68 PCWorld JULY 2020REVIEWS RAZER KRAKEN X
vying for budget-conscious buyers in recent
years. The Kraken X boasts a few advantages
over the competition though, including
rudimentary 7.1 support and the classic
Kraken look.
It’s still not an amazing headset, mind
you—but for $50? You could do (a lot) worse.TAKING ANOTHER
CRACK AT IT
I’ve said in the past: Just because you want a
cheap headset doesn’t mean you want a
cheap-looking headset. Luckily, Razer
understands that sentiment better than just
about any other manufacturer. The Kraken X
may sell for only $50, but it looks near-
identical to its full-price predecessor. Jetblack, with the same metal mesh and three-
headed snake logo on the ears, the Kraken X
blends right in with the rest of Razer’s
headsets.
Only the details differ. For instance, the
Kraken X’s microphone is unable to retract. A
huge deal? No, not really. It’s not like you’d
want to take the Kraken X out of the house
even with the microphone removed. That
single change wouldn’t magically make it look
less like a gaming headset. But I prefer having
the option to get the microphone out of my
face, either by retracting it, flipping it up, or
detaching it entirely. With the Kraken X, the
microphone is always there in your peripheral
vision, and that can be annoying at times.
Razer also cut a few corners on build quality.
The Kraken X headband is plastic
all the way through, without the
faux-leather trim or the metal
reinforcement that underpins the
standard Kraken. It’s also less
padded, with only a thin layer in
the center of the headband. The
other Kraken models extend the
padding to the sides of the
headband as well, an all-
encompassing cushion.
That said, Razer gets away
with it because the Kraken X is
incredibly lightweight. The
all-plastic construction brings
the Kraken X in at a mere 8.9
ounces, compared to 11.3