Sometimes it seems like gaming headsets have gotten a little bit extra recently, with everything superfluous RGB lighting for built-in noise engines. When I try to choose an excellent wireless gaming headset, I’m not asking for much. I look for comfort, solid audio, strong battery and connectivity and a simple design. That’s basically it. And when upgrading your classic wired Cloud headset with new wireless support, HyperX Cloud II Wireless is a great example of a simple wireless gaming headset made the right way.
Starting with its design, Cloud II Wireless is practically a carbon copy of the standard wired Cloud headset, which is definitely not a bad thing. A few years ago, when I gathered the best gaming headsets under $ 100, the original HyperX Cloud ended in second, falling short of Arctis 5 from SteelSeries, mainly because during long game sessions of three hours or more, I found the Arctis 5 more breathable and a little more comfortable. But it was very close.
With Cloud II Wireless, you get more out of it, including a sturdy aluminum headband with ample padding and soft memory foam headphones. HyperX also includes a handy on / off button, mute button and volume wheel directly on the headset, which may seem a bit spartan, but it covers all the most important functions. Adding a game / chat balance dial like some other wireless headsets would have been nice, Although.
Like its predecessor, Cloud II Wireless features a closed design that offers good passive noise cancellation. Just be careful not to start speaking louder when you put them on because it’s harder to hear, which is something I did (much to my wife’s dismay) when I switched from my normal half-opensupported cans. Throughout its audio track, Cloud II Wireless sounded firm and clear, without any of the cloudy bass that I sometimes find in other brands. In fact, although you can use the free HyperX app to adjust various audio settings or enable HyperX’s virtual 7.1 surround sound feature, Cloud II Wireless was set up so well out of the box that I used them several days before never connecting them to the application. I just connected the wireless dongle to my PC, plugged in the headset and started playing. Essentially, there was no configuration needed, how simple is that?
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As for microphone performance, as in the standard Cloud headset, the Cloud II Wireless has a detachable microphone that sits at the end of a foldable boom, which sounded bright and clear. HyperX includes some built-in noisecancel the technology to help reduce background noise from the environment, which I found generally effective, but not too deep. That said, I have to admit that in a side-by-side test with a Blue Yeti stand up microphone, HyperX didn’t capture so much detail in my voice, with many of my friends on Discord saying that my speech sounded a little flat. But honestly, it’s okay, because these two microphones are built for different purposes. When I’m playing, I’m more concerned with being easily understood than anything else, because in the middle of an invasion or a big shootout, I don’t really care about a microphone capturing all the nasal sounds in my speech.
But for me, the most impressive thing about Cloud II Wireless is the battery life and the wireless connection. HyperX states that the Cloud II Wireless should last about 30 hours on a charge and, in my experience, this is very good, as I only needed to charge it once every two weeks, although obviously this can vary depending on how much do you play each day.
As for its wireless connection, HyperX says the range of the Cloud II Wireless is up to 20 meters (about 65 feet). Ion my test, I couldn’t even find a spot on my 1,000-square foot apartment where the audio was cut off, so I had to physically leave my house and go down to the elevator on my floor before the sound started to fall.
My only complaints about HyperX Cloud II Wireless boil down to a few minor details. The first is that the included USB-A to USB-C charging cable is only about 60 cm long, which means it’s not long enough to be used if you want to use the headset while you’re charging. The other is that, unlike SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless, which comes with a USB-C dongle, The Cloud II Wireless uses a USB-A wireless dongle, which doesn’t really work with the Nintendo Switch in portable mode, although you can connect the dongle to the Switch’s dock, which has a USB-A port.
This means that Cloud II Wireless is primarily a headset for PC or PS4 players. And although I don’t say that on the box, Cloud II Wireless also worked very well when I connected it to a PS5. Unfortunately, as Microsoft uses a proprietary signal for wireless audio, Cloud II Wireless (like many wireless headsets) does not work well with Xboxes.
Finally, at a price of $ 150, Cloud II Wireless is also slightly more expensive than some of its low-cost wireless competitors. But for me, this isn’t really a big deal, because whatever Cloud II Wireless does, it does it well. It has a clean and robust design, good audio and a clear sound detachable microphone and better battery life and a stronger audio connection than I could ask for. If you just want a simple one, wireless gaming headset done right, Cloud II Wireless is it.
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- The Cloud II Wireless has around 30 hours of battery life and a wireless range of up to 20 meters.
- Why Cloud II Wireless depends on a USB-A dongle for your connection, it is not a good choice to pair with a phone.
- The Cloud II Wireless is compatible with PCs, the Nintendo Switch (when attached), the PS4 and, although not listed in the box, the PS5 as well. But not Xbox.
- The included USB-A to USB-C charging cable is only 60 centimeters long, which means it’s a little short if you want to keep using the headset while charging.