Finally, the oversized fabric earcup cushions exaggerate the headset’s form and finish off a look that genuinely wouldn’t be out of place in a Richer Sounds showroom. Tiny gold detailing around the earcup hinge really sets off the otherwise blacked-out colour scheme, and we even like the pin-sharp RGB Corsair logos on the upper corners of the earcups. Like that wasn’t fancy enough, Corsair puts some padding on the elasticated headband too, which is finished in a nice soft pleather. There’s a bit of the Arctis about it, too, with a ski-goggle-style elasticated headband on the underside instead of the traditional padding mounted directly to the headband frame. The mix of construction materials and finishes is exemplary, and we particularly like the rubberised finish on its chunky headband.

Let’s be upfront about this: we absolutely love the visual design on show on the HS80 RGB Wireless. A handy feature to have, and effectively it bullet-proofs itself from signal dropouts in competitive gaming scenarios.

There’s also Bluetooth connectivity to back up the wireless connection, and that lets you use the Arctis Pro headset pretty easily with your phone, tablet, or laptop without taking up any USB slots. Clear win for Steelseries there, even with older hardware. That means you’re never without charge, and never need to plug the headset in. You can set the levels of everything from mic sidetone to chat mix, cycle EQ presets, and in our favourite feature of all, the swappable battery slots into the base station itself ready to be popped into the headset as soon as the other one depletes. There’s a lot more to fiddle with on the Arctis' base station than Corsair can compete with via its limited physical controls, though. Not only does it sound thin next to its rival, but it also looks and feels much flimsier despite its retractable design, which is, admittedly, very convenient. The mic - never a strong suit of the range - might actually lose out to Corsair’s HS80 on all fronts, though.

Steelseries arctis wireless