Though they’ve diversified into every type of peripheral known to man, beast and AI construct, Turtle Beach’s legacy is still more for creating gaming headsets. The Atlas 200 is the latest to build on years of knowledge while taking clear aim at the budget-savvy buyer. It’s a winning formula, and they’ve potentially brought us the best budget headset of the year.
The main selling point for this wired headset is absolutely, categorically, irrefutably, the quality of the audio. Turtle Beach have had their drivers and audio delivery nailed down for years at this point – my go-to wired headset remains the seven-year-old original Turtle Beach Elite Pro – and this sounds as utterly fantastic as those do. The difference is that it was, at the time, the pinnacle of their product lineup, whereas you’re now getting all that audio quality in a £60 headset.
That’s being delivered by 50mm Nanoclear Drivers, which are the same as you’ll find in the top-tier £200+ Stealth Pro. They are powerful, loud and provide an excellent amount of detail alongside a hefty dose of depth and bass. They’re versatile too, taking the epic sci-fi soundtrack of Star Wars Outlaws and enveloping you in the world of Kay Vess, or making the grid-iron audio of Madden 25 feel direct and visceral.
Thanks to the 3.5mm connection, they’re compatible with a wide range of devices, from plugging into a PlayStation or Xbox controller, to the top of your Nintendo Switch 2, or into your PC. Our review unit came in PlayStation 5-matching blue and grey, and it’s a smart looking piece of kit, though if I’m being honest, I was disappointed that it doesn’t exactly match the PS5’s colour scheme.
The body of the Atlas 200 is wholly built from plastic, and there’s a lot of flex in the body and arms, which bodes well for its longevity. I was able to twist and pull it into a wide variety of extreme situations, and it simply sprang back into shape. If you’re the kind of careless headphone owner who sits down on their headset multiple times a week, this could be the answer.
The plastic used here manages to straddle the line between thin and cheap-feeling and solid and heavy, and the Atlas 200 is pleasingly light in your hand and on your head, coming in at only 280g. It’s broken up by the different fabrics that have been used. The floating blue headband ties through to the external surfaces of the headset, with each end proudly adorned with a PlayStation logo.
The headband is then further cushioned and protected by grey webbing, though I’m not entirely sold on what purpose it serves. It does feel as though, over time, this fabric portion could eventually wear, but there’s been no sign of that through our month-long testing.
The ear cushions are fabric-covered memory foam, and there’s Turtle Beach’s patented ProSpec tech here as well – those are imperceptible notches in the earpads that make wearing glasses comfortable while wearing the headset. Fundamentally, I’ve been able to wear the Atlas 200 all day without any discomfort, and they’ve continued to deliver time and time again.
I do appreciate the fact that there’s no charging involved. They’re ready to go whenever you are, and with all of the mainline console controllers now featuring a headphone socket, there’s less need to seek out a wireless headset, while you can reduce latency by going wired from your console to your controller as well. Admittedly, that might be more cables than some people want to live with, but on the plus side, you’ll never run out of power (unless your gamepad does).
That simplicity follows through to the controls. The left earpiece plays host to a single volume dial, which is smooth to operate and easy to locate. Beyond that, there’s the flip-down mic arm, which is muted when vertical and live when down. It’s a startlingly clear uni-directional mic as well – so much so that other players commented on it – and everyone could hear my extremely important thoughts as we jumped around in King of Meat or slayed another Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter Wilds.
At this £60 price point, Nacon’s RIG headsets would be my other consideration, whether that’s wired with the RIG 500 Pro range or with the wireless RIG 600 Pro for a little more cash. They both offer similar build and excellent sound quality, but I do think the Atlas 200 is the more attractive option, simply in terms of visuals. That said, the RIG 600 Pro HS comes in some seriously wild colour schemes if that’s more your thing, and is somehow lighter at 240g while also bringing wireless tech to the party.
Do you need anything more for your gaming audio than the Turtle Beach Atlas 200? It might be a budget headset, but it sounds excellent, with a sound profile that more expensive headsets would lust after, and it’s incredibly easy to live with, thanks to its simplistic controls and universal connection. If you can accept wires in your life, then look no further than the Atlas 200.
