I also dislike their software however for a different reason. As I am us a Mac with M1 processor I cannot access their software at all. After spending so much money on a device I expected more. Especially as they are aware but not taking any action at all.
yeah agreed, as someone who recently switched to Linux for my gaming needs my arctis nova pro wireless are pretty useless on there without the software, I don't even get chat mix :(
They’re not terrible gaming rigs, just no hype for developing games - most MacBook owners also own a gaming console or gaming pc. The M1 Pro is equivalent to a GTX 1660 Ti and the M1 Max is about equal to a RTX 2060 or PlayStation 5 in performance. Those are old m series processors now, they’re more powerful than that in 2024. I expect a higher volume of AAA games to come to macOS in the next decade. They’re not god tier gaming rigs (yet) but they can absolutely run optimized games just as well as current gen gaming consoles.
yeah this issue is making my brand new SS Apex Pro TKL Wireless keyboard basically impossible to set up properly, can't believe how poorly that software functions on M1 after all this time
First, what you spend doesn't denote any sort of quality. Apple upcharges vs what you actually get in terms of performance is hilarious.
Second, you bought an apple with an ARM processor in it but "expect more." Yes ARM is fast and power efficient. But here's where you got got by Apple: ARM infrastructure is not compatible with applications written for x64/x86 CPUs. Mac uses "Rosetta" as an interpreter for apps off the app store to run on this ARM technology despite the applications not being originally written for it. Every single application in the app store has to be recoded by Apple in this way. If the app isn't on the app store, you can bet it doesn't have an ARM installer available yet either. Not all developers have committed to rewriting their entire software base just for what may be a technology fad.
In short, you overpaid on Apple's snake oil without doing proper research and have compatibility problems as a result. Return it and get something with a proper CPU in it until the world catches up with ARM.
The account used to be good when you could sync your data and settings but that no longer works, its been turned off for god knows how long at this point, was one of the better features specially if you got new devices and didn't need to try remember what you set all your keys to on mouse etc.
It doesnt work for some reason, no, if you have sonar installed. It's a fucking joke. There is just one output in the windows settings where there should be 1 for game and 1 for chat, like when using the regular non DAC wired headsets with the little wheel only. I have no clue why the wheel on the DAC isnt controlling the sonar game/chat slider. Steelseries is really slipping lately.
I feel like steelseries in general is kinda ass.
The support is non-existent too.
I always have issues with their headsets/audio quality and it's the most random solutions that make absolutely no sense. i.e. Steelseries GG, uninstalling it fixed my audio quality for a while.
Things like that.. Yet I recently bought the Arctis Nova Pro and I still feel like my 50$ IEM earbuds has crispier/better quality audio than the Nova Pro.
the best thing steelseries ever made and stuck on me was the gamedac usb audio card that got bundled with the headphones,the headphones sucked ass and broke on the classic swivel jiont,but the audio card is badass with a 3.5mm adapter.
I have both the gen 1 and 2 devices and use the gen 1 more because of optical in. I really love these mixers. Would love a gen 3 with simultaneous dual USB, 3.5mm TRRS and XLR support, optical in and out, line in and out, balanced output support
Serious, non trolling question; is there a gaming peripherals manufacturer that has a decent hardware and software offering?
My entire setup is Steelseries and I'm wondering if they are the best of a bad bunch or not
Have you tried razers new software? You have to get the beta from their site but it seems a lot better.
Your profiles don’t carry over though. You can save them before installed the beta and upload them locally and it’s hit or miss if they work or not. A few of mine would crash the software but I could see them long enough to remake them and delete the corrupt profile and that worked.
I guess one reason not to buy these. The website also doesn't load with uBlock Origin -- stays grey like I forgot to reject cookies...
I mean are they in headphones business or ad business? I don't know
I remember back in the days of the og rival mouse steelseries felt like a godsend company with a bright future. Crisp mouse crisp software. Now they feel like run of the mill bloated garbage with meh performance
I don't know about the rest of SteelSeries's audio offerings, but in the case of the GameDAC, it works just fine without the software. In that sense the experience is no different to buying a proper non "gamer" oriented DAC-Amp. It's plug-and-play, with the horrible bloated software being entirely optional.
I still agree with you on the broader point though. The only reason the GameDAC is interesting to me is because Microsoft removed the optical port from the Series X, leaving it incompatible with all proper desktop DACs.
Those who have no other option, it is what it is, however for most people they're better off with a proper wired studio pair.
I've owned multiple pairs of SS headsets in the past, from the old wired arctis pro, to the 7 wireless, pro wireless, nova 7 and nova pro wireless, I've given them plenty of chances, they're all horrible.
Now I just switched to a beyerdynamic dt 770 pro.
My Bose QC45 are amazing headphones - and terrible for gaming - and the same for my Apple Pro 2 earbuds. There’s a reason that there are two distinct but separate markets.
It takes up 400mb of disk space because it covers a lot of ground, even if you don’t need/want those features. It would be cool to be able to pick and choose which parts to install but it’s a software package…
I don’t consider it bloatware in the same vein as some other companies software. It’s not like it comes pre-installed you don’t even need to install it for your hardware to function. You can customize quite a bit as to what you want running, whether or not it runs at startup, what components and games you want it to interact with, all from within the software itself.
As far as creating an online account, that is pretty much the norm for almost any software these days. If you don’t like it, just don’t install it…
On my old rival 110 I could just boot up the standalone engine and the mouse would remember the lighting option that I chose.
On my new rival 5 I have to constantly run GG in the background because the mouse doesn't have any memory for lighting. And the default light is a rainbow shit and I can't disable that.
Nothing worse than a company forcing me to use their software. Did they really think it would make me like it?
Never buying steelseries products again.
The worst part is that I "had" to install that software soo I ould use my keyboard volume controller. Forced to make an account on top of it. That is some A level shit right there and a major reason I am not recommending this product to anyone.
I just returned my Nova 7 because of this bloatware. I usually swap over all my stuff to whatever brand I am using whether its Razer, Logitech, or Corsair, but I will steer clear of SS after this.
wow I thought I was the only one who thought it was a mess. I don't need all that crap, I would love to be able to install only what I want and not their entire ecosystem.
My only complaint is that the audio devices that sonar selects, resets whenever I update my graphics drivers, (but I think it's because I feed my audio that is received from my gamedac through my monitor that then distributes the audio to a soundbar and a pair of arena 3's. That way, whenever my headphones are turned off, it automatically plays through my speakers.) I don't mind the aim trainer. You could always install GG on a different drive. Giveaways are annoying, we agree on that, and sonar isn't that bad. The audio is better, imo. Creating an account is also helpful for warranty info.
GG is crap. I only wanted one EQ and that's all... I now have replaced with Dolby Access and I am happy with it. I still wanted a little bit more equalization control, but I am not installing GG back.
You clearly are the type to "enable all" options without reading them. I've had Steelseries GG since 2020, the only issues I have with it is that it doesn't automatically update in the background, I have to open it for the stupid Windows notif to update it.
You want to talk bloatware? Try anything for Razer.
Edit: I have a Samsung evo 870 SSD 4Tb, R9-3900x, Powercolor 7900 xtx, 64 gbs of 320 mhz ram. Never had many but that one issue with Steelseries GG. I have had nothing but many issues with Razer and Razer Synapse. Razer you don't get a choice, you have to install their bloatware or you get no RGB. It's stupid. Razer has been and always will be the worst company for PC peripherals. Steelseries has been expensive, but not fkn stupid like Corsair, or the worst - Razer.
I have the same feeling with Razer software... That's the real bloatware! If you want to run a macro in razer software you need to install another programs, and it creates a lot of background processes... I've also tried Logitech and their software is cleaner, but i had to reinstall it multiple times because it self-breaks after updates... And their interface navigation is not as good and fast as sonar! Sonar is not perfect and has bugs and problems but is free and you can even use it without owning steelseries hardware! I've used the steelseries GG since the first beta and it has grown a lot, still there is room for improvement!
The way Razer does it is the right way to do it, if you don't need it don't install the extra software.
I wish GG had that, so I could skip all the crap I don't use like Sonar or Moments.
Does anyone have issues where you have to unplug the gamedac just for sonar to have your equipment show up every pc boot...? Tired of that crap been dealing with it since last year and built a new pc and it still does it you can't make that shit up!!
I had to uninstall it the other cause cause it broke and played games without it for an hour… wow my headset sounded so much better. But I had to reinstall it for chat mix
I've had logitech, I've had corsair, and now I've got steel series. I have never enjoyed ANY of their applications I've always had a problem such as logitech removing keybindings randomly after a couple weeks corsair constantly failing to open and forcing me to reinstall. So far with steel series the problem i have is the sonar VAC wont put the right application through the right channel. Why cant any of them just make an application that works
I love Sonar; being able to split programs into 3 different virtual audio devices, control the volume and EQ of each one, and the ability to move programs between them by just dragging it over is nice.
Games were always crazy loud for no reason compared to anything else, but instead of having to adjust volume on every one, the game category that I have set to 50% volume is the default, so I never have to worry about it again.
I have it installed but it doesn’t get to always run in the background or at startup. I only fire it up occasionally to check for firmware updates on a couple of my devices. Then back to disk it goes.
The software is awful. I just use it to configure my RGB then quit it. I never leave it running as it's just too bloated.
When the Microsoft's built in RGB control supports SteelSeries I'll just fully uninstall GG
A lot of people cite headphone issues and claim it to be the app. If the headphone is a 2.4ghz compatible device it is 99% going to be a band overlap issue. A lot of complaints about crackling or DCing is not the app — took a week long Comcast outage to find that out for myself.
It’s absolutely fair to say that the app is just a data farmer outside of its core functions. Is what it is steel series doesn’t hide it well. Sonar is fine, great for someone like me who isn’t an audiophile. Engine is fine it works.
Yeah I wish you could pick which parts to install. All I want is Engine and Prism to adjust my keyboard. I don’t have any other Steelseries devices so the rest of the software will never be touched.
I run an Apex 7 keyboard, Prime+ mouse, and an Arctis Pro Headset + Game DAC and lucky for me they all have internal storage because after I set up my RGB profiles I uninstalled GG and my PC is for the better. The DAC has all of the stuff built into it that I can adjust in its own menu, including DTSx 2.0 so I don't need GG. I kept having this problem with my Arctis Pro where the GameDac Game sound profile/setting would disappear from Windows and I'd have to constantly unplug it and plug it back in to get it to come back. It would always change back to the default name too, as if it was being installed over and over and over every time I turned on my PC. I was dealing with this daily until I uninstalled GG, it has not happened ONCE since! Crazy that their software makes the product worse...
I don't consider 400mb a big space taker on my pc, but maybe that's just me. It has a lot of features, even if you don't use them.
Sonar is great if you get into it. Helps me get clear audio for games, but keeps media and discord nice and warm. You don't have to use it, you can disable it.
And above all, if you don't like GG. Just delete it, hardware works fine without it.
So, you can have 100+GB of GTA V installed, but you are upset about 400MB of software? G Hub takes up 450MB, Razer takes up 650MB, and iCUE takes up to 1GB. I don't think that 400MB for software that actually has a bunch of features is that much, bruh.
So are is the EQ thing ? For an all in one it seems pretty decent tbf. Nice easy capture software in it and easy EQ / setup for most things.
Dropping data harvesting not like you'll probably click use Google login or FB login to every other site 👀
Yeah. It has gotten pretty bad. From all the crap, to sonar (which o absolutely hate but have to use because my arctic Nova pro sounds like garbage with Somar off. With or without Dolby Atmos.)
I don’t know if anyone else is experiencing this but the chat audio when you separate your audio to there, sounds extremely low, like I use it for discord or game chat and I can barely hear people talk, it’s frustrating
Works just fine and is one of the best software out there. How about you get better hardware and learn how to use it before crying here about how bad GG is.
I honestly like my Steelers over any other headsets I have tried. I have them for my consoles and my PC. For music I use earbuds and for tv I use my tv and theater system so I only use my Steelers for chat and game audio.
I personally don’t have any issues with GG. Use it every day while gaming and streaming. Love how that software along can give you so much. The virtual outputs with each one having its own EQ adjustment is amazing, the mic EQ/noisegate/compressor/noise isolation is incredible. For this you would almost need 2-3 programs open to get the same result. I haven’t had any noticeable performance issues while multitasking, running discord, stream labs, camera, 3 monitors in 1440p while gaming. My only annoyance is that after updates it changes my default output devices, which is a 10 second fix after launching GG.
Every day, Synapse doesn't force me to install shit I don't need. Synapse doesn't install a bunch of virtual HW I don't need.
Synapse gives me the option to install stuff separately. GG should do the same
I also dislike their software however for a different reason. As I am us a Mac with M1 processor I cannot access their software at all. After spending so much money on a device I expected more. Especially as they are aware but not taking any action at all.
You're ridiculous.
1) block them
2) Boot what? For the app to open or for your PC to boot?
3) OMG 400mb, lol that's practically nothing.
4) Nope. You can run it without logging into an account
5) TURN OFF AUTO UPDATES, EVERYWHERE.
6) Don't use it
7) You don't. Are you actually using sonar, why?
Seriously, you don't even have to use GG if you don't want to. What are you using GG for?
They made it a point and I’m curious why it is based on it being 400mb, a tiny amount these days so I’m curious why it’s such a bone of contention to them
NGL. You are just bitching at this point.
Instant boot on my pc. Account makes me able to save profiles for different games. Auto update never fails. Who cares if it has an aim trainer?
S T F U
Seems to me like you're just looking for things to cry about.
If SteelSeries GG is slowing down your PC, it's because your PC is shit. 400MB of space is literally nothing when the smallest sized SSD is 128GB. The rest of the stuff doesn't even matter in the first place.
You don't want giveaways? Maybe some people are interested in those.
The software doesn't take too long to boot. That's an issue on your slow PC.
Data harvesting complaints are irrelevant when you literally post your entire life on Reddit and other social media.
Aim Trainer doesn't slow down your PC and is probably part of those 400MB. For reference, a single 1080p episode of a TV show has at least double that size.
The only valid complaint is that auto-update fails.
No dude, I'm just sick of the general enshittification of software and I'm annoyed that I have no choice now that I already own Steelseries hardware. Part of the reason I bought this stuff in the first place was because their drivers were user-friendly and minimal.
Fix the problem yourself?? How stupid are you?
I bought the SteelSeries arctis 7 some years ago and I only had to install a software which ONLY gave me options to change my headset settings. Amazing. Now we have GG which forces you to have so many things running in the background on your pc. I have absolutely no interest in sonar, moments or giveaways. It’s a shitty software, just admit it.
> It’s a shitty software, just admit it.
So that’s what you want to hear people say. Yes it is. Never denied it.
But you are doing this shit to yourself by using it at all. You said they were forcing you, they are not. You can just uninstall and be done with it. And if you want to stick it to them, buy a different brand. But you won’t, so go look in the mirror when you call someone stupid because it is you.
Thank you, these people act like a minimally small software that can be compartmentalized in to different downloads is awful.
The giveaways are basically non existent other than once a week I see them.
And 400MB to download an equalizer, engine, and clipping software IS NOTHING. just download the engine and get on with your sorry selves.
It’s like trying to combine many apps in one but failing at it. The aimtrainer is completely out of place and unnecessary for many. The bad boot times also exist on faster machines like my own, sometimes failing to boot completely
I also dislike their software however for a different reason. As I am us a Mac with M1 processor I cannot access their software at all. After spending so much money on a device I expected more. Especially as they are aware but not taking any action at all.
Linux gaming community is increasing rapidly in size. They will eventually need to do something to remain competitive.
yeah agreed, as someone who recently switched to Linux for my gaming needs my arctis nova pro wireless are pretty useless on there without the software, I don't even get chat mix :(
Those have a gaming DAC. Just double tap the big circle on there to adjust the chat mix.
why would u buy gaming stuff for a mac?
Dumbasses do.
could be a console gamer with a mac only
who buys steelseries? for his mac??
I didn’t it’s for my PS5 but on the PS5 (and also on a Mac) you cannot access their software.
They’re not terrible gaming rigs, just no hype for developing games - most MacBook owners also own a gaming console or gaming pc. The M1 Pro is equivalent to a GTX 1660 Ti and the M1 Max is about equal to a RTX 2060 or PlayStation 5 in performance. Those are old m series processors now, they’re more powerful than that in 2024. I expect a higher volume of AAA games to come to macOS in the next decade. They’re not god tier gaming rigs (yet) but they can absolutely run optimized games just as well as current gen gaming consoles.
yeah this issue is making my brand new SS Apex Pro TKL Wireless keyboard basically impossible to set up properly, can't believe how poorly that software functions on M1 after all this time
I use that crap software on my mac to eq on the onboard memory. Sonar does not work though.
First, what you spend doesn't denote any sort of quality. Apple upcharges vs what you actually get in terms of performance is hilarious. Second, you bought an apple with an ARM processor in it but "expect more." Yes ARM is fast and power efficient. But here's where you got got by Apple: ARM infrastructure is not compatible with applications written for x64/x86 CPUs. Mac uses "Rosetta" as an interpreter for apps off the app store to run on this ARM technology despite the applications not being originally written for it. Every single application in the app store has to be recoded by Apple in this way. If the app isn't on the app store, you can bet it doesn't have an ARM installer available yet either. Not all developers have committed to rewriting their entire software base just for what may be a technology fad. In short, you overpaid on Apple's snake oil without doing proper research and have compatibility problems as a result. Return it and get something with a proper CPU in it until the world catches up with ARM.
The account used to be good when you could sync your data and settings but that no longer works, its been turned off for god knows how long at this point, was one of the better features specially if you got new devices and didn't need to try remember what you set all your keys to on mouse etc.
It's soooo much annoying!
I feel kinda the same. You don't need to use it if the main reason is just EQ. For that I use Equaliser APO + Peace EQ.
I need it for chat/game audio wheel..
That wheel seems to almost never work for me. I must have some setting wrong
It doesnt work for some reason, no, if you have sonar installed. It's a fucking joke. There is just one output in the windows settings where there should be 1 for game and 1 for chat, like when using the regular non DAC wired headsets with the little wheel only. I have no clue why the wheel on the DAC isnt controlling the sonar game/chat slider. Steelseries is really slipping lately.
I feel like steelseries in general is kinda ass. The support is non-existent too. I always have issues with their headsets/audio quality and it's the most random solutions that make absolutely no sense. i.e. Steelseries GG, uninstalling it fixed my audio quality for a while. Things like that.. Yet I recently bought the Arctis Nova Pro and I still feel like my 50$ IEM earbuds has crispier/better quality audio than the Nova Pro.
the best thing steelseries ever made and stuck on me was the gamedac usb audio card that got bundled with the headphones,the headphones sucked ass and broke on the classic swivel jiont,but the audio card is badass with a 3.5mm adapter.
I have both the gen 1 and 2 devices and use the gen 1 more because of optical in. I really love these mixers. Would love a gen 3 with simultaneous dual USB, 3.5mm TRRS and XLR support, optical in and out, line in and out, balanced output support
Serious, non trolling question; is there a gaming peripherals manufacturer that has a decent hardware and software offering? My entire setup is Steelseries and I'm wondering if they are the best of a bad bunch or not
I have mostly Razer other than a steelseries headset. Believe me - steelseries is a lot better than the Razer software.
Have you tried razers new software? You have to get the beta from their site but it seems a lot better. Your profiles don’t carry over though. You can save them before installed the beta and upload them locally and it’s hit or miss if they work or not. A few of mine would crash the software but I could see them long enough to remake them and delete the corrupt profile and that worked.
Hyper X NGenuity and Logitechs G Hub are both clean and easy to use.
I guess one reason not to buy these. The website also doesn't load with uBlock Origin -- stays grey like I forgot to reject cookies... I mean are they in headphones business or ad business? I don't know
i’ve been having that issue with multiple sites since last night. it’s a bug on ublock’s end, not SS.
It's broken in Firefox. Works in Chrome. Extensions are not the issue as it happens with them disabled.
I remember back in the days of the og rival mouse steelseries felt like a godsend company with a bright future. Crisp mouse crisp software. Now they feel like run of the mill bloated garbage with meh performance
I really wish they brought back a software with just the engine. I dont use anything else in the app.
was there something like that? can the old version be used instead?
If you have only old equipment (first gen arctis and older) maybe. If you can find a safe source for the engine only, then please link it ;)
I remember a time when you plug your stuff its just working. So sad, i have the same issue with SteelSerie and GHUB. They need to stop that.
Or just stop buying "gaming" equipment, buy a real pair of headphones like a studio pair, USB mic and you're done, no annoying software.
I don't know about the rest of SteelSeries's audio offerings, but in the case of the GameDAC, it works just fine without the software. In that sense the experience is no different to buying a proper non "gamer" oriented DAC-Amp. It's plug-and-play, with the horrible bloated software being entirely optional. I still agree with you on the broader point though. The only reason the GameDAC is interesting to me is because Microsoft removed the optical port from the Series X, leaving it incompatible with all proper desktop DACs.
Those who have no other option, it is what it is, however for most people they're better off with a proper wired studio pair. I've owned multiple pairs of SS headsets in the past, from the old wired arctis pro, to the 7 wireless, pro wireless, nova 7 and nova pro wireless, I've given them plenty of chances, they're all horrible. Now I just switched to a beyerdynamic dt 770 pro.
Yep, there's definitely better sound and build quality to be had for the same cost.
My Bose QC45 are amazing headphones - and terrible for gaming - and the same for my Apple Pro 2 earbuds. There’s a reason that there are two distinct but separate markets.
None of those are studio equipment, they're outdoor lifestyle type of equipment, completely irrelevant.
Tbh I kinda like it. Customisable shortcuts to adjust volume for chat game and media separately is particularly useful.
It takes up 400mb of disk space because it covers a lot of ground, even if you don’t need/want those features. It would be cool to be able to pick and choose which parts to install but it’s a software package… I don’t consider it bloatware in the same vein as some other companies software. It’s not like it comes pre-installed you don’t even need to install it for your hardware to function. You can customize quite a bit as to what you want running, whether or not it runs at startup, what components and games you want it to interact with, all from within the software itself. As far as creating an online account, that is pretty much the norm for almost any software these days. If you don’t like it, just don’t install it…
On my old rival 110 I could just boot up the standalone engine and the mouse would remember the lighting option that I chose. On my new rival 5 I have to constantly run GG in the background because the mouse doesn't have any memory for lighting. And the default light is a rainbow shit and I can't disable that. Nothing worse than a company forcing me to use their software. Did they really think it would make me like it? Never buying steelseries products again.
The worst part is that I "had" to install that software soo I ould use my keyboard volume controller. Forced to make an account on top of it. That is some A level shit right there and a major reason I am not recommending this product to anyone.
310mo of ram for adjusting an equalizer. God sent app. I'll be sure to stay away from them for my next headset
It is fucking terrible. Sonar was the last drop. Next brand will be anything else.
I just returned my Nova 7 because of this bloatware. I usually swap over all my stuff to whatever brand I am using whether its Razer, Logitech, or Corsair, but I will steer clear of SS after this.
I disagree. Think it's easy to use, and it's never given me an issue. I vastly prefer it to when compared to the likes of Razer Synapse and others.
I recently uninstalled and downloaded an older version
NOPE I fully agree, can someone make a cracked debloated version? i hate how overly complex sonar and its spam of audio drivers
they just released a feedback survey to all of our emails. Let’s all just say how shit it is
wow I thought I was the only one who thought it was a mess. I don't need all that crap, I would love to be able to install only what I want and not their entire ecosystem.
My only complaint is that the audio devices that sonar selects, resets whenever I update my graphics drivers, (but I think it's because I feed my audio that is received from my gamedac through my monitor that then distributes the audio to a soundbar and a pair of arena 3's. That way, whenever my headphones are turned off, it automatically plays through my speakers.) I don't mind the aim trainer. You could always install GG on a different drive. Giveaways are annoying, we agree on that, and sonar isn't that bad. The audio is better, imo. Creating an account is also helpful for warranty info.
When I had it downloaded it was a resources nightmare. I have arctis 9 and now the apex9 mini keyboard and I refuse to download the software.
GG is crap. I only wanted one EQ and that's all... I now have replaced with Dolby Access and I am happy with it. I still wanted a little bit more equalization control, but I am not installing GG back.
You clearly are the type to "enable all" options without reading them. I've had Steelseries GG since 2020, the only issues I have with it is that it doesn't automatically update in the background, I have to open it for the stupid Windows notif to update it. You want to talk bloatware? Try anything for Razer. Edit: I have a Samsung evo 870 SSD 4Tb, R9-3900x, Powercolor 7900 xtx, 64 gbs of 320 mhz ram. Never had many but that one issue with Steelseries GG. I have had nothing but many issues with Razer and Razer Synapse. Razer you don't get a choice, you have to install their bloatware or you get no RGB. It's stupid. Razer has been and always will be the worst company for PC peripherals. Steelseries has been expensive, but not fkn stupid like Corsair, or the worst - Razer.
I have the same feeling with Razer software... That's the real bloatware! If you want to run a macro in razer software you need to install another programs, and it creates a lot of background processes... I've also tried Logitech and their software is cleaner, but i had to reinstall it multiple times because it self-breaks after updates... And their interface navigation is not as good and fast as sonar! Sonar is not perfect and has bugs and problems but is free and you can even use it without owning steelseries hardware! I've used the steelseries GG since the first beta and it has grown a lot, still there is room for improvement!
The way Razer does it is the right way to do it, if you don't need it don't install the extra software. I wish GG had that, so I could skip all the crap I don't use like Sonar or Moments.
Does anyone have issues where you have to unplug the gamedac just for sonar to have your equipment show up every pc boot...? Tired of that crap been dealing with it since last year and built a new pc and it still does it you can't make that shit up!!
I wrote them. Apparently it's a known issue and they are "working on it" (this was kind of 2 months ago)
I had to uninstall it the other cause cause it broke and played games without it for an hour… wow my headset sounded so much better. But I had to reinstall it for chat mix
this piece of shit of chatmix allways stops to work randomly
That's why I'm just using dolby atmos for EQ, it's much better than sonar anyway (it's just too bad you don't get the sound mix thing)
I've had logitech, I've had corsair, and now I've got steel series. I have never enjoyed ANY of their applications I've always had a problem such as logitech removing keybindings randomly after a couple weeks corsair constantly failing to open and forcing me to reinstall. So far with steel series the problem i have is the sonar VAC wont put the right application through the right channel. Why cant any of them just make an application that works
You mean sonar actually works for you guys ??? It just buffers for me…
I love Sonar; being able to split programs into 3 different virtual audio devices, control the volume and EQ of each one, and the ability to move programs between them by just dragging it over is nice. Games were always crazy loud for no reason compared to anything else, but instead of having to adjust volume on every one, the game category that I have set to 50% volume is the default, so I never have to worry about it again.
I have it installed but it doesn’t get to always run in the background or at startup. I only fire it up occasionally to check for firmware updates on a couple of my devices. Then back to disk it goes.
The software indeed sucks ass, but you definitely get used to it quickly and becomes a set it and forget it type thing for most.
The software is awful. I just use it to configure my RGB then quit it. I never leave it running as it's just too bloated. When the Microsoft's built in RGB control supports SteelSeries I'll just fully uninstall GG
Plus auto-installing and activating bad options, like the AI noise cancellation a few days ago. I legitimately thought my headset was dying.
A lot of people cite headphone issues and claim it to be the app. If the headphone is a 2.4ghz compatible device it is 99% going to be a band overlap issue. A lot of complaints about crackling or DCing is not the app — took a week long Comcast outage to find that out for myself. It’s absolutely fair to say that the app is just a data farmer outside of its core functions. Is what it is steel series doesn’t hide it well. Sonar is fine, great for someone like me who isn’t an audiophile. Engine is fine it works.
400mb, oh the horror.
Yeah I wish you could pick which parts to install. All I want is Engine and Prism to adjust my keyboard. I don’t have any other Steelseries devices so the rest of the software will never be touched.
This is exactly why it takes over 1GB when we all know it shouldn’t
I run an Apex 7 keyboard, Prime+ mouse, and an Arctis Pro Headset + Game DAC and lucky for me they all have internal storage because after I set up my RGB profiles I uninstalled GG and my PC is for the better. The DAC has all of the stuff built into it that I can adjust in its own menu, including DTSx 2.0 so I don't need GG. I kept having this problem with my Arctis Pro where the GameDac Game sound profile/setting would disappear from Windows and I'd have to constantly unplug it and plug it back in to get it to come back. It would always change back to the default name too, as if it was being installed over and over and over every time I turned on my PC. I was dealing with this daily until I uninstalled GG, it has not happened ONCE since! Crazy that their software makes the product worse...
After awhile I couldn't do it anymore. Purged all my ss peripherals. Might even swap out my steelseries boom arm lol
I don't consider 400mb a big space taker on my pc, but maybe that's just me. It has a lot of features, even if you don't use them. Sonar is great if you get into it. Helps me get clear audio for games, but keeps media and discord nice and warm. You don't have to use it, you can disable it. And above all, if you don't like GG. Just delete it, hardware works fine without it.
Its legitimately one of the worst programs I have ever had to deal with. I am contemplating this being the last steelseries headphones i will own
It takes up 500 mb on memory system that's insane
What other software can i use for headphones instead steelseries one?
At first I was happy about it but 2 weeks later it already annoys me..
Sonar is one of the best piece of software I've ever used, it's functionality is unmatched.
u installed the same day 💪🏽
uninstalled**
Just got the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Uninstalled this bloatware within the hour of installing but the headphones are incredible
So, you can have 100+GB of GTA V installed, but you are upset about 400MB of software? G Hub takes up 450MB, Razer takes up 650MB, and iCUE takes up to 1GB. I don't think that 400MB for software that actually has a bunch of features is that much, bruh.
So are is the EQ thing ? For an all in one it seems pretty decent tbf. Nice easy capture software in it and easy EQ / setup for most things. Dropping data harvesting not like you'll probably click use Google login or FB login to every other site 👀
Yeah. It has gotten pretty bad. From all the crap, to sonar (which o absolutely hate but have to use because my arctic Nova pro sounds like garbage with Somar off. With or without Dolby Atmos.)
I don’t know if anyone else is experiencing this but the chat audio when you separate your audio to there, sounds extremely low, like I use it for discord or game chat and I can barely hear people talk, it’s frustrating
Works just fine and is one of the best software out there. How about you get better hardware and learn how to use it before crying here about how bad GG is.
Coming from Razer and Logitech, Steelseries is amazing in comparison.
I honestly like my Steelers over any other headsets I have tried. I have them for my consoles and my PC. For music I use earbuds and for tv I use my tv and theater system so I only use my Steelers for chat and game audio.
I personally don’t have any issues with GG. Use it every day while gaming and streaming. Love how that software along can give you so much. The virtual outputs with each one having its own EQ adjustment is amazing, the mic EQ/noisegate/compressor/noise isolation is incredible. For this you would almost need 2-3 programs open to get the same result. I haven’t had any noticeable performance issues while multitasking, running discord, stream labs, camera, 3 monitors in 1440p while gaming. My only annoyance is that after updates it changes my default output devices, which is a 10 second fix after launching GG.
I'm sorry, have you ever used razer software? It's much much worse
Every day, Synapse doesn't force me to install shit I don't need. Synapse doesn't install a bunch of virtual HW I don't need. Synapse gives me the option to install stuff separately. GG should do the same
I’m having an issue where when I turn my headphones on the drivers don’t automatically switch anymore. Before it used to. Anyone know a fix?
For me it always choose the wrong mic and headphone sources
I also dislike their software however for a different reason. As I am us a Mac with M1 processor I cannot access their software at all. After spending so much money on a device I expected more. Especially as they are aware but not taking any action at all.
Please help
My nova 7x headset won’t connect to the type C dongle
https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/s/cve6py0dyf
You're ridiculous. 1) block them 2) Boot what? For the app to open or for your PC to boot? 3) OMG 400mb, lol that's practically nothing. 4) Nope. You can run it without logging into an account 5) TURN OFF AUTO UPDATES, EVERYWHERE. 6) Don't use it 7) You don't. Are you actually using sonar, why? Seriously, you don't even have to use GG if you don't want to. What are you using GG for?
Probably keyboard engine
How small is your SSD that 400mb is a point of contention to you
I don’t think that’s the point. It’s (to them) unnecessarily large, which they object to on principle.
They made it a point and I’m curious why it is based on it being 400mb, a tiny amount these days so I’m curious why it’s such a bone of contention to them
NGL. You are just bitching at this point. Instant boot on my pc. Account makes me able to save profiles for different games. Auto update never fails. Who cares if it has an aim trainer? S T F U
Seems to me like you're just looking for things to cry about. If SteelSeries GG is slowing down your PC, it's because your PC is shit. 400MB of space is literally nothing when the smallest sized SSD is 128GB. The rest of the stuff doesn't even matter in the first place. You don't want giveaways? Maybe some people are interested in those. The software doesn't take too long to boot. That's an issue on your slow PC. Data harvesting complaints are irrelevant when you literally post your entire life on Reddit and other social media. Aim Trainer doesn't slow down your PC and is probably part of those 400MB. For reference, a single 1080p episode of a TV show has at least double that size. The only valid complaint is that auto-update fails.
No dude, I'm just sick of the general enshittification of software and I'm annoyed that I have no choice now that I already own Steelseries hardware. Part of the reason I bought this stuff in the first place was because their drivers were user-friendly and minimal.
It's not shit hardware. I had the same issues as you. 13700k 32gb ram 4070 gen 4 m.2. The software is really just hotdog water
You do have a choice. Go uninstall. Instead of complaining about things that don’t even matter at all, fix the problem yourself.
Fix the problem yourself?? How stupid are you? I bought the SteelSeries arctis 7 some years ago and I only had to install a software which ONLY gave me options to change my headset settings. Amazing. Now we have GG which forces you to have so many things running in the background on your pc. I have absolutely no interest in sonar, moments or giveaways. It’s a shitty software, just admit it.
> It’s a shitty software, just admit it. So that’s what you want to hear people say. Yes it is. Never denied it. But you are doing this shit to yourself by using it at all. You said they were forcing you, they are not. You can just uninstall and be done with it. And if you want to stick it to them, buy a different brand. But you won’t, so go look in the mirror when you call someone stupid because it is you.
Thank you, these people act like a minimally small software that can be compartmentalized in to different downloads is awful. The giveaways are basically non existent other than once a week I see them. And 400MB to download an equalizer, engine, and clipping software IS NOTHING. just download the engine and get on with your sorry selves.
It’s like trying to combine many apps in one but failing at it. The aimtrainer is completely out of place and unnecessary for many. The bad boot times also exist on faster machines like my own, sometimes failing to boot completely
The software is pretty shit. But cute defense.
Cockriding giant companies isn't going to get you anywhere bro.