Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console review: razes the bar
TechRadar Verdict
The latest update of Razer’s Blackshark V2 Pro brings huge battery life, better comfort, and a much clearer mic to an already formidable offering. If you’re using it on PC it’s nearly peerless at this sub-$200 price point and it’s nearly as feature-rich on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch now, too.
**Pros**
• **Battery life for days, literally**
• **Incredibly clear mic audio**
• **Beautiful stitching and finish**
• **Great sound reproduction**
• **Multi-device compatibility**
• **Comfortable and adjustable**
**Cons**
• **Missing a physical chat mix control**
• **No wired operation on consoles**
• **Synapse software required to get the best out of the mic**
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**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console: one-minute review**
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro’s latest incarnation is the wireless gaming headset that does it all, improving on its predecessor in the most important areas, and can now make a claim to be among the best wireless gaming headsets. The battery life is stated at 70 hours, and while we’ve been testing it that figure has held true. Razer’s also clearly proud of the revamped ‘hyperclear super wideband’ mic, and rightly so – it offers great clarity and body out of the box, and using the Synapse software you can push it to even higher fidelity levels. The sound quality might not be audiophile-grade, but it’s nice and neutral, and the comfort and finish really convey that this is a step up from the cheaper BlackShark V2.
**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console: Price and availability**
• List price: $199 / £199 / AU$349
• Available in the UK, US, and AUS
• UK pricing feels steep
Conversion rates don’t favor the British consumer here – the Blackshark V2 Pro for Console is a costlier acquisition on one side of the pond than the other since they’re both pitched at £199 / $199. That makes this model more expensive than the previous version, and slightly pricier than Steelseries’ Arctis Nova 7x which retails for $179.99 / £174.99. It’s going up against competitors’ flagship headsets like Corsair’s Virtuoso range and Logitech’s G Pro X Wireless ($245 / £219). Happily, the build quality and features match up favorably against even these slightly pricier options.
**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console: Specs**
• Price: $199 / £199 / AU$349
• Weight: 11.3oz / 320g
• Quoted battery life: 70 hours
• Features: THX spatial audio, dual connectivity, PlayStation 3D audio
• Connection type: Wireless (USB-C dongle), wired (USB-C, PC only)
• Compatibility: Xbox, Playstation, PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile
• Software: Razer Synapse (PC)
**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console: Design and features**
• Gorgeous stealthy aesthetic
• Great comfort
• Handy detachable mic
Razer’s esports ties with the likes of Optic, Mouz, and Edward Gaming really show through in the ruthlessly functional design of the BlackShark headset range. Gone is the battery-sapping RGB and the feature bloat, and what’s left is an MMA fighter of a headset. Not an ounce of fat to be seen across its all-black earcups and headband, although when you look closely there are nods to its premium pricing – gloss finish Razer logos on the earcups, a gloss Razer imprint at the top of the headband, and some immaculate stitching between the pleather headband upper and the cushioned fabric lower sections. We love how this headset looks, and while that’s a totally subjective take, the visual and tactical upgrade from the cheaper BlackShark V2 to this model is not. It looks and feels more premium.
The inner headband and earcups are finished in breathable lightweight fabric, and while that has implications on both isolation and sound reproduction which we’ll cover in the performance section below, it’s the right call for comfort. If you’re looking for a pair of cans to combat the sweaty summer sessions, the BlackShark’s materials and relatively light clamping force ensure cooler temps and a floating-style fit that’s reminiscent of Arctis headsets and their ski goggle headbands. Another welcome upgrade to its cheaper stablemates is the detachable mic. We always value the flexibility of using a headset with or without a mic, as it means we can take it on the road and enjoy Bluetooth connectivity as a smartphone headset without looking too conspicuous. We’ve put in some long shifts during our testing. Full race distances in F1 24; hours of Unreal Engine 5 reverie with Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2; hard-to-justify afternoons lost in Unreal Tournament ‘99; during all of them this headset felt airy but snugly attached, beautifully cushioned, and lightweight enough to simply forget we were wearing it.
**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console: Performance**
• Strikingly clear mic audio
• Less isolation than previous models
• Still stronger on PC compared to console
Into the nitty-gritty, then. This being a performance-focused product range that wears its esports creds proudly, you have to hold the BlackShark V2 Pro for Console to the highest standards. Whether it meets those standards depends on your use case. As a PC gaming headset it benefits from Synapse’s easy profile tweaking and saving, and when also being used via USB-C – so we could keep playing while we charged – it’s hard to fault this headset. But since that’s kind of the point of a review, here’s one small gripe: the physical controls lack a chat mix dial as you’d find on a SteelSeries Arctis headset. You can adjust chat mix easily via Razer’s Synapse app, but to us that almost defeats the point – you could just as easily tweak the mix by adjusting the relative volumes of your game and your friends via the game audio sliders and Discord’s output sliders. Having a physical dial means you don’t have to, and that’s the only thing we felt was missing here during our time with this headset.
Sound quality, however, is absolutely not lacking. The 50mm drivers aren’t tuned to produce a truly flat frequency response like an audiophile might prefer. But the frequency response curve is more neutral than you might expect from a gaming headset, and that gives it a great out-of-the-box body and clarity which you can dial in to meet your tastes with either the physical EQ profile switcher button on the righthand earcup’s rear, or via Synapse. Usually, we stuck with the ‘game’ EQ preset throughout, even when watching videos or listening to Spotify.
Minor point here, but shoutout to Razer’s best-in-class audio cues when you power on, change an EQ preset, or mute the mic. Rather than cryptic bleeps or 2000s-grade text-to-speech, you hear a crystal clear voice telling you the settings you’re adjusting, and that really elevates the experience of using Razer headsets. Onto the mic: it really is audibly better than both the cheaper BlackShark V2 and the previous iteration of the BlackShark V2 Pro. You notice it most on sibilant consonant sounds – ‘S’ and ‘Z’, with the wideband mic capturing more of the high-end detail here to accompany what was already a beefy midrange in the mic’s previous version.
On the product page you can hear a sample from the mic that sounds basically broadcast quality – in our experience you need to draft in Synapse and apply one of the presets to hit those lofty heights, but when you’re speaking via default mic settings on PC or console it’s still very clear and with enough midrange to stand proud of the game audio mix. The only black marks against the BlackShark, then, are that you can’t make use of Synapse’s functionality on consoles or play via a wired connection. How big a deal those are really depends on your use case – if you’re looking for something premium to use first on PC and then with as a PS4 headset or Xbox One headset, for example, this might be easy to overlook. We use this headset across all our devices, primarily on PC. In this scenario, we can certainly live with those minor console issues, but if you’re buying this exclusively to use with a console it’s more significant.
**Should you buy the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console?**
**Buy it if…**
• You’re looking for a quality multi-platform, PC-and-console headset
• The newfound multi-device compatibility via Razer’s USB-C dongle makes this a great option for PC gamers who dabble on other platforms.
• You want easy gaming audio that you rarely have to recharge
• The BlackShark V2 Pro for Console’s 70 hours of battery life is a lot. It charges back up to full capacity quickly via USB-C charging, too.
• Your gaming setup has a blackout aesthetic
• We’re so pleased Razer’s embracing a more minimalist look, and the subtleties on this all-black headset really pop.
• Your friends have been complaining about your mic
• The clarity and body on this revamped mic are really impressive, and you can push them even further via software.
**Don’t buy it if…**
• You’re a console-only gamer who hates having to stop playing to recharge
• There’s no 3.5mm connection to play over a wired connection on consoles, so when it’s recharge time, play time’s over.
**Also consider…**
If the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro doesn’t get a bite from you, there’s plenty more fish in the sea.
**Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Console review: razes the bar**
Ad creative by day, wandering mystic of 90s gaming folklore by moonlight, freelance contributor Phil started writing about games during the late Byzantine Empire era. Since then he’s picked up bylines for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, IGN, USA Today, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, VG247, Edge, Gazetta Dello Sport, Computerbild, Rock Paper Shotgun, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magaine, CVG, Games Master, TrustedReviews, Green Man Gaming, and a few others but he doesn’t want to bore you with too many. Won a GMA once.
