The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition has been available outside of Asia for just over a month now. Although currently out of stock due to popular demand, the headset will usually set you back £150 from the Razer website. I remember watching this launch across select countries in 2024 and being heartbroken I would seemingly never get my hands on it. Then a year on a magical parcel turned up from Razer, and I’ve never been more excited about a headset. Who doesn’t want to rep their favourite chunky ghost Pokémon during work calls and gaming sessions?!
It’s Mischief Time!
Now we all know how I felt about the wireless version of these Kitty headphones. If you missed it, they got a Thumb Culture Silver Award and I was less than impressed by the sound quality. Whilst this may be the same headset line, does the usb connection make all the difference? Or am I just biased because they’re modelled after my favourite Pokémon and I’m way too excited about reviewing these? There’s only one way to find out.
Design Features
There is no doubt the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition is a design first headset. I mean look at it! The mischievous spirit is rife throughout the signature spikes and rounded pointed ear details. Not to mention the matte purple finish. I love everything about the style choices. The fact it’s as light as a ghost Pokémon is a bonus, meaning you can wear it all day and believe me I do! Or at least every work day, working for a game studio by day these have brought more then a few smiles to our Teams meetings!
This headset has a USB Type-A connection with a nice long wire 2m in length. Personally I prefer a plug in headset as it means I never have to worry about the battery running out at the worst moment. It does mean you can’t be living your best Gengar life when answering the door to the postie, at least not plugged in anyway.
The earcups have breathable purple leatherette covering and are lined with red mesh fabric. An issue that can come up with closed ear cups, is overheating ears. I didn’t encounter that issue with these which is a relief. The ghost Pokémon influences don’t end there though. Just take a look at the ear cups, where shadowy silhouettes are illuminated by Razer Chroma RGB. Of course this is customisable but I left it firmly set to purple for my favourite chonky boi. The ear cup detail doesn’t stop there, take a peek inside them for a bonus Gengar!
Sound Quality
The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition headset has an external mic unlike the wireless V2 version, which can bend and pivot ensuring you get just the right angle you want. To give it’s fancy title this is a Razer HyperClear Cardioid Mic. Which sounds fancy but simply means that the focus of the mic is the user’s voice and it minimises background noise. Now I’ve used the headset mic in work meetings, in personal Discord calls and even guesting on livestreams. Never once have I had a complaint. If you don’t count the fact that I “type too loud” as a complaint. Your girl likes a clacky mechanical keyboard what can I say?! The sound has been crystal clear both in my earholes and for those enjoying my dulcet tones.
As we’ve come to expect with the Kraken range, this headset is packed with the usual TriForce 40mm Drivers and 7.1 Surround Sound. Readers of my review of the Wireless Kraken V2 Kitty headset will know I was very disappointed with the sound quality. The sound quality is so much better in this Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition headset than it’s wireless counterpart. Now, I have poured over the tech specs on the Razer site for both these headsets. I’ve compared everything I can, and the only differences I can find is one is Bluetooth connection with an inbuilt microphone, and the other is a wired connection with an external mic. There are no differences in drivers, frequency response, sensitivity or even impedance. And yet I stand by the fact the sound quality is better in this headset.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes collaborations between big IPs can lead to some less than perfect products that fans still buy. Why? Well because it’s their favourite character of course! This could have been one of those gimmicky headsets that sold well but ultimately wasn’t quite up to scratch. But it isn’t. I’d go as far as to say Razer put more care into the design and quality of this headset than any of their other Kitty range products. And I’m here for it. Yes, £150 is a fair chunk of money for a headset, but it’s worth it for this one.
I give the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Gengar Edition headset the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A product was received in order to write this review.
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