HyperX's Cloud Alpha gaming headset is an immensely popular option for gamers worldwide, combining a stylish design with a solid build quality, all while delivering a good overall sound quality that doesn't push or pull its EQ too far in any direction. The Cloud Alpha is a mainstay, and HyperX is a name associated with gaming wherever you go.

HyperX's latest iteration of this venerable gaming headset introduces a 300-hour battery, meaning you can use the HyperX Cloud Alpha for 12 solid days of gaming. Yes, 12 whole days, without respite, which makes the Cloud Alpha Wireless easily best in class when it comes to wireless gaming headsets.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Style and Comfort

You can spot that the Cloud Alpha Wireless is a HyperX gaming headset almost immediately. No, it's not the HyperX logo on the earcup exterior; the Cloud Alpha Wireless has roughly the same form factor as most HyperX gaming headsets from the past decade.

Now, that's with knowledge of HyperX's headset lineup, but these gaming cans iterate around an almost standardized design template: lots of black, slight bits of red flair.

It's almost exactly the same in style as its wired companion, the largely metal frame embellished with soft memory foam and leatherette for comfort. The Cloud Alpha Wireless weighs 337g (11.88oz), which is perfectly average for a gaming headset, especially one you might wear for 300 hours at a time. The ear pads are soft and cover most of my ear, helping to deliver some passive noise cancellation (there is no active noise cancellation, mind), and straight out of the box, there is little additional pressure.

You'll find the standard array of controls around the bottom of the earcups: the detachable microphone input, a volume wheel (which has nice resistance), the USB Type-C charging port, mute button, and power button. It's all standard fare, but everything works well and as it should.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Connectivity and (Insane!) Battery Life

Let's get stuck into the main attraction: the HyperX Cloud Alpha's incredible 300-hour battery life. During the review, these headphones were used every day for hours, and actually exceeded the stated 300-hour battery life, which is phenomenal, translating to more than 12 days of playback.

Furthermore, despite having such excellent battery capacity, the Cloud Alpha Wireless only takes around two hours to fully charge from empty. There is no specific fast charge function, but when you can fully charge in a couple of hours and the battery range expected is up to 300 hours, grabbing even just ten or fifteen minutes will deliver you many hours of gaming.

If maximizing your playtime is your goal, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is the gaming headset for you. Even if you don't chime with the rest of the Cloud Alpha Wireless features, the 300-hour battery life alone sets this gaming headset well apart from the competition.

Although these are wireless gaming headphones, they don't use Bluetooth. Instead, the Cloud Alpha Wireless uses 2.4GHz wireless via a USB Type-A dongle. The 2.4GHz wireless connection offers at least two major benefits: better range, and greater connection stability. In this case, both are true, with the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless headset range exceeding what you'll find with Bluetooth 5.2 or 5.3.

Of course, how much of a difference that makes to your gaming experience is down to your gaming set up, but I certainly enjoyed walking from my home office to the kitchen to make tea without having to remove my headphones.

The other thing to note regarding connectivity is that the Cloud Alpha Wireless is just that—wireless. They offer no wired connection option, either by USB Type-C or 3.5mm jack.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Sound Quality, In-Game Performance, and DTS:X

The Cloud Alpha Wireless is very much a gaming headset—it says so on the website!

But, HyperX has resisted making massive alterations to the headset EQ, and although there is a definite boost in the low-end, it's also definitely not heaps. While more gaming headset manufacturers are taking note and realizing that most people use their gaming headsets for music, movies, and more, it's still nice to see.

On that, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless sound really good. The slightly elevated bass gives the 50mm Neodymium drivers a punchy sound when you throw on some jungle or techno, and the low-end seems relatively accurate throughout. You'll also find that the Cloud Alpha Wireless performs well when you opt for complex arrangements, though it somewhat depends on the type of music you're listening to. Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians is delivered with reasonable clarity, with some transitions becoming slightly muddied in the mid-range, but something like Aphex Twin's Windowlicker hits home, delivering those hissing, glitching, and gurgling pops as they should sound.

That's music; but how do the Cloud Alpha Wireless headphones sound when you're gaming?

Again, as HyperX opted for a balanced sound profile, that's what you tend to get in-game. Depending on what you play, you'll experience different things. For example, Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal's soaring and, at times, brutal soundtrack sounds incredible, overlaid with the sounds of your Heavy Assault Rifle or Super Shotgun. In racing games like Assetto Corsa Competizione, you'll hear the full low-end rumble of each car's unique engine properties, something which the Cloud Alpha Wireless' slight bass boost adds a bit more tone too.

In-game sound quality, then, is good. The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless also comes with support for DTS:X, the surround sound tech you can use to create a more immersive gaming audio experience. In theory, enabling DTS:X should enable you to hear where footsteps are coming from or where a weapon was fired, and, for the most part, it does work. Just don't expect it to be the definitive difference between winning a round of your favorite FPS and being wiped out in the final moments.

HyperX Ngenuity Desktop App

You can use the HyperX Ngenuity desktop app to control the headset EQ. Word to the wise: use the Microsoft Store app. Otherwise, it won't work properly. Unfortunately, the standalone download offered as an alternative to the Microsoft Store version is (at the time of review) for a June 2021 beta version that doesn't recognize the Cloud Alpha Wireless. I never use Microsoft Store apps, so this is a small irritation, but nothing much to worry about.

Once downloaded, you can use Ngenuity to see your Cloud Alpha Wireless battery life, assign custom and premade EQs to the headset, toggle the DTS:X spatial sound, and change how quickly the headset powers down during a period of no activity.

As far as companion and desktop apps go, Ngenuity is fine. It won't blow you away with features, but it connects quickly and delivers the information you want, and having the option to customize your EQ is always welcome when it comes to gaming headsets, even if they're relatively well balanced like the Cloud Alpha Wireless.

My favorite part of the Ngenuity app was the battery life monitor. Only 20 percent battery left? No problem, that's still 50 hours of playback.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Have Incredible Battery Life, and You Should Buy Them

So, should you buy the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset? Let's examine the facts.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless currently retails for $199, meaning they're not the cheapest set of gaming cans you'll lay your eyes and ears upon.

However, for that outlay, you get a set of gaming headphones with a 300-hour battery life, which blows everything else out of the water. The Cloud Alpha Wireless also sound great whether gaming or listening to music and they're comfortable to wear for hours at a time, too. The microphone is a little underpowered, but that's fairly typical of gaming headsets with detachable (or even integrated) microphones, so it's neither here nor there.

All in all, if you can afford the outlay, you'll have a really cracking gaming headset on your hands that should last you for years to come.