HyperX Cloud Alpha Review: New Wireless Gaming Headset

Photo: Cody Campbell / HGG

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Penned by Cody D. Campbell

Cody has been a gamer ever since his family got a Sega Genesis when he was five-years-old. In addition to his love of narrative-focused RPGs and ho... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Wireless gaming headsets have come a long way in recent years. It used to be that laggy connections made them all but unusable. These days, wireless connectivity has advanced to the point that the difference is virtually imperceptible.

HyperX is one of the brands that has been at the forefront of this movement with great offerings such as the Cloud II Wireless gaming headset. Now it seems the company is shedding the cord on another of their most popular designs: the HyperX Cloud Alpha.

This new wireless gaming headset seeks to stand out in one area in particular, boasting up to 300 hours of battery life. They sent us one so we could give it a fair and unbiased review. Does it have what it takes to be one of the best PC gaming headsets? Here’s what we found.

Build Quality and Comfort

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset is impeccably well built. It has adjustable red aluminum arches that allow it to fit a variety of head sized. The earcups and headband are both padded with memory foam and upholstered in an extremely soft leatherette.

The left earcup has a power button, microphone mute button, USB Type-C charging port and a port for the removable microphone. The right earcup only has a volume dial, which is nice since that is the easiest thing to accidentally nudge while trying to feel for a button. It utilizes a USB dongle for its 2.4GHz wireless connection. The one thing that it does not have is a port for a 3.5mm jack. This headset can only be used wirelessly.

It’s also worth noting how light it feels. You might think that a 300-hour battery would have to be pretty heavy, but it’s somehow one of the lighter and more comfortable headsets we’ve tested.

Wireless Connectivity

Using the headset is pretty much plug-and-play. You simply plug the USB dongle into the device you wish to connect to, turn on the headset, and the audio automatically switches over to the Cloud Alpha Wireless. There were no noticeable latency or drops in fidelity during our testing. It also didn’t seem to receive any interference from other devices. We found that the headset has a range of roughly 30ft. and that it receives a strong signal throughout that area.

One feature that we loved is that it uses voice prompts to let the user know that it is power on and off. The reason this is so nice is because it also lets the user know the current percentage of remaining battery life. That’s an extremely useful feature in a headset where users may only need to charge it once every couple months.

Audio Quality

The Cloud Alpha Wireless performs well in high and mid tones. The bass isn’t going to impress any audiophiles, but it’s more than sufficient for most users and serves to provide a cinematic experience in-game.

One of the things that makes a big difference in a gaming headset is directionality. Players need to be able to know what direction footsteps are coming from in order to get the drop on their opponents. We tested the headset by playing Elden Ring, Valorant, and Doom: Eternal in order to test out directional sound and found that the headset performed admirably, especially on PC. The DTS Headphone: X gives the player a heightened sense of spatial awareness that is both useful and immersive.

Microphone quality

Gaming headset mics are not usually the best, but the one on the Cloud Alpha Wireless is one of the better ones. The removable arm fits securely and can be easily adjusted to a range of different positions.

That isn’t to say it’s without flaws. The limiter seems to be set a little high, so the players voice may cut out if they speak too softly. There is also an extremely slight echo to the audio. The flip side of this is that the microphone doesn’t seem to pick up any white noise whatsoever and the voices it records sound full and well balanced. It’s no replacement for a good dedicated microphone, but your teammates will be able to hear your voice loud and clear.

New NGENUITY Software

When HyperX sent us the Cloud Alpha Wireless, they also sent us the beta version of the new NGENUITY software. It doesn’t give the headset a ton of extra features, but it’s easy to use and the ones it does have are pretty good.

To start, users can independently adjust audio volume and microphone input volume. Then there’s the ability to turn on DTS X spatial sound. You can also play around with the equalizer. You can set it manually if you want, or there are seven presets to choose from including Bass Boost, Clarity, and FPS. Users can turn off voice prompts if they choose and they can set how long they want the timer to be before the headset automatically powers down when it’s not in use.

Is the GH401 worth the Money?

There are better sounding wireless headsets out there than the Cloud Alpha Wireless and some of them may not even cost as much. The Logitech G Pro X Wireless is being sold for the same price, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless and SteelSeries Arctis 7+ Wireless are both more affordable, and HyperX’s own Cloud II Wireless is selling for a whopping $70 cheaper than what the Cloud Alpha Wireless is set to MSRP. So, why buy the Alpha?

Two words: battery life.

The 300-hour battery life that the Cloud Alpha Wireless offers is unlike anything else currently on the market. Its build and performance are competitive in all other arenas, but that is the only feature that justifies its $200 price point. So, if you’re willing to spend a little extra for a good, comfortable headset that hardly ever needs to be charged, this might be the one for you.