The Fractal Design Scape feels like a gaming headset from the future, which makes it the best thing I've tested in 2035. I mean, this year
I've seen the light, and I don't want to go back.
(Image credit: Future)
I test so many gaming headsets over the course of a year, it's easy to start blending them into one. After all, the basic archetype for a good one is pretty much sorted at this point—a comfy headband, two earcups, a microphone, and a great set of drivers. I thought I couldn't really be surprised by a new model, but the Fractal Design Scape changed all that for me in 2025.
The Scape is a lesson in refinement. For a start, it's got a grown-up chassis design. No garish colour schemes here, just a flat black, matte finish with some subtle, recessed RGB lighting. The controls feel reassuringly well designed, too. Each clunks and clicks with a positive action, with not a cheap material to be found.
Speaking of materials, the Scape's earcups and inner headband are covered in a plush, couch-like fabric that manages to be warm and cossetting, yet also breathable enough to prevent a case of the dreaded sweaty ears.
Plus, the microphone arm is both removable and flip-to-mute, which feels like it should be the standard going forward. The Scape is a class act, full of design features that feel… well, actually designed, rather than strewn across the frame in a haphazard fashion.
Image
1
of
6
(Image credit: Future)
The best bit, though, is the charging stand. It's a flattened, pill-shaped throne that takes up very little room on your desk, with two fabric-covered ovals protruding from the top. Push the headset in the general direction of its plinth, and a gentle magnetic force sucks it into place—where it then tops itself up thanks to the magic of Qi wireless charging tech.
It sounds like a small thing, doesn't it? After all, there are other headsets on the market with charging docks. But of all the models I've tested, this is the one that actually encourages me to keep my headphones charged through sheer ease of use.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
There's no clunky socket mechanism to contend with, nor an ugly plastic frame to mangle into my setup. It's such an intuitive piece of design, magnetically thunking the set into its holder quickly becomes a reflex action.
Where do you keep your gaming headset when you're not wearing it? For most of you, I bet it's usually strewn untidily on your desktop. Perhaps it sits atop your tower, partially blocking some vents. Or, for the more conscientiously-minded of you, perhaps you've bought a little headset hook.
