Whether you’re exclusively a solo gamer or spend most of your time in online gaming lobbies, having a great gaming headset is only going to enhance the experience. Better immersion and communication are never a bad thing, and I almost always play with one strapped to my noggin.
After spending a few weeks with the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, I can confidently say that you should look no further if you’ve been searching for a new gaming headset, because it’s the best I’ve ever used. It sounds great, feels great to wear, and I can’t see myself switching headsets anytime soon.
Next-level immersion
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro sounds simply divine. No matter what I was playing, the headset made me feel way more engaged than I usually do thanks to not only the crisp audio playback, but also that gorgeous surround sound.
The BlackShark V2 Pro is packed with Razer’s patented Triforce Titanium 50mm drivers, which are split into three parts so they can be individually tuned for high, mid, and low tones. And let me tell you, it’s for the better — everything sounded incredibly clear and detailed, especially while playing games like Astro Bot and Star Wars: Outlaws, which both have top-tier audio design. Because the headset is also equipped with THX Spatial Audio, you can hear where sounds are coming from with impressive accuracy. Passive noise cancellation is also pretty good, cutting down on a decent amount of outside noise without rendering me completely unaware of my surroundings.
A crystal-clear microphone with one small flaw
When it comes to gaming headsets, the audio on your end isn’t the only kind of audio that matters. If you’re playing online, you’ll want your buddies to be able to hear you loud and clear, or else it could spell “game over” for your squad. I’m happy to report that the BlackShark V2 Pro’s microphone quality is great (at least according to my friends whom I’ve been playing Space Marine 2 with). My teammates consistently said I sounded crystal clear with no noticeable lag on either of our sides.
I did have one small issue with the BlackShark V2 Pro’s mic, though. While not a dealbreaker at all, I didn’t love the microphone’s detachable design, and would’ve much preferred a retractable style for portability’s sake. Sure, it’s easy enough to just pop the mic off and stow away the headset itself, but now I’m stuck holding this small appendage with nowhere to put it but… next to the headset, I guess? What do I do with this thing?
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable
An extremely intuitive headset
I always appreciate a gaming headset with on-board controls that I can play around with on the fly; the BlackShark V2 Pro’s are a joy to use due to their intuitive and simplistic nature. You get a button to switch between wireless and wired modes which is super convenient, a volume knob, a mic mute button, and a power button. That’s all there is, and it’s all you’ll need.
Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable
If there was any latency here, I couldn’t find it
Worst case scenario is when your gaming headset is laggy. If you’re playing competitively online, the response times for your audio input and output could be the deciding factor between a win and a loss, so you’re going to need something with relatively low latency. The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro has that in spades.
Even when using it in wireless mode (which connects via a nifty little USB dongle), I couldn’t pick up on any latency at all, no matter how hard I tried. At least, it wasn’t detectable to my naked ear. Neither was it to my online friends. I usually never use my gaming headsets in wireless mode because I often find it to be a more laggy experience than playing with them wired in. However, with the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, I exclusively use it wirelessly because I just can’t tell the difference.
I could wear this all day
I’ve tried out a lot of gaming headsets, and the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro beats them all by far when it comes to comfort. The headset’s FlowKnit memory foam ear cushions are soft and breathable with a padded adjustable headband to match. Even after numerous multi-hour gameplay sessions, I never felt even a hint of soreness. The build quality feels very premium, featuring a durable exterior that I think is going to stand the test of time, as well as steel reinforcement in the headband that doesn’t sacrifice flexibility.
Even the overall look of the headset is really nice and streamlined, which isn’t something that can be said for a lot of gaming peripherals, in my opinion. It still has a gamer-chic aesthetic, but gives more pilot vibes than Cyberpunk 2077 NPC. Although the exposed wiring on either side of the headband does look kind of cool, it can become frustrating when it gets caught on stuff. At worst, I could see it becoming damaged over time if the wiring keeps getting snagged on random objects (I haven’t seen any yet, thankfully), but if you just take care while storing the headset, you should be fine.
Battery life is good, not great
When in wireless mode, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro runs off a battery that didn’t necessarily impress me but didn’t bother me, either. I was able to get about 20 hours on a single charge before switching over to wired mode, which ended up being a pretty seamless experience when using the SmartSwitch button on the side of the headset. No gameplay interruptions when your headset runs out of juice, here.
Is the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro gaming headset worth it?
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is absolutely worth the buy. Although $199.99 isn’t cheap for a gaming headset, the value you get for your money here is just fantastic. The shortcomings are few and far between, and the headset’s combination of comfort, quality, and style in one package certainly justifies the investment.
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