks testing the ultra-premium Arctis Nova Elite headset. Here are five things we love and one thing we hate about the new headphones.

What we love about the Arctis Nova Elite…

1. Connectivity

The Arctis Nova Elites have been designed to cover all bases at all times, offering support for four inputs simultaneously!

A masterclass in connectivity, the headset comes with a small GameHub device that makes it possible to play in-game audio at the same time as listening to Discord chat and playing music through a smartphone – for example.

If you’re rocking multiple consoles and a gaming PC to boot, you can have all of your systems connected at once.

While it may seem excessive to the average gamer, this is something that’s bound to appeal to streamers and content creators.

2. Style, comfort and functionality

The Arctis Nova Elites are available in two different styles, including a sleek Obsidian version, or a Sage and Gold variant that oozes style.

Unlike some gaming headphones that look a bit clunky and dare we say, ugly, the Sage and Gold Elites wouldn’t look out of place in a regular day-to-day setting, whether commuting to work or heading to the nearest vinyl store.

The good looks are further bolstered by the use of premium materials, including a set of silky soft cups that are offset by stylish metal parts for a headset that combines a comfortable fit with a strong build.

Another neat feature is the inclusion of two microphones that auto-switch when you retract the main mic. Again, this makes them great for day-to-day use and multitasking. 

3. Sound Quality

Not only do the Arctis Nova Elites look the part, but they sound absolutely fantastic.

The headset features custom 40mm Carbon Fiber Speaker Drivers, which are capable of reproducing frequencies from 10Hz to 40kHz.

Crucially, the Carbon Fiber drivers are able to reduce distortion, which results in crystal-clear sound, even when playing busy games with lots going on.

Like most modern gaming headsets, the Arctis Nova Elites feature app support, letting users select various presets for different games, all the while fine tuning the microphone settings.

Active noise cancellation is another area where the Nova Elite excels, providing a big upgrade over the cheaper Pro model.

Whether you’re letting sounds in or blocking them out, the Arctis Nova Elite is one of the best there is.

4. Future proofing

The Arctis Nova Elite is said to be the first Hi-Res Wireless Certified headset for gaming, supporting 24-Bit/96KHz transmission over 2.4GHz and Bluetooth.

This is actually beyond the capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but is supported by certain models of PC.

With a potential upgrade in technology when next-gen consoles eventually make their debut, the Arctis Nova Elite feel somewhat future-proof.

5. Battery Life

The unsung hero of the entire Nova Elite package is the battery life, which is essentially unlimited.

The Arctis Nova Elite comes with two separate batteries, each boasting around 30-hours of juice. When you’re using one of the batteries in the headset, the other is recharging in the GameHub, which means you should never be without power.

Even if for some bizarre reason you don’t store your spare battery in the GameHub to be recharged, you can expect roughly four hours of juice on a quick 15 minute charge.

The dual battery system means that battery life is pretty much a non-issue, and as long as you store it in the GameHub, you don’t really have to think about it.

What we dislike about the Arctis Nova Elite…

1. Price

As the name suggests, the Arctis Nova Elite is a premium headset made that uses the finest materials to produce the best sounds.

Needless to say, this kind of technology doesn’t come cheap.

Argos is selling the luxury headset for a whopping £599.99, which is about as expensive as it gets for a set of gaming headphones.

That’s not to say the Arctis Nova Elite isn’t worth it, but the high price point means it’s likely out of reach for most gamers.