Introduction
Nowadays, it can be fairly easy to splash out on high-end gaming peripherals, as they are essential to the overall gaming experience. However, those on a tight budget need to find gaming peripherals that offer performance and features well above their paygrade. With gamers spending most of their hands-on-time with their mouse, keyboard, and headset, these peripherals are vital in ensuring the best gaming experience possible.
With that in mind, its time to take a look at a budget-friendly gaming headset from Surefire, the Harrier 360. This wired gaming headset looks to provide high-level audio at a low-level price point, but should you consider it for your setup? There’s only one way to find out!
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Suggested Article: Best Wired Gaming Headsets to Buy in 2023
Are Budget Gaming Headsets Worth Buying?
In all honesty, a gaming headset may not be the best investment if you have a very restricted budget for your gaming setup. Whilst there are plenty of benefits to picking up a gaming headset, a pair of headphones or earphones with a built-in mic or cheap USB microphone will provide a similar experience to a cheap gaming headset. Additionally, this combination is a better multi-purpose solution, meaning you don’t have to waste money on a device that is solely used for gaming.
That being said, there are a number of reasons why you may want to pick up a gaming headset, even if you’re on a tight budget. Firstly, having an audio device that can sit beside a PC or console until it is time to play games is very convenient, and removes a lot of the hassle that comes with switching audio between multiple devices.
Another advantage of a dedicated gaming headset is that they often put a greater emphasis on the quality of the integrated microphone. As a result, gaming headsets usually make it easier to communicate with other players, as you can be heard loud and clear. On top of this, most gaming headsets include a voice/chat mixer, allowing users to adjust the volume of the chat to make it easier to hear others over the game.
After weighing up some of the pros and cons of a gaming headset, we wouldn’t consider them an essential item for a gaming setup, especially for gamers with strict budget limitations. However, they are a welcomed addition to any gaming setup, providing a convenient method of communicating with friends and team-mates when playing games online.
Surefire Harrier 360 Design & Aesthetic
Turning the attention towards the Surefire Harrier 360, the overall design of this gaming headset matches the description of what most consumers would expect from a budget-oriented option. The aesthetic is kept to a fairly simplistic all-black design, with the RGB lighting on the earcups and red headband stitching providing splashes of colour.
The RGB lighting is certainly the highlight here, offering a mesmerising effect when combined with the perforated exterior on the earcups. Budget headsets tend to go slightly overboard on the RGB integration, and the Harrier 360 seems to have fallen into a similar trap. Because of this, gamers that want a more subtle headset will have to look elsewhere.
Whilst the appearance of this gaming headset is intriguing, the same can’t be said for the materials and build quality. Using PU leather for the padding, along with plastic and metal to forge the main frame, this headset is comfortable enough, but lacks the luxurious feel that would convince me to use them for a gaming marathon. On top of this, leatherette padding is very prone to wear and tear, so I wouldn’t expect this headset to be as comfortable for very long.
For a budget gaming headset, the overall design and aesthetic certainly sticks to the status quo. With the materials and heavy implementation of RGB lighting that is a common occurrence on budget-oriented designs, the Surefire Harrier 360 won’t blow anyone away. But whilst Surefire have developed everything on this budget-oriented design to the letter, they’ve done it well.
Specs & Performance
Moving onto the performance, where the benefits of this headset truly come into fruition. The sound quality of a cheaper headset can be rather hit or miss, but the Surefire Harrier 360 didn’t disappoint. Packed with 50mm speaker drivers, the audio on this gaming headset is pretty loud, allowing you to easily block out distractions and dial in on the action.
When looking at the specifications of this headset as part of our research, I was very surprised to see 7.1 surround sound on the Harrier 360, as this technology is usually reserved for more premium audio devices. Naturally, this left me rather sceptical of this claim, as 7.1 surround sound can often be used as a marketing tool.
After using the Harrier 360, there is clearly some form of surround sound technology embedded into the design, but the audio lacks the clarity found on more premium devices, making it harder to pinpoint the exact location of each sound. But as a budget option, having surround sound at all gives this headset a major advantage over the competition.
| Specifications | Surefire Harrier 360 |
|---|---|
| Speaker Driver Size | 50mm |
| Weight | 369g |
| Connectivity | USB |
| RGB | Yes |
| Surround Sound | Yes |
| Microphone Pattern | Omnidirectional |
As for the microphone, the Harrier 360 had no issues picking up my voice, with the clarity on the audio playback being surprisingly clear. However, the omnidirectional pattern of the microphone was almost too good at picking up the audio, as it also picked up surrounding sounds such as typing and mouse clicks. As a result, this gaming headset won’t be a great choice if you want to avoid your friends hearing what your family and friends are saying to you during your gaming sessions.
Features We Like
Time to take a look at some of the features which stood out during our time with the Surefire Harrier 360, starting off with the positives. Here are the biggest strengths of this budget-friendly design.
RGB Lighting
As mentioned earlier, the RGB lighting on the earcups is a major contributor to the overall look and appeal of this headset. Most premium headsets tend to shy away from adding too much colour to their designs, but the Harrier 360 embraces it. The lighting covers both earcups, shining through the Surefire logo and mesh covers to create an attention-grabbing effect that is bound to please all the RGB lovers out there. The RGB can be toggled on or off via the remote, but the lack of customisation is a downside to the pricing limitations.
Detachable Microphone
One of the most surprising design choices on the Surefire Harrier 360 is the detachable microphone, which is a pleasant quality-of-life improvement. As someone who regularly uses a gaming headset for single-player titles, one of my biggest gripes with gaming headsets is a microphone can’t be removed or tucked away, as it can be rather obnoxious when it is not in use. Luckily, the ability to detach the microphone gets rid of this issue when using the Harrier 360. Plus, the microphone is very easy to remove and re-attach, which helps users to seamlessly switch between multiplayer and single-player games.
Features We Don’t Like
Now, for the areas in which we believe the Surefire Harrier 360 headset could improve. A lot of the weaknesses of this headset can be justified by the budget price point, so the weaknesses picked focus on elements of the design which can be changed while sticking to a limited budget.
USB Connection
Whether a USB or 3.5mm Audio Jack is the superior connectivity option for a gaming headset is certainly up for debate. Personally, I’d prefer a gaming headset to have a 3.5mm Audio Jack, as this allows a headset to connect to a wider range of devices, such as a console or controller. Especially for consumers on a tight budget, being able to use one audio solution for multiple devices is incredibly useful, increasing the overall value of the headset. But putting preferences aside, a simple solution would be to include a USB to 3.5mm Audio Jack converter in the box, which provides gamers with the best of both worlds.
Built-In Controls
During my time with the Surefire Harrier 360, the most frustrating aspect of using the headset came from the built-in controls. The 2 metre USB cable used on this wired headset is quite long, which leads you to believe the relative position of the built-in controls makes sense. However, I found that the controls sat way too low when connected to my PC under the desk. This caused the controls to constantly bash against the desk whenever I moved, which also meant that I had to move the controls before making any adjustments to the audio.
And though the simplified nature of the controls makes them very easy to use, it also limits the amount of adjustments you can make on the fly. For example, the lack of a chat/game mixer makes the volume controls pretty pointless when gaming with friends, as this is usually the adjustment that needs to be made.
Additional Accessory
Surefire Vinson N2 Headset Stand
For those with some more money to spare, Surefire also kindly sent us over their Vinson N2 headset stand, which is a great companion for the Harrier 360. In a similar fashion to the headset, the practicality of this stand surprised us. With the ability to hold two headsets at once, as well as a mobile phone stand and storage space for accessories. The Vinson V2 can be placed on a flat surface, clamped over a desk, or under the desk, which makes it incredibly versatile and easy to place in any setup. Finally, this stand includes a healthy dose of RGB lighting, as well as a USB hub which can be used to easily plug in your headset and other gaming peripherals.
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Conclusion
Surefire Harrier 360
Product Name: Harrier 360
Brand: Surefire
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Features
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Design
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Sound Quality
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Value For Money
Summary
The Surefire Harrier 360 is a decent budget gaming headset, offering a strong combination of performance and comfort at a very affordable price point. Whilst this design doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it harnesses some design elements we expect from more premium gaming headsets and offers them to more price-conscious buyers. For example, the inclusion of 7.1 surround sound is quite surprising on a budget headset, leading to a more immersive gaming experience. Additionally, the heavy use on RGB lighting is bound to appeal to gamers, especially RGB lovers.
However, there are still plenty of areas in which this gaming headset is clearly limited by the budget restrictions. The main weak points in this design comes with the build quality, as the materials used are prone to wear and tear and lack the desired longevity and durability. Also, the lack of customisation will be disappointing for gamers that are used to changing their lighting effects and performance settings.
If you are looking for a budget-friendly headset, the Surefire Harrier 360 is certainly worth considering.
Pros
✅ Very affordable design.
✅ Strong audio quality.
✅ Detachable microphone.
Cons
❌ Concerns with build quality.
❌ RGB design is not for everyone.
❌ Lack of customisation.
