These low-latency earbuds seamlessly switched between my devices (and they sound great)

I'd consider myself a casual+ gamer. I play most of my games on my Nintendo Switch, which typically involves me running around Hyrule to save Princess Zelda.

I am also, however, a supreme lover of music and am always looking for new ways to experience sound. Recently, I was sent a pair of Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds to review. Initially, I thought they'd wind up just another set of earbuds, but boy was I wrong.

My experience

When I first opened the Arctis Gamebuds, I only spotted the earbuds themselves. Not realizing what I had at my disposal, I pulled them out, connected them to my Pixel 9 Pro, and went about the usual testing process of playing "Analog Kid" by Rush and then going through the usual business.

At first, I was really disappointed by the sound because it was flat; and not in the way of a traditional studio monitor. These babies were dull. There was no life in the low end or high end, so much so that I didn't want to continue listening.

I tapped pause on the music and found an app. 

Insert sarcastic "Huzzah!"

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After installing the app and pairing it with the earbuds, I immediately checked out the EQ situation. To my disappointment, the process of using a custom EQ required using a different app on the desktop, creating the EQ curve, and then importing the new curve into the mobile app.

No thanks.

Fortunately, there was a metric ton of preset EQs from which to choose. Unfortunately, those EQs are all named after different games. Come on!

I randomly chose a preset game EQ: "Alone in the Dark," and all of a sudden, the earbuds came to life. There were highs and lows and just the right amount of mids to make these worthy of the music I love. And with the addition of ANC, the sound was nice and full.

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But the Artcis Gamebuds weren't done with me yet. After gazing back into the charging case, I noticed a small adapter that was about half the size of my pinky. I pulled that out and noticed a USB-C connector. 

Curious.

It was then that I understood the "game" portion of the name. This adapter is meant to plug into gaming consoles (or a PC) and then connect with the earbuds via 2.4 GHz wireless. I slipped the adapter into my Nintendo Switch's USB-C port, opened the game I was playing ("Zelda: Skyward Sword"), and switched to 2.4 GHz. After a couple of seconds, the sound of Skyward Sword was playing in my ears, giving the game new life and dimension (and stopped bothering my wife while she knits).

I loved it. I could go back to the app and select a new EQ to best suit the world of Zelda (despite there being no Zelda presets just yet). Color me impressed. 

One of my favorite things about these earbuds is that they give me the ability to easily switch between using them with my phone or my gaming console of choice. As long as the adapter is plugged in and on, I can switch back and forth by clicking the right earbud three times (it's not a touch surface but a clickable button). 

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All of a sudden, I could enjoy a vastly improved sound for my Switch without having to go through the Bluetooth setup on the console. 

ZDNET's buying advice

Here's the thing about headphones with gimmicks: they can be very niche. If you're not a gamer and you're looking for a pair of earbuds to use with your phone, I'd say you should pass on these (primarily because if you like to customize your EQ, there are much easier devices to use). 

If, however, you do switch between games on your phone and don't want to use a separate pair of earbuds for each, these are a boon, and at only $159, a no-brainer. On top of all this, the Artcis Gamebuds are actually quite comfortable; like, gaming-for-hours comfortable.

My only wish would be that Steelseries make it possible to craft custom EQ curves on the mobile app and not have to deal with creating one on the desktop app (which is only available for MacOS and Windows). Otherwise, these earbuds are outstanding in their flexibility and ease of use.

Artcis Gamebuds tech specs

Dual connectivity - between Bluetooth and 2.4Ghz wireless360-degree spatial audioActive Noise Cancelling with 4 microphones100+ game audio presetsBattery - 10 hour battery life and 40 with charging case - Qi wireless charging with 3 hours from a 15-minute chargeBuilt-in mic for callsPrice - Amazon - $159