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Acer Nitro Headset Review

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We’ve recently had the pleasure of reviewing a monitor from Acer’s Nitro range (the Acer Nitro VG270UP), so when they decided to send us their Nitro gaming headset, it’s safe to say we were eager to see what they could offer a market place already flooded with high-performance, affordable options.

The Nitro gaming headset is a stripped-back headset tailored towards gamers on a budget who already have an interest in the Acer brand. It offers decent aesthetics and comes equipped with over-ear cups, an adjustable headband, and a 3.5mm input for mic and audio. It currently comes to the table at under $50, meaning it drops into a very competitive pool of headsets already dominated by big brands like Corsair, Logitech, and HyperX.

The big question we’ll be looking at today is; how will this headset compare to other similarly priced alternatives, and are they worth your hard-earned cash? We’ll be putting them through their paces in several different games and scenarios to see how they truly perform.

So, with all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the Acer Nitro gaming headset.

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Specifications

Before we get into any of the finer details regarding the Nitro headset, let’s take a quick look at the specifications it comes equipped with.

Inside the Acer Nitro box, we find:

  • Acer Nitro Gaming Headset
  • Manual

Specifications look a little something like this:

Unlike other similarly priced headsets that require software or plugins to be installed, the Nitro gaming headset was a doddle to set up. Simply plug the headset into the 3.5mm headphone jack and away you go.

Design

Acer has given this headset their typical Nitro branding, which I felt looked pretty good when compared to other offerings in this price bracket. The headset is primarily plastic with a thin strip of metal found in the headband as part of the adjustment mechanism. Users get around an inch to play with, and the mechanism felt robust when in use. The headset has been designed with an all-black theme accented with red throughout (ear cups and headband), which I really enjoyed.

Whereas the headband is quite large and caters to large-headed people, the ear cups, on the other hand, were quite small and sat over the ear, offering very little in terms of passive isolation – both a good and bad point. The ear cups were made from fake leather material that did provide decent levels of comfort if truth be told. Even though the cups felt soft, I’m quite skeptical about the longevity of this material. They were easy to clean, though. 

The microphone is comprised of a pliable, rubberized material that can be adjusted for a good gaming position. It rotates 90 degrees when not in use which is nice, but relatively common in modern-day headsets.

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Build Quality

As far as build quality is concerned, the Nitro’s construction and materials reflected their low-end price point. The plastic doesn’t feel overly robust, and the entire thing was pretty flimsy. The headset didn’t really offer any pressure on the ears, and they ended up falling off my head on a couple of occasions – no exaggeration. They were incredibly light in feel, which is usually a pretty good indicator of poor quality when it comes to a headset.

The cable, even though 2.2m, was made of a rubbery plastic that was extremely abrasive. A lot of today’s headset makes use of braided cable, which offers a greater life span and less resistance. Unfortunately, the Nitro gaming headset can’t boast that stat. They were forever bundling around my feet and would grip the chair and PC, leading to moments where I could feel the headset tugging on my head – quite annoying, to say the least. 

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Comfort

Another important factor to take into consideration – that we’ve touched upon briefly – is the comfort this headset offers. This is very hit and miss for me because you can see how this headset could cater to some individuals, but not others. On one side, the light feel of this headset offers a pressure-free experience that doesn’t rub or irritate the ears and head. However, for me personally (being a gamer), I want to be fully immersed in the game I’m playing. I feel a little pressure on the ear helps provide a greater feeling of immersion – something this headset does not provide. 

From a sizing point of view, this headset certainly offers plenty of room. If you don’t have the largest head, you genuinely might struggle to get this headset to sit right. Definitely something to consider if you are into your Acer Nitro branded gear. On the flip side, if you have a larger head, these are going to offer plenty of room and adjustment. The foam in the ear cups and headband was noticeable, but by no means of any real quality. When I pushed the foam in with my finger, it didn’t spring back as you’d expect. It just stayed compressed for a while before coming back to life sometime after. 

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Performance

For me, whether you’re looking for a high-performance headset for audio or a budget option for some light gaming, the main selling point of a headset has to be the sound quality – even more so when you’re looking to purchase a headset for competitive gaming

Unfortunately, in this case, that is where this headset really lets itself down.

Our performance testing of the Acer Nitro headset began by running them through a couple of our favorite titles – including CS:GO, PUBG, and COD. 

Starting with CS:GO, I could tell the difference between these and the headset I was using immediately. The highs seemed quite empty, and the mids were somewhat unsubstantial. For competitive esports, you want to hear crunchy footsteps and punchy gunfire to really pinpoint where the enemy is coming from. This simply wasn’t the case here. The Nitros did offer a little in the bass department, but again, nothing to write home about. I suppose one plus was that the Nitro gaming headset did offer decent volume levels. That meant you could crank it up to try and achieve a little bit of immersion. However, because the headset doesn’t sit tight around your ears, it’s tough achieving any level of immersion because there is so much interference from the outside world. Sadly, the story was the same for PUBG and Call Of Duty. The entire experience just felt very washy and confusing – something that really disappointed me when using these. 

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Microphone

On a more positive note, the microphone did offer decent levels of clarity and precision. Now, that doesn’t mean if you’re getting into the podcast game, you should run out and get these. But if you simply want to be heard on your local Discord channel, these are going to serve you quite well. Like I mentioned earlier, the microphone is made from a flexible material that does offer a minor amount of adjustment – that means you should be able to find a decent position for gaming. It rotates 90 degrees when not in use, and at no point did I feel it was awkward in any way.

The cable for this headset combines the audio and microphone into one audio jack cable, which makes this headset compatible with consoles as well. So, overall, a plus for the mic. 

Our Verdict

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So, is the Acer Nitro gaming headset worth your hard-earned cash? 

Well, to answer that briefly, probably not.

If you are a massive advocate of the Acer Nitro brand and you want to continue the theme, I suppose this headset is the way to go. The headset sticks to the brand theme, and it does offer good aesthetic appeal. However, if you’re more interested in build quality, sound performance, comfort, and any other factor that a gaming headset should come equipped with, you’re probably better off shopping around. There are a ton of good gaming headsets that fall under the $50 bracket – while still offering good comfort, decent sound quality, and true immersion. 

So, there you have it, our complete review of the Acer Nitro Headset. Let us know what you thought of this headset by dropping us a comment in the section below. Better still, why not head over to our Community hub where you can discuss everything headset related!

Product Specialist AT WEPC

Ben Atkins Chafer

Ben's interest in video games started as a result of his intense need to be better than his sister at something. It didn't work but it started a lifelong passion in gaming, which then evolved when he built his first PC. He completely botched it but it was fun and he hasn't stopped since. He's currently fighting an embittered battle to get even slightly competitive at Apex Legends. He has a particular interest in peripherals and loves messing around with his setup.