What you need to know
- Razer is expanding its official "Hello Kitty" line of gaming accessories with a new headset, this time the wired Kraken Kitty V2.
- The adorable white-and-pink headset joins the Kraken Kitty V2 BT in the lineup, with the infamous Hello Kitty ears and pink bow.
- Priced at $110, there's only one place to get the new headset, and that's Target.
- Razer sent me an early sample to check out, and it's exactly what I expected: a decent gaming headset that's cute and fun.
There's no shortage of official (and horridly unofficial) Hello Kitty merchandise, but one of the only places to deck out your PC gaming setup in white-and-pink gear is Razer. The legendary gaming company has an entire lineup of official "Hello Kitty and Friends" accessories and peripherals, and the family just got one product larger today.
Joining the existing wireless version, the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 "Hello Kitty and Friends" Edition is now available for $109.99 at Target as a retailer exclusive release.
Whatever expectations you may have for a Hello Kitty variant of Razer's cutest gaming headset is probably entirely accurate, but Razer did send me a pre-release sample to check out for myself. While I won't be doing a full review of this particular headset for Windows Central (I'm devoting my energies toward the Razer Kraken V4 Pro on my desk right now), you can keep reading for my initial impressions. I also reviewed the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro in the past, if you want my thoughts on the flagship in this lineup.
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A headset for the Hello Kitty fans, and just the Hello Kitty fans
The Razer Kraken line is one of the most popular and successful line of gaming headsets of all time, and the Kitty spin-off is exactly what you'd expect: the same great headsets, but with ears. The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 is the latest budget addition to the family, relying on a USB Type-A cable for its connection to your gaming PC (and that means little support for anything else, sadly).
The Hello Kitty version of the headset is utterly identical underneath its aesthetic changes and white-and-pink paintjob, so you're getting Razer's 40mm TriForce drivers, a built-in unidirectional microphone, reactive Razer Chroma RGB lighting in the earcups, an over-ear design with leatherette cushions, and basic surround-sound support courtesy of Windows Sonic. It's one of Razer's more basic gaming headsets, but the Kitty variant is also one of its cutest.
The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 "Hello Kitty and Friends" Edition is absolutely an adorable headset, and there are a lot of details that show Razer didn't just repaint all its extra Kraken Kitty V2's or rebrand the existing Quartz colorway.
Beyond the iconic ear shape and the pink bow you'll also find a lovely Hello Kitty motif on the headband cushion and other themed elements. The packaging also matches perfectly, so collectors who plan to display this headset rather than use it should be happy about that.
If I was just considering this as a Hello Kitty product, it'd get my unadulterated approval. However, I also need to look at it as a tech product, and in that department this gaming headset suffers from the same weakness as the rest of the Kraken Kitty lineup... It just feels a little too expensive. At $110, this version costs $10 more than the standard Razer Kraken Kitty V2 retails, which itself is on sale for just $69.99 at Best Buy right now, in both black and pink.
However, the Kraken Kitty V2 doesn't feel or sound like a $100 headset, especially when brands like HyperX have absolutely killer headsets in this price range. It's an all-plastic headset (including the headband), has a non-detachable cable and non-retractable microphone, and boasts average sound quality and a below-average microphone. This puts it much closer to what I'd expect from at most a $70 headset (again, the regular Kraken Kitty V2 is on sale right now, hint hint).
If you're a Hello Kitty fan or collector, that premium may very well be worth it (I think all Hello Kitty fans are well aware of how expensive official merch can be). If you're simply looking for an extra-cute headset and are willing to pay extra, another option just joined the market. The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 "Hello Kitty and Friends" Edition is now available exclusively at Target for $109.99, although you can go the wireless route and pick up the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 BT "Hello Kitty and Friends" Edition for $139.99 at Best Buy, instead.
