In Third Person

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a wired gaming headset intended for use on PC. When plugged in via USB, you can use the headset controller to adjust the volume, audio mix, and even toggle its simulated 7.1 surround sound. Though its functionality on other platforms is limited, you can listen to game audio and voice chat with your friends on modern consoles or anything with a 3.5mm jack. Is this your next gaming headset?

Taking them out of the box, the headphones look and feel like a premium product. The leather band with the debossed logo and blue stitching make the top look slick. Blue metal hinges and leatherette ear cups also add to the quality presentation and comfy fit on my head.

If the leatherette earcups aren’t to your liking, you can actually swap them out with a fabric pair that come in the box. Personally prefer the leatherette cups, but it’s great to have the option if your ears get too sweaty or you simply prefer the feel of the fabric ones.

The headset connects via a 3.5mm plug, which can go directly into a headphone jack or into the included USB adapter. The cable is removable from the headset itself, allowing for greater portability. As far as I know, the USB adapter doesn’t work on consoles, but you can plug it in just fine to a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch. Just keep in mind that you won’t have any built-in controls when using these headphones on the consoles.

When in use on PC with the remote, you get a bit more control in your hands. You can adjust the volume, overall audio mix, and even toggle the 7.1 surround sound. The effect isn’t perfect, but when playing Overwatch on PC, I do get a sense of space when hearing action happening off to my side. Since I mostly play and stream console games, I won’t use this feature much.

But as a straight-up headset, stereo audio quality is great. Whether I’m playing games or listening to music, the audio comes in clearly. They’re also very comfortable to wear.

One interesting touch is that the headset has ear-specific bass boost. By toggling the switches on the back of each earcup, you can add two levels of bass boost or remove it entirely. Would strongly suggest having both on the same setting at all times. Personally, I put the bass boost on blast when I’m gaming or listening to music. I would then turn it off if I were trying to EQ or mix audio to find an appropriate balance for all devices.

With regards to voice chat, the headset comes with a detachable mic. You can bend it to best position the mic in front of your mouth. For a gaming headset, it sounds adequate. However, for the purposes of streaming, I would strongly recommend upgrading to a standalone USB mic.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S headset is certainly an upgrade from what I was using before. They fit great, sound great, and come with a few extras. Best used for PC gaming, as the added controller for volume and surround sound give it extra functionality that can’t be used on console. But as a console headset, you still get great sound and a good enough microphone. Happy to be using these in my setup going forward!