MSI Immerse GV60 review: Budget desktop gaming microphone

The MSI Immerse GV60 is the first desktop gaming microphone from MSI and the company hopes to carve out a place for itself in the audio capture market against rivals like Blue and Elgato. The good news is that there are many things that I like about this first device, but there are not. enough avoid all the pitfalls that can arise with first generation products.

Adjustment MSI GV60 Immersion easy because the microphone comes pre-assembled on a stand. This means you just need to find a place for it on your gaming table and connect the included USB-C to USB-A cable to the bottom of the mic and to your gaming PC. The convenient size of the connector is due in part to the fact that the GV60 is a relatively new device, I’m glad MSI chose it over the USB Micro B found on the more expensive Blue Yeti X.

Looking at the MSI Immerse GV60, the phrase “nice to sit on” comes to mind, whether or not you’ve used the included foam pop filter. That’s mainly because it’s metal rather than plastic, and the white markings on the three control dials contrast nicely with its uniform matte black color scheme.

Its metal construction also gives the MSI Immerse GV60 a degree of durability, with its large round base making up most of its heavy 1100g (1.1kg) weight. The mic is able to hold its own without hesitation, even though I passionately typed on my gaming keyboard during intense team fights in League of Legends or while writing this review.

However, the design of the MSI Immerse GV60 is not without its flaws. While I appreciate that all of its control dials stick out nicely from its body, they can be quite difficult to grip due to their rounded rectangular shape. Admittedly, it’s a minor complaint, but I would have preferred cylindrical buttons like those found on the Elgato Wave:3 and just about any other desktop microphone.

Before I talk about the sound quality of the MSI Immerse GV60, I’ll briefly mention a few things you should know if you plan to mount it on a pole. The mic will fit nicely into anything that has a thread built in, but otherwise you’ll have to pay for your own adapter as you won’t find one in the box. Also, you need to make sure that your particular boom arm is strong enough to support the considerable weight of the GV60’s metal body.

The MSI Immerse GV60 is an incredibly versatile gaming microphone on paper. Firstly, its 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response, combined with its 24-bit, 96kHz Hi-Res Audio capture capability, means your voice will be transmitted to your teammates or spectators with a level of surprisingly high fidelity.

Additionally, the ability to switch between four pickup modes further enhances the value offered by the MSI Immerse GV60. These include: bidirectional, cardioid, omnidirectional, and stereo. If you’re not familiar with the term “pickup pattern” or need a refresher, it basically describes the directions from which the microphone will pick up sound.

While these options are great, most of them are only useful outside of a typical gaming PC or streaming setup, like recording music or hosting conferences. As such, I’d recommend most people switch the MSI Immerse GV60 to its cardioid polar pattern and not look back unless you want to add unwanted background sounds to your audio stream.

With that in mind, I can’t say how well the MSI Immerse GV60 is suitable for those looking for an all-in-one solution to suit their music and streaming aspirations, as my interest lies in finding a replacement for the microphone from the headphones. I will say, though, that I didn’t notice any obvious problems with either pickup pattern until I settled on the cardioid for the rest of my testing.

In a nutshell, the MSI Immerse GV60 offers significantly better sound quality than almost all of the best gaming headsets I’ve used (as it should). Whether I’m listening to recordings through OBS or just asking friends how I sounded on Discord, the mic can still capture my voice in a complete and seemingly realistic way.

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However, this comparison is only partially useful, as the MSI Immerse GV60 faces competition from the microphones I mentioned above and others that work similarly when listening to samples from these devices. In fact, I’m having trouble telling it apart from my Audio-Technica AT2020 when listening to recordings.

So how is the MSI Immerse GV60 different from its competitors? Well, first of all, you don’t need to install any drivers or software to get a high level of sound quality, which means it will give you the same experience no matter what system you’re plugged into. However, there are no additional programs you can download to enhance or better tailor the microphone to your specific needs, such as Logitech G Hub or Elgato Wave Link.

Some kind of software, or perhaps a different physical switch on the MSI Immerse GV60, similar to its mute button, may have solved one of my biggest microphone issues. The device supports real-time monitoring via a 3.5mm input, but it cannot be disabled if desired. That’s a shame, because the audio quality of this input is impeccable in terms of EMI and other unwanted noise, making it a good alternative to potentially troublesome ports on PC cases.

I also found a noticeable gremlin that makes me wish I could better control the MSI Immerse GV60 with software, or that MSI could handle it with a driver or firmware update. When I receive a Windows toast notification from an app or when I download a program that uses the microphone, like Discord, the device sometimes wakes up. For obvious reasons this will annoy some people, but the point is that no one should know about something like this.

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Despite these minor issues, I must admit that I am very impressed with what MSI has managed to do with its first gaming microphone. Priced at $129.99, the MSI Immerse GV60 offers similar audio quality as its more expensive competitors. , mostly with excellent build quality.

It’s a fantastic buy if you’re willing to put up with a few minor issues and are comfortable relinquishing all software control, making it one of the best gaming microphones you can buy today.