ARC II GAMING Open Ear Gaming Earbuds

Prefacing this review with several things here. I got these off the Sony website to use my student discount so my price point is closer to $150 and that’s the frame of reference.Details are below, but here’s the TLDR: These have the best lifestyle features of any pair of gaming headphones, period. I can use these for gaming and anything else. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A 2.4 GHZ CONNECTION, these are fantastic. They do not do anything perfectly, but they offer a great gaming and lifestyle experience with minimal sacrifices for either use case. I dont know if they are worth the price but if you are in the user demographic this is probably the best one.Based on my personal experience and what I’ve read from other reviews, many reviewers compare these to a full-sized gaming headset or their favorite wireless earbuds when it is neither. In the category of wireless gaming earbuds, 10/10.Pluses:1. Im getting the same experience as my other headphones without losing any of the gaming features. I can game and still get the same experience as my favorite pairs of earbuds. Noise-canceling, sound quality, size, looks like normal headphones.2. Noise cancelling is great. I have noise cancelling on my big headset but I dont even know I have it because its not very good. I share a space with my brother and hes been complaining that i dont respond to him unless he is right behind me. I didn’t know how much of a difference it makes until I’ve experienced it. I love having it. I can say its better than the Linkbud S at least because I cant hear anything with the arc3 buds, I can hear the gym around me with the Linkbuds.3. Multipoint connection, again this is a feature I didnt know I wanted till these headphones. I can pair my phone with Bluetooth and still game with the 2.4 and it switches automatically when I get a call. Never had this feature before, LOVE IT. I also get up from my desk frequently for random reasons, so being able to switch to Bluetooth mode and use it w/ my phone while I walk around is so nice. I would normally switch to another pair of headphones, but I dont have to on these. It’s such a lifestyle upgrade. My understanding is that the Bluetooth they use is only compatible with certain phones but I love it anyway. Your experience may vary.4. Also for lifestyle, I have a standing desk that ill use I can’t use my gaming headsets with that, but I absolutely can with these. Especially with the low latency I can game on the treadmill. Very specific use case but it makes a difference.5. The battery is great, I use these for longer sessions than my gaming headsets and I dont need to charge them as often because I can plug in the case while im gaming without losing anything from my experience. I have never had them run out of battery while i was gaming where I have this problem all the time with my other headset. Again, very slight detail but I LOVE IT. Also having a reminder to charge my case from the arc3 software is the cherry on top.6. Doesnt look too “gamery” I use these for video calls for school/ interviews. They look professional enough. If I didnt have headphones for my other machines I could see myself changing between them all the time.I dont have many cons but here they are.1. Full price is a hard sell partially bc I have an expensive gaming headset that is working well (Artis 7) . The only reason I bought these was because I got the black Friday deal AND the student discount. For $200 It’s very premium BUT it’s objectively the best gaming headset experience I’ve ever had.2. USB C… Okay props to you Sony for future-proofing. I get it but my system doesn’t have a USB C port, I have a dongle but still… Include a dongle.3. Case is massive. Im not moving it around but still, it’s gross. Im sure there’s a reason but it’s a reason I dont move them around.4. Chat mode and mic… I just disabled it out the gate. I don’t use it anymore because I have a separate mic but I’ve heard people complain. It’s valid but doesn’t ruin the headphones for me at all. If that’s a big issue for you there it is. It looks like people are really making this a big deal, it wasn’t for me but fair is fair.

These are great for gaming and even better for work. No bluetooth connection required which is fantastic for quickly swapping between devices. Sound quality is great and the noise canceling works very well (sorry, not as good as quiet comfort Bose). Only drawback is having to “program” the headphones but that only has to be done once. Price seems high but compared to others at the price point, nothing really compares.

Great for the ps5👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾