Razer’s Kraken headset lineup has grown by one more product with the launch of the Kraken V4 Pro, which the company announced over the weekend at RazerCon alongside other products like the Freyja haptic seat cushion. The Kraken line has been around for ages at this point. Every year or two Razer releases a new generation of the headset, updating it with a few new features and improving on stuff that was already there.
This time around, Razer has kind of turned the Kraken on its head, offering what feels like the biggest shakeup for the Kraken headset lineup (and Razer) in a while – simultaneous audio playback. This might not seem like a big deal, but it’s not a very common feature. So it’s definitely more game-changing than one might assume. As it opens up the Razer Kraken V4 Pro to those who want a headset that can play audio from multiple sources at the same time.
Specifically, those who might want the game audio filtering in while listening to music from their phone. Or in my case, while chatting from the Discord mobile app. The Kraken V4 Pro accomplishes this with the help of a base station which Razer is calling the OLED Control Hub. It has ports for separate audio sources so you can connect your PC and your console. But it also allows a Bluetooth connection to play audio alongside one of those sources. I feel like this is something that Razer fans have wanted for a while. Because I know I’ve been hoping for it for years. And I can’t be the only one.
The Razer Kraken V4 Pro headset comes with Sensa HD Haptics
The inclusion of a base station and simultaneous audio playback are big features, but they’re far from the Kraken V4 Pro’s only notable one. The headset also features Razer’s Sensa HD Haptics. A feature that it launched a few years ago to beef up game immersion through audio that you can feel. Razer is trying to sell the gamer on total sensory immersion for games, and the Kraken V4 Pro seems to be a piece of that puzzle.
When you pair the headset with the use of something like the Freyja, which Razer no doubts hopes you’ll do, you get haptic feedback through the headset and the seat cushion all at once. Delivering a sensory experience in gaming that you’ve probably never imagined existed. Razer says that gamers will be able to expect a “sensory experience that blurs the lines between in-game action and reality, feeling everything from the whizz of bullets to the subtle vibrations of distant thunderstorms.”
Four modes of connectivity provide even more possibilities
Another big first for Razer headsets is the Kraken V4 Pro’s connectivity options. You already know it can link up through Bluetooth and through the use of Razer HyperSense via the OLED Control Hub. It can also connect through a wired USB cable or a wired 3.5mm audio cable. So you can use the headset with essentially anything. If your device doesn’t have a USB port or the capability to connect to the Control Hub, no worries. You can likely connect the headset through Bluetooth or the 3.5mm audio cable.
That will go a long way to convince gamers this is a headset worth spending the money on. And that’s a good thing for Razer, considering this headset’s high price. The Kraken V4 Pro will cost $399.99, making it Razer’s most expensive headset to date. It’s available as of September 28 and you can pick it up directly from Razer, or through retail partners like Best Buy or Amazon. Razer also launched the BlackWidow V4 Pro 75 earlier this month.
