Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (PS5) review: The go-to PlayStation 5 headset
DexertoThe Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition is the perfect PlayStation 5 partner and ideal for anyone who wants a no-muss, no-fuss headset for their Sony console.
Razer’s back catalog of gaming accessories is littered with headsets. Even the BlackShark V2 lineup alone has multiple gaming headsets to its name, each designed with key hardware support in mind.
The BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition is almost identical to other headsets in this lineup, if not for its new white colorway. While we’re more than familiar with the 2023 model, the V2 Pro White Edition is designed to be fully supported for the PlayStation 5 and bring that expected V2 Pro Razer quality to the Sony console.
Through the months spent with the headset, I set out to discover if the BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition is worth the attention, or if your PS5 is better off getting well acquainted with more affordable alternatives.
Key specs
- Connectivity: 2.4Ghz HyperSpeed Wireless w/ dongle & Bluetooth
- Driver diameter: Razer TriForce Titanium 50mm Drivers
- Frequency response: 12Hz – 28 kHz
- Weight: 320g
- Battery: Up to 48 hours on PS5 (Up to 70 on PC)
- Compatibility: PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Mac, handhelds with Bluetooth support
- Features: Spatial audio support, Detachable microphone, PlayStation Tempest 3D Audio on PS5, Smart switch button, volume dial
- Price: $199
| PROS | CONS |
| Lightweight | Bulky design |
| Simple setup | Expensive |
| Detachable high-quality microphone | No storage case |
| Comfortable foam padding | White Edition subject to dirt & markings more easily |
| Stylish design | |
| Height adjustable earcups |
Design
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition oozes quality. This version of the V2 Pro is incredibly eye-catching in its bright colorway, especially against the sea of all-black gaming headsets. However, the headset’s finely stitched leather headband is exceptionally a sight for boring-gaming-headset sore eyes.
The V2 Pro is also adorned with ‘Razer’ branded lettering, embossed across it, which only adds to its impressive stylish look. The classy aesthetics of the gaming headset continue from there, with the white color scheme being present across the hard-plastic ear cups and sections of the detachable microphone.
Dexerto
While great to gawk at, the headset does feel a little bulky. The underside of the left ear cup plays host to its charging port, power button, click-in mute button for the detachable microphone, and its ‘smart switch’ button. These are all neatly confined to the underside of the earcup, but its volume dial is left sticking out.
It’s not a surprising design choice, as the 2003 model has it too. However, I can’t help but wonder if a volume wheel, like that found on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P headset for the PS5, would have been a better choice. Instead, each time I pick up the white headset I’m regularly reminded of Frankenstein’s Monster with his equally distracting neck bolts.
The rest of the headset keeps up the stylish vibes. The headband is padding out with black breathable memory foam, as are both of the earpads. Even though Razer opted not to use a leather-type fabric for these, unlike on other headsets I’ve used, it doesn’t have that scratchy feel to them. Instead, the ear cushions are soft to the touch (and to my ears).
Features
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition comes with everything you need. (Besides the PS5 of course.) Just like the 2023 version, the headset is boxed with the removable Razer HyperClear Super Wideband microphone, the USB Type-C HyperSpeed wireless dongle, a USB Type A to Type C cable for charging, and of course, the headset itself.
Hyperspeed wireless dongle
Setting up the dongle is a breeze. The Hyperspeed wireless dongle plugs right into one of the USB ports on your PlayStation 5. From there on, all I had to do was press and hold the power button until the only LED on the headset turned green. Afterward, my PS5 automatically registered its audio through the headset.
If you prefer to play your PlayStation games through a headset, having the dongle attached will always place the audio output through it at startup. This can be annoying if you boot up your PS5 to catch up with season three of The Bear only to realize the audio isn’t coming out of your smart TV.
However, you can circumnavigate this with a quick change of the audio source via the PS5 shortcut toolbar.
The headset does offer the option of Bluetooth. However, if you’re planning on just using it only with your PS5, like its namesake, then the dongle is more than reliable to provide a lag-free 2.4 GHz connection.
Through my multiple weeks of using it, never did the connection drop, nor did I experience any lag. Whether it was catching up with Dead by Daylight, or finally picking up Dave the Diver, the connection was flawless.
Performance
The Razer TriForce Titanium 50mm Drivers packed a punch, whether I was listening to the high-energy soundtrack of the battles to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, or the PS1-inspired nuances of the music by Ockeroid found in Crow Country.
They didn’t provide the full highs and lows of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P headset, and there was some distortion when the volume was maxed out.
While the headset is equipped with Advanced Passive Noise Isolation, I was still hyper-aware of sounds around me, including being able to fully hear my partner playing Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle in the same room.
However, the V2 Pro’s audio still sounded crisp in all the right places. All the nuances of the grotesque monsters in Crow Country felt all the more terrifying.
As I finished up the indie horror and finally took to finishing off Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the Japanese streets of Isezaki Ijincho came alive through the decked-out drivers.
Better yet, hooking up the headset via Bluetooth to my Steam Deck, was not only super easy to do but also sounded top-tier. I opted for testing out the headset through my 100th playthrough of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and I was not disappointed by how the V2 Pro powered through Utada Hikaru’s ‘Simple and Clean’ for the game’s FMV opening.
Microphone performance
Even where the most high-tech gaming headsets are concerned, there are always going to be caveats with their gaming microphones. If you want the best audio possible, picking up a condenser mic and a Focusrite PA system will be your best bet. That being said, the super wideband mic of the V2 Pro gets the job done.
DexertoFriends remarked on how clear and conscious I sounded through the mic when using it through Discord chat. The mic quality ended up being so popular in my household, that my partner commandeered it for Helldivers 2. Listeners remarked on the better-than-average sound quality, even through the repetitive screams and laughter.
Its unidirectional pick-up pattern isn’t ideal for podcasts, or likely even streaming as it only picks up your voice ideally from one key spot. Yet, it still provided a nice clear, and booming quality to my voice that was perfect enough for gaming sessions. It’s detachable nature made it easy to store away when I wanted to enjoy the horrors of Crow Country alone.
Should you buy the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for PS5?
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition gaming headset is still the excellent gaming headset we’ve come to expect. If you’re just as obsessed with your PlayStation 5 as I am, then it’s even better thanks to its streamlined connectivity to the white pixel-pushing beast.
In the months I’ve spent with the headset, its miraculous battery life has lasted multiple hours. Even after spending weeks on end playing the PS5 and Steam Deck, it easily lasted the 48 expected hours and then some.
DexertoIts $199 price point does make it hard to recommend to everybody, especially with cheaper 2.4 Ghz dongle headsets out there. Headsets that are not only compatible with your PS5 but come with extras like a storage case which the BlackShark V2 Pro sorely missed out on.
However, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition has cemented itself as the go-to PS5 accessory that I’d recommend as a no-mess no-fuss option for PS5 fanatics.
Verdict – 4/5
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro White Edition offers up all the same top-tier offerings as the 2023 model, but its Hyperspeed dongle and high-quality mic is the cherry on the cake for PS5 owners.
While there are cheaper alternatives around, the V2 Pro White Edition perfectly pairs with the PlayStation console thanks to its high-end audio, high-quality mic, and long battery life — it’s hard to not place it on the pedestal of some of the best PS5 headsets around.
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