Figuring out which wireless gaming headset is best for you isn’t easy, especially if you want to connect it to multiple devices as your one and only pair. So far, it’s only Corsair’s Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT that fits the bill, but being quite pricy at $269, it’s out of range for a lot of buyers.
Razer might just have the solution with its new headset, as this one has a nifty trick up its sleeve to bring multidevice compatibility to a friendly price point: $99.
This headset is called the Barracuda X, and it should do more things well than just be easy to connect.
Razer aimed for a simple but effective design with the headset, and it looks to tick all the right boxes: It’s very light at just 250 grams, has a removable microphone for better looks in public, the cans swivel so that it can comfortably rest on your neck, and it should have pretty decent battery life, too.
For connectivity, the Barracuda X uses a horizontal USB Type-C dongle, which may seem a little odd, but the idea is that it also fits underneath your Android phone, tablet, and Nintendo Switch without protruding out as much as other wireless headset dongles. For the PS5, or PCs with inconveniently located ports, Razer includes a USB-A to Type-C cable so that the awkward shape doesn’t stop you from being able to use the headset.
Of course, it’s still not ideal as it’s still a dongle nonetheless, and using Bluetooth with the Apt-X codec would solve not only that problem but also offer better sound quality, albeit with higher latency. However, that design choice would also significantly increase the cost — there’s a reason most gaming headsets don’t come with Bluetooth — it’s slow and expensive.
And it’s thanks to this dongle that the Barracuda can come in at a price of just $99 yet connect to PC, Android phones, the Nintendo Switch, and PS5 consoles. The Barracuda X is available worldwide immediately directly through Razer and select retailers.
