I’ve been gaming for a long time. I was there for the LAN parties, the dial-up connections, and the beige towers that weighed a ton. Now, at 40, I stream on Twitch. It’s a hobby that I enjoy, and my philosophy remains the same as if I were a pro-level streamer: the gear has to work. It needs to be reliable, functional, and comfortable for the long haul. Style is a bonus, but it never trumps substance. So when Razer announced the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro, finally making their iconic headset wireless, I was intrigued. It’s a headset with a massive on-camera presence, but could it deliver the no-nonsense performance a veteran gamer demands? After spending considerable time with it, I can say it’s a headset that gets so much right on the surface, only to be betrayed by a deeply flawed software experience.

Pulling the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro from its box, there’s an immediate sense of refinement. This isn’t the same headset that first launched years ago. The design is sleeker, the earcups are a bit slimmer, and the cat ears are now a fixed part of the frame, which feels more premium than the swappable novelties of the past. Razer clearly understands its audience spends hours with these on their head, and the comfort reflects that. The earcups now swivel, providing a much better fit, and the memory foam cushions are plush and create a solid seal against background noise without clamping down too hard. I can get through a four-hour stream without any major discomfort, which is more than I can say for many of its competitors.

The audio performance, for the most part, is excellent. The 40mm TriForce Titanium drivers deliver a sound profile that is punchy and clear, perfect for the chaos of a modern shooter. Explosions have weight, but they don’t drown out the critical high-frequency sounds of enemy footsteps or reloads. The real star of the show is the THX Spatial Audio. It creates a wide, convincing soundstage that gives a genuine sense of directionality. In games where positional awareness is key, this is a legitimate advantage. While some might see the move from the previous generation’s 50mm drivers to these 40mm ones as a downgrade, I see it as a smart trade-off. The superior virtual surround sound processing provides a more tangible benefit than a slightly larger driver ever could.

As a streamer, my voice is just as important as the game audio. Razer claims the new retractable Super Wideband microphone is “broadcast-quality,” and while that might be a bit of exaggeration, it’s impressively clear. My voice comes through to my viewers and teammates with a natural, full-bodied tone that’s a significant step up from the tinny sound of many headset mics. It’s perfect for streaming without needing a dedicated desktop microphone.

The headline feature, of course, is that this Kitty is finally wireless, and the tri-mode connectivity is a massive win. The low-latency HyperSpeed connection has been absolutely rock-solid for me. In all my hours of testing and streaming, I have not experienced a single dropout or moment of interference, which is the bare minimum I expect from a pro-tier product. The other major draw is the stream-reactive lighting. Linking the headset’s Chroma RGB to my Twitch channel through the companion app is a neat trick. Having the ears flash a specific color for a new subscriber is a fun bit of visual flair that my community enjoys. You can even have the ears flash or change color due to certain game events with Razer Chroma RGB.

The Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro is a product with a fantastic vision, loaded with features that are genuinely useful and appealing to gamers who stream. Its refined design, featuring the iconic cat ears and comfortable memory foam earcups, is built for marathon sessions in front of the camera. The liberation of tri-mode wireless connectivity is a massive quality-of-life upgrade, allowing for untethered freedom during a broadcast. At its core, the headset’s true appeal lies in its unique stream-reactive Chroma RGB lighting, which transforms it from a simple peripheral into an interactive tool for community engagement. The headset is available in black, white, and pink colorways and is available now for $179.99.

Overall Score 4 out of 5

Pros

• The headset is very comfortable for long sessions.
• THX Spatial Audio provides great positional sound.
• The wireless connection is stable and reliable.
• The stream-integrated lighting is a unique feature.

Cons

• It is not compatible with Xbox consoles.