The Yeti brand of microphones from Blue need little introduction to consumers who have wanted to improve their home content creation setup. With hardware that ranges from affordable and efficient to expensive and incredible, Yeti has firmly established its place among gamers looking to up their stream game.
With the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition, the already great X model gets a new, Azeroth-inspired look and some other nods to Blizzard's popular MMORPG - but is that enough for fans to justify the hit to their wallets this holiday season? That's a matter of perspective, but during our time with the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition, it's quickly established itself as a premium offering, whether it's the aesthetic, performance, or value.
The Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition will be available for purchase at $199.99 USD (MSRP), and while that's a sizeable chunk of change, it's worth keeping in mind the price is reflective of the Yeti X USB microphone's build more than the fact that this model has partnered with World of Warcraft. What consumers get out of the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is a great piece of tech with a decent number of extras and a level of polish that makes it stand out from its base model in a big way.
The Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition: Style That Doesn't Sacrifice Quality
The Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is designed to look impressive. The microphone has a gold finish to it that screams high-end, and the base features a trim of World of Warcraft runes that don't feel too gimmicky or aggressive. The Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition's presentation is more about subtle nods to the game rather than any overt references that would look strange on a piece of high-end tech, and it's a smart decision.
Additional runes replace the traditional segments on the microphone's LED meter, while color customization options for the lighting mean players can choose to represent the Horde or Alliance whenever they wish - while giving them the opportunity to switch sides, should their exploration of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands change their minds. A World of Warcraft logo in gold accents the body of the microphone, and its Battle Grey base with gold trim helps keep things familiar to fans of the Blizzard propery without veering too hard into something that looks out of place in a modern work station. If someone wanted to purchase a Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone simply as a collector's item, it wouldn't be surprising - it really does look that good, and it's a commendable effort from both Blue and Blizzard that sees a piece of hardware also become a showcase piece for fans.
Everything else is, aesthetically, exactly what the Yeti X has already brought to the table with its 2019 release: unintrusive, easy to manage, and a rock-solid build that feels sturdy enough to withstand any incidental bumps or scuffs. The 2019 build of the Yeti X was great as is, and nothing about the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition is a step down from that already impressive quality.
Yeti X World of Warcraft Is A Perfect Match For Content Creators
The biggest distinction between Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition and the regular 2019 model of the same microphone in terms of performance is the multitude of effects that have been designed to mimic World of Warcraft characters and locations. The preview build we got to try included hits like Gnome and Orc effects that modify the user's voice to more closely resemble their chosen World of Warcraft inspiration. The effects are great on their own, though some voice acting is required - Thrall didn't become Thrall just because Blizzard slapped an effect on his voice acting post-production, and this microphone incidentally highlights just how hard voice acting really is.
Effects can also be tuned to better suit whatever a user wishes. The use of Logitech G Hub software allows for some nuanced exploration of voice modification, but it also enables users to assign different effects or samples to buttons on their Logitech hardware that's compatible. That makes it easy to switch between a normal voice and a character one on the fly, and it's especially useful for the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition samples.
The samples available with this microphone are, in short, fantastic. The sound quality on the voice acting is crisp and clear, while the effects for ambience are great fits for any online roleplaying endeavors. Users will also be able to upload their own samples for other Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone owners to download, which means the sound library will grow as more people get their hands on this hardware. It's worth noting that the Warcraft-specific samples and effects will only be available to Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition owners, increasing the feeling that the product is a collector's item on top of a high-quality audio device.
Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition Is Fan-Focused
Throughout our time with the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition, one thing became abundantly clear - this is a microphone designed with diehard fans in mind. Every unique quality that separates this version from the 2019 edition is implemented with a World of Warcraft inspired direction, and all of them succeed in feeling like a worthwhile addition.
It's one thing to have a collector's item that sits on a shelf or desk looking amazing but offering very little in terms of actual usefulness, offering a dramatic upgrade to laptop microphones and the like. It's another thing entirely to have that same collector's item also be one of the highest quality pieces of hardware in a stream setup, which is exactly where the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition slots into. A lot of collector's edition variants of hardware stop at an aesthetic change, and it's usually a very loud one involving color palette swaps that are impossible to miss. With the Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition, WoW fans will find a microphone that, top-to-bottom, has been designed with them in mind - and it's a must-own for any serious World of Warcraft collectors or content creators who want to up their game.
Screen Rant was provided with a Yeti X World of Warcraft Edition microphone for the purpose of this review.