SteelSeries' $200 Arctis 9 headset can mix PS4 and phone audio together

Last year, SteelSeries released the Arctis 9X, a gaming headset that you could connect to both your Xbox One and phone at the same time. Today, the company is making a variant of that same headset, simply called the Arctis 9, available to PlayStation 4 and PC gamers. Once Sony releases the PlayStation 5 later this year, the Arctis 9 will work with that console as well.

The Arctis 9 features both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connectivity. You can use the latter to pair the headset to your phone and mix in audio from your console or PC. In this way, you can talk over Discord on your phone while still hearing what’s going on in the game you’re playing. There's also a 3.5mm connection if you want to connect any other audio devices to the headset.

Like its Xbox counterpart, the Arctis 9 builds on the company's popular Arctis 7 headset. It features the same distinctive "ski goggle" suspension band design and 40mm drivers as the Arctis 7. The back of the headset includes two volume dials, allowing you to adjust both overall volume and the mix between chat and game audio. Tapping the mute button will activate a red indicator light on the retractable mic, so it's always easy to know if the mic picking something up. One thing that unfortunately hasn't changed is how you charge the headset. It still includes a microUSB port, instead of a more modern USB-C connection. Rounding out the feature list is support for DTS Headphone: X simulated surround sound.

According to SteelSeries, battery life, when using both the 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connections, comes in at more than 20 hours on a single charge. At $200, the SteelSeries Arctis 9 is one of the more expensive gaming headsets you can buy at the moment. But at the same time, getting access to the company’s simultaneous audio feature on the PS4 previously meant buying the $330 Arctis Pro Wireless headset.