Similar to the Arctis 9X, the new Arctis 9 headset boasts "dual wireless" for us PC and PlayStation users, but as a loyal Arctis 7 user, I wasn't sold until I tried it myself.
I'm a wireless headset fanatic. Ever since the day I switched to an Arctis 7 back in 2018, I've been hooked on wireless. I haven't rolled my chair over a cable in years, and I frequently pace around while on work calls, or stay chatting with my friends in Discord when I go grab a drink between games.
So when I started using the Arctis 9, I was excited at the prospect of a new wireless headset, but wasn't sure if it would really be much of an upgrade from my beloved wireless Arctis 7, since I figured I wouldn't take much advantage of the simultaneous Bluetooth feature.
Using 2.4 GHz wireless on Arctis 9
Since Arctis 9 uses the same low-latency wireless that the Arctis 7 does, I happily worked, played, and listened to music all day connected wirelessly to my PC.
I had mostly forgotten that my headset even had Bluetooth for awhile. It wasn't until a friend called to chat one night that the appeal of Bluetooth finally clicked for me.
Using Bluetooth on Arctis 9
As I was fumbling to hold my phone against my face, I realized how foreign it felt to talk for extended periods of time on a cell phone. It takes up a hand and becomes cumbersome, so much so that I will usually just put the person on speaker so I can hear them better (albeit with speakerphone quality...)
No wonder folks use Bluetooth headsets to take phone calls, I thought to myself. Wait...
"Hang on, I want to try something", and pressed the Bluetooth button on my headset. Just like that, the Arctis 9 showed up as a Bluetooth device on my Pixel and I connected.
Suddenly I was having my phone conversation with the wireless ease that I am used to from my PC. I could leave my phone out of hand, and pace around while chatting, with the wireless ease that I am accustomed to on PC. It was kind of a "duh" eye opening moment. Now my wireless home base isn't limited to my PC...with my phone, it can be anywhere.
A few days later, the Bluetooth "aha" moment hit me again when I stopped gaming to go lay down and watch a video on my phone, and then realized I could just press the Bluetooth button, and bam, clear wireless audio from my phone, just like that. I'm not much of a mobile gamer, but this headset has me ready to go full gamer mode from the bathroom.
Simultaneous dual wireless
This is where Arctis 9's "dual wireless" functionality really shines. With my newfound realization that I could get wireless audio from my PC and phone using the same headset, I realized that I no longer need to take off my headset to take a call, and can even talk on the phone while still hearing my PC audio, which is awesome for multitasking.
Being put on hold by Comcast might be just a little more tolerable if I'm playing Terraria at the same time. I can chill in Discord while watching a video on my phone, or play a PS4 game while listening to an audiobook. It feels like there's a whole new world of stuff to listen to now, simultaneously 😊
In conclusion, the Arctis 9's dual wireless capability is a really nice upgrade for any PC or PS5/PS4 user, especially if you're more remote than usual these days. It's certainly my new go-to headset!
P.S. The Rival 3 Wireless mouse also has dual wireless capability.
