I'm Not Convinced Open Earbuds Work for Gaming, Despite Asus' Best Efforts

Why It Matters

If open‑ear earbuds can deliver low‑latency gaming sound without sacrificing situational awareness, they could reshape portable gaming audio. However, usability issues and unclear demand may limit adoption.

Key Takeaways

• Asus ROG Cetra Open uses 2.4 GHz low‑latency link
• Open design sacrifices noise isolation for situational awareness
• Large charging case reduces portability versus typical earbuds
• Audio level issue encountered on PS5 Pro connection
• Market demand for gaming open earbuds remains unclear

Pulse Analysis

Open earbuds have surged in popularity as consumers seek audio that keeps them aware of their surroundings, a trend that extends beyond music and podcasts into the gaming arena. Traditional gaming headsets prioritize sealed sound chambers to block external noise, delivering immersive, directional cues essential for competitive play. Asus’s ROG Cetra Open attempts to bridge these worlds by offering an open‑ear form factor paired with a proprietary 2.4 GHz wireless protocol that promises sub‑10 ms latency, a critical benchmark for fast‑paced titles. This hybrid approach reflects a broader industry experiment: can manufacturers combine the safety and comfort of open designs with the performance standards gamers demand?

The real‑world testing highlighted both strengths and shortcomings. The earbuds’ ergonomic tubes sit behind the ears, reducing ear fatigue during long sessions, and the dual‑mode connectivity lets users switch between low‑latency gaming and standard Bluetooth for media consumption. Yet the oversized charging case undermines the portability advantage that earbuds usually provide, and the reviewer experienced muted audio levels on the PS5 Pro, suggesting firmware or driver inconsistencies across platforms. Such friction points are significant because gamers expect plug‑and‑play reliability; any perceived audio deficit can quickly erode confidence in a new form factor.

Looking ahead, the market for open‑ear gaming audio remains ambiguous. While some casual players might appreciate the ability to stay aware of ambient sounds—useful for multiplayer communication or safety during outdoor play—hardcore gamers often favor full‑seal headsets for precise sound staging. Asus’s gamble could inspire competitors to refine open‑ear solutions, perhaps by shrinking cases or improving console integration. Until those refinements materialize, the ROG Cetra Open serves more as a proof‑of‑concept than a mainstream replacement for traditional gaming headsets.

I'm not convinced open earbuds work for gaming, despite Asus' best efforts

By Max Freeman‑Mills · published 3 hours ago

Open earbuds are all the rage – in fact, if you asked me to identify some consumer‑tech trends from the last 18 months and put a ban on AI featuring in that list, I'd put open earbuds right near the top. Everyone and their nan has been trying to get in on a market that seems to be growing.

People want earbuds so they can continue their nonstop content consumption, but they don't always want to be cocooned in the perfect noise‑cancelling bubble that many in‑ear models offer. Open options make it easier to stay aware of your surroundings, making them safer for outdoor runs and cycling, and less antisocial in offices.

That pitch is a pretty familiar one by now, but I've never really heard it applied to gaming – a medium where the common wisdom would be that you'd always rather be enveloped in immersive sound and able to block out background noise. That hasn't stopped Asus from making the ROG Cetra Open earbuds, though, and I've been using them for a fair few hours now.

I have to say, for all that they're solidly‑made earbuds, I'm yet to be won over by the idea at their core. Like a fair few open earbuds of their type, the ROG Cetra Open come in a far bigger charging case than in‑ears do. This houses the two curled‑up earbuds, along with a USB‑C connector for your console, PC, or other device.

This marks them out from mainstream open earbuds, since it allows for 2.4 GHz connectivity with extremely low latency, ideal for gaming, but Bluetooth is on hand too for more standard wireless use.

These aren't small earbuds, thanks to chunky tubes that rest behind your ear while you wear them, but they are indeed nice and comfortable thanks to that out‑of‑ear design, which makes them nice to wear for long sessions.

However, that doesn't mean I'm having a great time using them to game. First impressions matter hugely, I'd argue, and it wasn't all that great to connect the Cetra Open earbuds to my PS5 Pro and be greeted by confusingly low audio that I couldn't straightforwardly get up to the level I wanted. I've never had that issue with any other audio device on the console.

Using them with my PC and Switch 2, meanwhile, I haven't had that problem, but I still haven't really been sold on their core concept. It's very rare that I game in a passive way, where distractions are welcome or ambient noise is happily absorbed.

Sure, I played plenty of games on mute as a kid, back in the Game Boy Advance days, but as an adult, I'm lucky enough to use the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, and its noise‑cancelling doesn't bear comparison to the Cetra Open experience. Portability is a factor, sure, but the case here is huge, and I'd generally rather use my AirPods Pro 3 over Bluetooth with my Switch 2 on the go.

This leaves me feeling like the ROG Cetra Open are a slightly weird pair of “buds”, mainly leaving me with one big question: who are these earbuds for? I know the answer isn’t me, now, but I’m curious to find out if there is indeed a market for gaming open earbuds in the first place.