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One of the benefits of reviewing headphones for a living is playing with gear like the SteelSeries Arctis 7X. When the device launched in late 2020, I called it “one of the best gaming headsets ever made,” and the past two years have done nothing to change my opinion. The Arctis 7X is basically everything I wanted from a gaming headset: comfortable, feature-rich and compatible with almost every gaming system on the market.
What I didn’t know at the time was how useful it would be as a travel accessory.
The Arctis 7X have become my go-to headphones, which proved to be a great idea – except when it wasn’t.
After a few years of staying home for the holiday season, my husband and I are finally ready to travel again. We traveled across the country to visit my family for Thanksgiving, and are taking a more modest trip to see my husband’s family for Christmas. The Arctis 7X have become my go-to headphones, which proved to be a great idea – except when it wasn’t.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7X is on the way
If you’re not familiar with the SteelSeries Arctis 7X, it’s been our overall pick for the best gaming headset for a while. (Its successor, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7x, is now listed.) It’s an iteration on the SteelSeries Arctis 7, a wireless gaming headset that uses a rubber headband instead of plastic or metal notches. This ensured a perfect fit every time. The good sound quality, solid software, clear mic and reasonable battery life help round out the overall package.
What sets the Arctis 7X apart from most wireless gaming headsets is that it works equally well with PlayStation and Xbox consoles. To ease the complexity, Microsoft uses a wireless protocol unique to the Xbox. This is great as most Xbox wireless headsets can be paired out of the box, meaning no dongle is required. That’s scary because it means most wireless gaming headsets work beautifully with PC, PlayStation, and Switch unless you want to connect a 3.5mm audio cable.
In contrast, the Arctis 7X USB-C dongle has a simple switch: “USB” or “Xbox.” While the Xbox Series X lacks a USB-C port, it does have several USB-A ports, and the Arctis 7X comes with an adapter. I live in a house with a PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, a gaming PC, and an Android smartphone. Having a pair of headphones that work with each one is just as convenient as it sounds.
As such, when it came time to start traveling for the holidays, the Arctis 7X was the first thing I reached for. While not a small headset, it was everything I needed for work or play. Plug in the laptop so I can work while I’m away. It plugged into my Switch, so I could listen to my games on the plane. It plugs into my phone so I can listen to music on the go. The headset folds flat, so it easily fits into a backpack and long battery life lasts a round-trip cross-country flight and then some.
The night before I flew home, I plugged the Arctis 7X into my computer to charge it. And that’s when things got weird.
At Thanksgiving, the Arctis 7X was everything I hoped it would be. The clear microphone helped me connect with my team via video chat every morning. The decent sound quality was more than enough for listening to music while covering the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. After work, I jump into Final Fantasy XIV on PC, or Final Fantasy Dimensions on my phone.
The night before I flew home, I plugged the Arctis 7X into my computer to charge it. And that’s when things got weird.
A confusing battery
One of the reasons I love the Arctis 7X is that it doesn’t require a complicated proprietary charger. Any micro USB cable plugs into any suitable power source. That’s why I was shocked when my artist refused to charge 7X.
I’m no stranger to finicky cables, so I didn’t think much of it at first. I took a rope from my aunt and tried again. The Arctis 7X charging light still refuses to turn on. We went through an entire box of cables until we tried three or four different micro USBs. I tried plugging the headset into my laptop; I tried plugging it into a portable charger; I tried plugging it in with a wall adapter. Nothing works.
As a last resort, I did a factory reset on the device (which is a good trick; you simply remove the left earcup cover and press the small indented button with a paper clip) which sometimes solves battery problems. I also left the headphones plugged into the wall overnight. The next morning, it still doesn’t light up for love or money.
I came face to face with an immutable truth of technology: Your gadgets will occasionally break for no reason. I have taken good care of the Arctis 7X for two years, and I have never had any problems before. But the universe must obey Murphy’s Law, and I seem to have no way of getting through two long, loud flights with cranky engines, annoying chatter, and screaming babies nearby.
I wish I could say I got a miraculous fix as soon as the plane took off, but the truth is more insidious. I reached into my bag and found that I had a pair of wireless headphones that I sometimes use on my travels. Since both my phone and the Switch support Bluetooth, I was in relatively good shape for the ride home, although the sound quality was nothing special.
The weirdest part of the story is when I got home I dug out the charging cable that came with the Arctis 7X and decided to plug it directly into my Xbox. At this point, it just loaded, and since then it’s been working normally with every cable in my house. Why the headphones ignored my aunt’s cables, I don’t know – and I have to wonder if the problem will happen again.
Consumer gadgets — even those from relatively well-known manufacturers — are mercurial beasts, and they rarely fail when we really need them.
The lessons here are twofold. First and foremost, more headphones should follow the example of the Arctis 7X. We don’t need to carry two (or more) different pairs of headphones just because different wireless protocols don’t play well with each other.
The second lesson is that consumer gadgets – even the most beautiful ones from famous manufacturers – are mercurial beasts, and they rarely fail when we really need them. There is good gaming hardware and there is bad gaming hardware, but there is no such thing as perfect gaming hardware.
Anyway, I’m planning to pack my Arctis 7X again for my holiday trip next week – but I’ll definitely be taking my headphones again. I’d rather have a backup plan than travel all day without anything to block the noise.
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