Asus’ new open-ear headphones are a great companion for mobile gaming

The Cetra Open Wireless isn’t like most other gaming earbuds. They’re large, with an open design that sits just outside your ears, allowing game audio to blend in with the sounds in your environment. These allow you to immerse yourself in water, but only if your environment is calm enough. Turning up the volume may allow people nearby to hear what you’re listening to.

Even if you love open-style headphones as much as I do, you’ll probably agree that they’re not the best choice for every listening scenario or for all people. However, the Cetra Open are some of the most comfortable and feature-packed gaming earbuds I’ve tried, and the sound quality — despite its lack of bass compared to more tightly-sealed earbuds — doesn’t leave much to be desired. Additionally, it comes with the best 2.4GHz USB-C audio transmitter, which is equipped with a USB-C port that allows you to charge your device or accessory while listening.

Before I started testing Cetra Open, I spent most of my time switching between SteelSeries Arctis buds and Sony In-Zone headphones While gaming, both come with active noise cancellation, a comfortable fit, good sound, and USB-C transmitters of varying sizes that make listening to games on the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 a breeze. However, I didn’t think about going back to either once I started using Cetra Open for many reasons. I’ve been playing Silent Hill F and The decline of esotericism On my Steam Deck without feeling like I missed out on great sound design. It works great with my PlayStation 5 too.

I imagine many companies wish they were the first to make the USB-C transmitter that Asus bundles with the Cetra Open, because it elevates it into a must-have gadget if you play a lot of games on portable devices like the Switch 2 or Steam Deck. However, the transmitter has its limitations, such as only allowing power to pass through – not video or data. Asus spokeswoman Katie Graeme recently said Edge It supports up to 60W of one-way charging, which is, thankfully, more than enough for modern portable gaming devices.

Audio-wise, the Cetra Open delivers a full performance with surprisingly strong bass and midrange thanks to Asus’ Phantom Bass feature (it’s on by default). I use it a lot during my work day to listen to music, but I enjoy using it more for gaming at night on the couch near my wife while she reads. I can hear the game audio at a reasonable volume and stay connected by hearing every part of our conversation, rather than pulling out an earpiece and asking, “What did you say?”

The massive case charges via USB-C (it doesn’t have wireless charging) and can charge the earbuds multiple times before running out of juice. Asus claims the speakers can last up to 16 hours per charge in Bluetooth mode with the RGB LEDs and microphones turned off (less in 2.4GHz mode, which yielded about 10 hours per charge in my testing). I only had to charge the case twice during testing, and the buds themselves charge very quickly. I was able to take it from 70 percent of its capacity to a full charge in less than 20 minutes.

The Cetra Open features multipoint connectivity as well, allowing you to connect to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously or to one Bluetooth device while connected to the 2.4GHz transmitter. Switching between sources is mostly seamless and requires no buttons, although listening through two audio sources simultaneously is not supported.

Asus offers multiple ways to adjust the earbuds’ settings when they’re connected to a USB-C transmitter. On your phone, you can download the Armory Crate app to dive into the options. On PC, you can simply use the browser-based Gear Link website – no download required. Both let you customize a range of audio and microphone settings, as well as brightness and lighting effects. You can also change what happens when you press each of the earpiece’s top-mounted buttons (custom commands can be set for single, double, triple and quadruple presses). You can also switch voice prompts between English and Chinese, or set it to play sounds instead of pre-recorded audio.

Great wireless gaming earbuds were already around before the Cetra Open. The InZone Buds and Arctis Buds are the best choice if you value earbuds that fit comfortably and active noise cancellation. However, Asus’ new earbuds are a great set for different reasons. It’s comfortable and non-isolating, and its USB-C transmitter gives you more flexibility to charge your gadget while you play.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner/The Verge