The Soundcore VR P10 Earbuds are the perfect add-on for Meta Quest 2 users. Designed to provide low-latency when gaming, what sets these buds apart from other wireless earbuds is a tiny USB-C dongle that plugs into to the headset to provide properly synced gaming audio.
Design
While the trend in most earbuds is to go for a smaller, less obtrusive look, these opt for the gamer’s aesthetic. Gamer-driven devices tend to have a bit of bling in the form of RGB lighting and these are no exception. Using the Soundcore app users can choose one of five color; and they can be set to be constantly lit, blinking (they call it “breathing”), or turned off to preserve battery life.
Surprisingly, unlike most fitness oriented earbuds, the P10s do not include “wingtips” to help secure them in place. They do ship with three sizes of tips. Although I generally use smaller tips, including with other Soundcore earbuds, I found the middle size best for me, providing good ear retention and excellent bass reproduction. I found them relatively comfortable, though after a couple of hours of use I noticed some irritation where they pressed against the ear canal. Perhaps using the smaller tip would alleviate some of this, but at an increased risk of it falling out of my ear.
The earbuds have IPX4 water resistance, which ought to be enough for most gamers. (Note, however, that the case is not water resistant.)
There are a couple of features that you might expect to find in a true-wireless earbud; features that are common on many of Soundcore’s music-oriented sets: First, these do not switch off or go to standby when you remove them from your ears. This actually might be a feature for gamers, not a flaw. You don’t want the game to break just because you put the earbuds on the table. On the other hand, it could result in a situation where you inadvertently find yourself with no juice. Also, the case itself can not be charged wirelessly, a feature I like very much on other Soundcore earbuds. Finally, the VR P10s do not have any active noise cancellation.
The earbuds charge in a well designed case that has enough room for the earbuds and dongle storage, as well; everything is held in place magnetically. A fully charged case provides up to three charges. Soundcore claims up to 6 hours of listening time (at 60% listening levels) or up to 4 hours of talk time on a single charge. Unlike some, though, the case does not provide wireless charging; you’ll need to plug it into a power source via the supplied USB-C cable.
Gaming & Listening
The VR P10s support the SBC, AAC codecs and use Bluetooth 5.2, meaning that they can pair with most Bluetooth enabled phones for voice and musical reproduction. The Soundcore app has a built-in equalizer to help you shape the sound envelope. Alternatively, a “super-hearing” function boosts gunfire and footsteps in games.
What sets the VRP10 apart from the pack, however is the LC3 codec enabled through the 2.4 GHz dongle. This overcomes the sometimes laggy Bluetooth connection other earbuds use to provide the best gaming experience (Soundcore claims latency about 30 milliseconds ) while also serving up lossless audio transmission. A pass-thru connector on the dongle permits charging the unit even when it the dongle is attached to the headset.
The VR P10 can be connected via the dongle to the Quest 2, and also the PS4 (with an unsupplied USB-C to USB-A converter), PS5, Steam deck, Switch and PC. It does not work with the Xbox. The low latency mode is only supported with the dongle.
Touch controls on the stem are customizable and recognize “tap”, “double-tap”, and “hold for 2 second” gestures. These can be set up to control volume, track skipping, bring up the voice assistant, toggle the microphone, and toggle the “super hearing” game mode.
The VR P10 can be paired to a console and your phone at the same time. One of the coolest features is that you can elect to hear the game audio even when talking on the phone! Though the earbuds sound best when used together, you can also use them one at a time.
Frankly, audio quality has rarely been the selling point of gaming headsets, so I was prepared for a less than stellar soundscape. I found the quality well above average and particularly well tuned for gaming, where we want to hear subtle clues that tell us where the enemy might be hiding. Bass was adequate without being overwhelming, just the way I like it. And, if you want more, you always have the ability to shape the sound with the equalizer.
The Soundcore VR P10 represent excellent value while providing features you can’t find anywhere else. They have become my go-to sound device when gaming on the Quest 2. Highly recommended.
