Everyone wants the freedom of a great wireless gaming headset, but it's hard to find one that's budget-friendly without compromising on... well, a lot. HyperX's new Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is a budget-friendly (ish) wireless headset that doesn't compromise on much — it's got large, 50mm dynamic drivers with a frequency response range of 10 - 50,000 Hz, an ultra lightweight, comfortable frame with reinforced metal yokes for durability, and it gets up to 80 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is a number we usually only see in much pricier products. The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless comes in at just under $100, which isn't nothing, but is significantly cheaper than the $200 - $300 price range of headsets with similar specs.

Design and Comfort of the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is an over-ear (circumaural) wireless gaming headset with a lightweight plastic frame and a non-detachable flip-to-mute boom mic. It's mostly made of plastic, with a matte black finish and some machined texturing around the outer edges of the large, oval earcups, but it does have stainless steel sliders in the headband for durability. The earcups are independently height-adjustable, and they also tilt and swivel 90 degrees for flat storage (though the headset doesn't come with a travel bag or case). The earpads and the underside of the headband are padded with soft, leatherette-covered memory foam, which does an excellent job of passive noise cancellation.

It looks like a gaming headset, mostly because it has a non-detachable boom mic. HyperX's HX logo is glossily debossed on both earcups, while the HyperX text logo adorns the top of the headband. It's not unattractive, but it does look a little cheap — I blame the matte black plastic; it's hard to have this particular finish without looking like you're cutting corners at least somewhat. It feels relatively sturdy for its weight, and the flexible frame makes me think it would hold up decently well if you take care of it. The leatherette-covered memory foam padding feels more premium than the rest of the headset, so that's a nice touch.

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is expectedly lightweight, weighing in at just 10.1 ounces (286.5g). It's almost two ounces lighter than the extremely comfortable HyperX Cloud III S Wireless (12.05oz / 341.5g), and it's half an ounce lighter than the Turtle Beach Atlas Air (10.61oz / 301g), which is one of the lightest wireless headsets we've tested. It's still heavier than wired lightweight headsets, however, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 (8.3oz / 235g).

Weight isn't the only factor when it comes to comfort, but it certainly helps — and the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is a very comfortable and adjustable headset. The headband measures around nine inches (228.6mm) with the earcups fully retracted, and each earcup can be extended around 1.5 inches (38mm) for a total headband length of just under 12 inches (304.8mm). While it wasn't so comfortable that I forgot I was wearing it, I had no problems wearing the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless for hours at a time.

It's a wireless headset, so it's got several on-ear controls. On the left earcup, from back to front, there's a power button and a USB-C charging port. On the right earcup, from back to front, there's a multi-function button, a volume wheel, and a mode switch for switching between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth.

In the box, the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless comes with a short, 1.6-foot (0.5m) USB-C to USB-C charging cable, a 2.4GHz wireless USB-C dongle, and a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

Audio Performance of the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless has large 50mm dynamic drivers with a listed frequency response range of 10 - 50,000 Hz, which is pretty far outside the normal range of 20 - 20,000 Hz (though we often see headsets outside this range these days).

Music on the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless sounded good — a fairly neutral profile with no immediately noticeable distortion at either end of the spectrum. The bass in songs such as Kaskade's POW POW POW was powerful-feeling without being muddy, and I could hear the full reign of the kick drum at the beginning of Lorde's Royals. It wasn't the absolute clearest bass I've heard, but I was impressed with the balance between power and restraint. The mid- and high-range also sounded good, though perhaps a little too neutral for my taste. The high strings in Britney Spears' Toxic were well-curbed, but the dynamics in songs such as Farruko's Pepas and David Guetta's Titanium (ft. Sia) felt a little... lacking in excitement.

Games also sounded good on the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless. While it doesn't have a particularly wide soundstage, the headset did a good job of picking up detail in dense, layered audio environments such as the cities of Baldur's Gate 3 and Where Winds Meet, or the jungle of Uncharted 4. In noisy environments these details did tend to blend together in a way that was more cacophonous than artistically rendered (but I suppose that's pretty realistic to how audio works in the real world, too). Directional sound was accurate, if not as finely-tuned as it is in premium, performance-oriented headsets such as the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro.

The headset features dual-wireless connectivity, though not simultaneous — a switch on the right earcup lets you quickly switch between the headset's 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 2 connections. Audio sounded a little compressed over the headset's Bluetooth connection, but it was fine for taking calls or scrolling through TikTok.

Specs

Microphone of the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless has a non-detachable flip-to-mute boom microphone that sits on the end of a 3.5-inch (89mm) flexible gooseneck arm. The mic is a 6mm back electret condenser microphone with a unidirectional polar pattern, and it does a decent job of keeping background noise at bay, even without any software-based noise cancellation active.

As for quality, the mic isn't anything to write home about — it's a pretty typical headset mic that picks up vocals loud and clear, but won't make you sound like you're a professional podcaster (or anywhere near that level). My voice sounded decently full over both voice chat and in recordings, but it still had the thin, slightly fuzzy quality that easily gave away the fact that this was a headset mic and not a standalone USB gaming mic. But as long as you're not creating content, this mic is perfectly capable for communicating with coworkers, friends, and teammates.

Features and Software of the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is supposed to be configurable via HyperX's Ngenuity software, but I downloaded both the new Ngenuity (Ngenuity 3?) and the legacy version of Ngenuity, and neither was able to recognize the headset when it was connected to my PC (wired or wireless).

Luckily, the Cloud Stinger 3 works pretty flawlessly out of the box, so you shouldn't need the software (HyperX's Ngenuity software generally tends to be lacking on features, anyway) to use the headset. The headset comes configured by default with voice prompts that tell you when you're switching between connections and when your mic is muted/unmuted (though this is fairly obvious given that it's a flip-to-mute mic), and tapping the power button once gives you the headset's current remaining battery life. There aren't any settings I desperately wanted to change, though I did want to see if tweaking the EQ could pull out footstep details, and HyperX does boast about its software-based spatial audio on the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless' product page.

Battery Life of the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless

HyperX rates the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless' battery life at "up to 80 hours" over 2.4GHz wireless, which is pretty impressive given how light the headset is. The BlackShark V3 Pro, which weighs 12.96 ounces (367g), gets up to 70 hours of battery life, while the 1.23-pound (560g) Audeze Maxwell 2 gets over 80 hours. Of course, HyperX's other headsets also have battery life that far outclasses their peers — the HyperX Cloud III S Wireless, which weighs 12.05 ounces (341.5g) and retails for $180 gets up to 120 hours over its 2.4GHz wireless connection.

Bottom Line

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless is a lightweight, comfortable wireless gaming headset that offers impressive performance and battery life for its $99.99 retail price. It has large dynamic drivers with a wide frequency response range and a fairly neutral (if a little boring) sound profile and up to 80 hours of battery life. It's extremely lightweight and comfortable, though it does look and feel a little cheap overall, and its flip-to-mute boom mic is perfectly adequate for most typical gaming situations. At $100, it's not quite what I'd call budget-friendly (more like the low end of mid-range), but it's definitely worth the price. My only real complaint is that it's a little boring (in both sound profile and looks) — for something a little more fun, I'd still recommend the $120 Corsair Void Wireless v2.

HyperX has long dominated our list of best gaming microphones with its impressive QuadCast (and DuoCast, and SoloCast) lineup of standalone USB mics. But those are just USB mics — convenient to use, easy to set up, and pretty impressive considering the limitations. But a truly professional setup uses XLR, which gives you a more balanced signal (especially over long cables), better audio quality, and is much better for certain types of tasks, such as recording multiple people in one room (e.g. for a podcast).

But XLR setups aren't exactly convenient: an XLR signal needs to go through an audio interface to convert its signal to a digital one, meaning you can't just plug it into your computer. And audio interfaces are complicated (and, often, expensive), and sometimes you just want to plug your mic into an open USB port and start talking.

Enter the HyperX FlipCast: an end-address microphone with both XLR and USB-C connectivity built in, so you don't have to choose. This mic features a cardioid polar pattern and records up to 32-bit / 192 kHz (over USB-C), and has tons of on-mic controls as well as a highly customizable RGB light ring. It looks and sounds good, but it's on the pricier side with a retail price of $229.99.

Design of the FlipCast

The FlipCast looks like most end-address mics: it's a black cylinder measuring approximately 6.75 inches (171.45mm) long by 2.25 inches (57.15mm) wide, bisected by a bright, customizable RGB lightstrip. It has a metal chassis with a matte black finish, and built-in wind foam that covers the actual microphone. It sports HyperX's HX logo on one side (in silver), and attaches to a sturdy metal swing arm on the other side.

The FlipCast comes mounted on its own swing arm, which has a threaded attachment point for mounting on a boom arm or microphone stand. It doesn't come with a desktop stand (or boom arm) in the box, so you'll need to make a separate purchase if you don't already have one lying around. This isn't particularly surprising, as similar end-address mics typically do not ship with desktop stands, but since it's at least somewhat aimed at casual PC users with its USB-C connectivity, I would have liked to see some sort of option to get you going out of the box.

The FlipCast feels fairly sturdy — it weighs 1.26 pounds (571.5g), so it's not very heavy for a microphone (the Rode PodMic USB weighs 1.9lbs / 900g), but it seems well-built and the integrated swing mount is also pretty solid.

The FlipCast has a few on-mic controls, including a tap-to-mute button and a multi-function wheel for adjusting gain, headphone volume, and monitor mix. The tap-to-mute button sits on a slightly raised platform with an LED level meter that's angled toward you, so you can see it while you're using the mic. The mic has a colorful RGB light ring around its center that turns off when the mic is muted (the mute button and the LED meter also turn red). On the back, underside of the mic, there are also two switches that control onboard audio filters — a 150 Hz high-pass filter (for reducing low-frequency background noise), and a presence boost (for adding clarity to vocals).

I like the FlipCast's tap-to-mute button (I've long been a fan of HyperX's tap-to-mute functionality), but the placement is a little awkward — it's right on top of the mic, and it's very sensitive, so you can definitely accidentally activate it when you're moving the mic or holding it to adjust settings. It's not that big of a deal, I guess, as you're probably not speaking when you're moving the mic around (or, at least, not speaking to an audience), but still.

The ports are on the back of the mic — a three-prong XLR port in the center, a USB-C to the lower right of that, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for direct, zero-latency monitoring, to the lower left.

In the box, the FlipCast comes with a couple of accessories. There's the integrated swing arm, which comes pre-mounted, as well as a soft cloth drawstring bag for protection. There's also a 10-foot (3m) braided USB-C to USB-C cable with a USB-C to USB-A converter attached to one end. The extra length is nice, albeit fairly standard — you'll need the extra length when you're threading the cable through the boom arm you'll have to buy. There's no XLR cable, which makes sense, as you need more than just an XLR cable to get an XLR setup working.

Specs

Performance of the FlipCast

The FlipCast is an end-address dynamic capsule microphone with a cardioid polar pattern and both USB-C and XLR connectivity. It records audio in 32-bit / 192 kHz resolution and has a frequency response of 20 - 20,000 Hz, and it has several on-mic controls for adjusting things on the fly (or, well, without software). It's definitely not the first mic with dual connectivity options — Rode has been putting both USB-C and XLR connectivity into their consumer mics for a couple of years, now.

I suspect most people aren't going to buy the FlipCast because they plan to primarily use the XLR connection, since an XLR-only mic would be much cheaper. So the target audience here seems to be mid-range streamers and podcasters who think they're likely to graduate to an XLR setup in the future. Well, that, or people who want a USB mic for convenience but who also occasionally need to record hi-res audio.

Vocals on the FlipCast sound very good over the USB-C connection, although perhaps not quite as good as I expected to hear over this type of mic. My voice sounded warm, full, and it had that broadcast-level quality you can only get with a standalone mic, but it didn't get the powerful proximity effect I get from the Rode PodMic USB — the proximity effect was there, yes, but it just didn't sound as intimate. Perhaps it was the built-in wind foam — the PodMic USB comes with a removable wind foam cover.

The mic also picked up a lot of plosives when I got too close to it, though it did much better when I put a metal pop screen in front of it. The built-in high-pass filter does a pretty decent job of filtering out low-frequency background noise, but the software-based AI noise reduction is what you really need to keep the sounds at bay. I was impressed with the AI noise reduction — it did a very good job of filtering out background noise, such as fans and traffic, and it even reduced my typing to a manageable volume level, without taking too much away from my voice. While my voice still sounded fuller without the AI noise reduction turned on, the difference was mostly noticeable side-by-side.

I'm a big fan of the FlipCast's on-mic controls. The tap-to-mute button, while a little over-sensitive, is very well-implemented and works perfectly without disrupting the audio even slightly. The multi-function wheel is also very convenient; clicking the wheel switches between functions, of which there are three: mic volume, headphone volume, and mic/headphone monitor mix. The mode is indicated by color (pink for mic volume, yellow for headphone volume, and blue for monitor mix) as well as symbols — the mic symbol lights up for mic volume, the headphone symbol lights up for headphone volume, and both light up for monitor mix, which is actually very intuitive.

Features and Software of the FlipCast

The FlipCast is configurable through HyperX's Ngenuity software, which is officially out of beta. While you don't need Ngenuity to use the microphone, especially as the mic has a built-in high-pass filter and presence boost, the software does let you fine-tune some settings — it includes a parametric mic EQ and a handful of effects, including AI noise reduction, a compressor, and a limiter.

You can also use Ngenuity to change the lighting on the RGB light ring, which is surprisingly customizable. It has 13 individually-customizable light zones, in the event you want to layer different lighting effects. It's not quite as customizable as the lighting in some peripheral apps, such as Razer's Chroma suite, but it's significantly more customizable than it needs to be. You can turn off the lighting here, too — turning off the light ring will not turn off the sound meter or the red mute indicator.

Bottom Line

The FlipCast is a great-sounding microphone that will work in both professional and casual setups, thanks to its dual USB-C and XLR connectivity. It's got a lot of handy on-mic controls, including a built-in level monitor and a built-in high-pass filter, and the tap-to-mute button works flawlessly. This is very different from, say, the Rode PodMic USB, which has dual-connectivity but no on-mic controls, or the HyperX QuadCast 2 S, which has all sorts of controls and lighting but no XLR connectivity.

But at $230, the FlipCast is kind of pricey for what it is — the PodMic USB may not have the on-mic controls, but it sounds better and retails for $30 less (and is currently on sale for even less — $188 at Amazon). And if you don't need the XLR connectivity, the QuadCast 2 S sounds just as good and costs $100 less (and is currently on sale for $107 at Amazon). So the FlipCast — which, by the way, is also currently on sale, for $190 at Amazon — ends up being a somewhat niche product.

HyperX, HP’s gaming subsidiary, is back with new peripherals, and today we’re looking at its newest 1800-sized keyboard — the Eve 1800. The Eve is a $50 membrane-style keyboard that features RGB backlighting, dedicated volume keys... and that’s about it. In 2026, there are definitely keyboards you can get for less than $50, such as the Keychron C2 Full Size, or the Redragon K582. And if you can afford to spend a little more than $50, there are a lot of budget mechanical keyboards worth checking out. With all the options available, is there even any room for a $50 membrane-style keyboard?

Specs

Design

The HyperX Eve 1800 is a non-mechanical keyboard, utilizing membrane switches, 10 zones of RGB lighting, 12-key rollover with dedicated volume keys, and a price tag of just $50. While $50 might seem “cheap” for a keyboard, there are many options on the market that offer more customization than does the Eve 1800.

The 1800-size keyboard name isn’t thrown around too often, because it’s usually referred to as a 96-percent. Similar to how the 80-percent keyboard is usually referred to as "tenkeyless," 1800 is just a different name for the 96-percent size. This means it's not quite full-size — it has fewer keys, and it also moves the numberpad over next to the alphanumeric keys to save on space. And it does save on space, measuring 16.11 inches (409.2mm) wide, 5.60 inches (144.6mm) deep, and 1.4 inches (35.1mm) at its thickest point without keycaps.

While the HyperX Eve 1800 sounds pretty decent on paper, it isn’t a great keyboard — and it feels almost obsolete in 2026. The biggest issue with the Eve is the location of the volume keys. The volume keys are on the left side of the keyboard, which means it shifts all of the other keys to the right.

One of the only good features about this board is the 10-key numberpad, which is practical for day-to-day use and is useful for MMORPGs (or any game that calls for a boat load of keybinds). In addition, I love the dedicated media keys; I feel like dedicated media keys have become forgotten in today’s keyboard market. Unfortunately, the HyperX Eve 1800 only features volume adjustment and has nothing dedicated to skipping songs. In addition, the buttons feel really mushy and cheap.Have you ever had a button on an Xbox or PlayStation controller become sticky? That’s what it feels like to use the volume keys on this keyboard. Sure, they work — but they aren't pleasant to use — and the board suffers from an awkward layout because of it.

The rest of the board is pretty basic, design-wise. The entire board is made of brittle plastic and it's very light, but not in a good way. The back features two sets of flip-up feet for angle adjustment, and the board has a non-detachable rubber cable that feels like it will kink up in a couple of years (or less).

Typing and Gaming Experience on the HyperX Eve 1800

My friends and I have been tinkering with modded Minecraft servers, so that was the game I was playing during my time with the HyperX Eve 1800. Because Minecraft is a simple game to operate, I didn't feel too hindered by the keyboard’s design — other than the times when I had to use text chat. The Eve doesn’t even sport any “gaming” features except for the tactility of the membrane switches, and 12-key rollover, which are present in almost every keyboard nowadays.

I struggled to type with the HyperX Eve 1800 due to the location of the volume keys. For example, when I would type the letter “A,” I would accidentally hit the caps lock key instead, which was very frustrating. I did get used to the Eve 1800 fairly quickly, but I continued to make more typos than I normally do throughout my testing.I want to add that this isn’t a common occurrence for 1800 or 96-percent keyboards. When I reviewed the Epomaker TH96, which has an even more cramped layout, I never experienced any typing mishaps.

Nothing really stood out when typing or gaming with the HyperX Eve 1800. Since the switches are membrane, the typing experience isn’t any different from the standard Dell keyboard the IT department provides you with at your nine-to-five. But if you haven’t used a membrane keyboard in a long time (or, for some reason, haven’t used one at all), the bottom-out feels mushy and it's nowhere near as satisfying as a mechanical switch. That said, I actually do normally enjoy the sound and feel of membrane switches, so it was a shame this board handicapped my ability to type as much as it did.

I understand that some keyboards take time to get used to — especially ergonomic ones, such as the ErgoDox — but at least with ergonomic keyboards you'll (hopefully) benefit from using them, in the long run. The HyperX Eve 1800, however, is not an ergonomic keyboard, and it doesn't have any features that make it worth the adjustment period.

Software

The HyperX Eve 1800 utilizes the company’s NGENUITY software, which is the same program that powers the Origins 2 65 we recently reviewed. While you can remap any key, you cannot adjust the lighting on a per-key basis. Instead, you’re bound to adjusting zones of the board or the following light modes: alternating, solid, swipe, breathing, calming waves, twinkle, confetti, sunrise and surging waves.

All in all, NGENUITY is a decent piece of software, but I don’t think it will find much use if you decide to buy the HyperX Eve 1800, since your ability to customize the board is pretty limited.

Bottom Line

I hate to say it, but I genuinely do not know what HyperX (or HP) was thinking when it designed the Eve 1800. Especially when you can get a decent mechanical keyboard for the same price, or maybe $20 - $30 more — there are plenty on our list of best budget mechanical keyboards. When using the Eve 1800, I found myself wondering — did HyperX even test this board’s design? The Eve 1800 does come with RGB lighting, and, because it's an 1800-sized board (96-percent — with almost the same amount of keys as a full-size board, but more compact), it does allow for more desk space...but there are many better options on the market.

The thing that bothers me the most with the HyperX Eve 1800 is that you’re not really benefiting from using it over any other keyboard. I understand there’s a learning curve for some keyboards, like the ErgoDox, but that board is designed to prevent RSI (repetitive stress injuries) and offers a lot of customization. The Eve 1800 is just like any membrane keyboard — but with the added issue of having to get used to a slightly-off layout.

If you have been a member of the PC hardware world for even a short amount of time, you’ll know HyperX is one of the biggest names out there. The gaming subsidiary of HP is known for making some of the best microphones, headsets, mice, and gaming keyboards, and at a relatively affordable price point. HyperX's Origins line of gaming keyboards is a staple: The keyboards come in several sizes, are excellent for gaming, and often go on sale (so we're often recommending them). The brand debuted the next generation — the HyperX Origins 2 series — at CES 2026, starting with the Origins 2 65 and the Origins 2 1800 (full-size).

We're taking a look at the HyperX Origins 2 65, which is the next-gen update to the HyperX Alloy Origins 65. The Origins 2 65 is, like its predecessor, a 65-percent mechanical gaming keyboard, but it's packed with upgrades: Hot-swappable switch sockets, lightning-fast linear switches, up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate, and a unique o-ring mount design. It's available now, in black, for $119.99.

Specifications

Design

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is, as the name suggests, a 65-percent mechanical keyboard. The Origins 2 features an o-ring mount design (more on that later), per-key RGB, a frosted back polycarbonate case, a hot-swappable PCB with support for 5-pin switches, dampening foam in the case, and a polling rate of up to 8,000 Hz.

The switches — HyperX's Linear Reds — are mechanical and are practically the same as the classic Cherry MX Reds, but utilize a “box-style” construction like you’d see from Kailh. I’ve always been a fan of the box design, as it limits stem wobble and typically features a tighter housing. The switches are very smooth and are rated for 80 million keypresses. But, because this PCB is hot-swappable, you can use any mechanical switch you want — which is what I would personally do, since I’ve always found linear switches to be too light for everyday typing.

As mentioned above, this keyboard features an o-ring mount. What that means is that there's a rubber o-ring sandwiched between the PCB and switch plate — while this might sound obscure to non-mechanical keyboard enthusiasts, it is somewhat common if you dig deeper into the market. The last time I used a mechanical keyboard with an o-ring mount was when I looked at the CannonKeys Bakeneko65. The goal of this mounting style is to provide a more responsive — and less harsh — typing experience. Unfortunately, the Origins 2 65... didn’t give me this feeling. If I'd been blindfolded, I wouldn't have even guessed that the Origins 2 65 was an o-ring mounted mechanical keyboard, because it ultimately feels like any other well-dampened, mechanical, tray-mounted board.

In addition to its attempted ambitious mounting design, HyperX also offers customization in the Origins 2 65 with different-colored cases. You can't pick a color at the beginning (all Origins 2 65 keyboards ship with a translucent smoke gray polycarbonate case), but you can purchase different colors for around $19, which isn't too bad. You can currently choose from royal blue, light pink, and white cases on HyperX's website — all cases are translucent. The cases are easy to swap out, though you pop the keyboard in from the bottom, unlike the custom cases for Drop's CSTM series (which overlay from the top).

If you happen to have a 3D printer, you can also print your own case, as HyperX is kind enough to offer up the source files for free on its Printables page. (If you don't have a 3D printer, check out our list of the best 3D printers.)

Although I rarely use RGB on my keyboards, I kept it enabled while I was testing the Origins 2 65 — because it just looked that good. It's bright and vibrant; there's a setting called confetti — and even though it's just a slow, flickering preset, it looks great combined with the keyboard's shine-through switches and polycarbonate switch plate and keycaps. It made me feel a bit nostalgic for my original Glorious GMMK that I bought about seven years ago, which had a similar lighting effect. You won't have the same nostalgia trip as I did, but you'll find something you like in the lighting options. The Origins 2 65 features the following lighting presets: alternating, solid, swipe, breathing, calming waves, twinkle, confetti (my favorite), sunrise, and surging waves. The lighting is per-key, so you can also adjust each key's lighting individually. The RGB looks very good on this keyboard — it's bright and pretty, and this is accentuated by the shine-through keycaps and switches. However, you can't shuffle between RGB modes on the keyboard itself — you need to do it manually in the Ngenuity software, which is inconvenient (and a bit inexcusable in 2026).

The rest of the HyperX Origins 2’s design is pretty straightforward. On the back it has one set of flip-up feet along with four rubber feet to keep it from slipping around your desk. The USB-C port is located along the top left of the board, and the cable is removable.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the HyperX Origins 2 65

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is attempting to bridge the gap between "best gaming keyboard" and "best typing keyboard," and it doesn't quite succeed — it's much better for gaming than it is for typing. The keyboard comes with a HyperX Linear Reds, which have an actuation force of 40g and a short 1.8mm travel actuation. The keyboard features a hot-swappable PCB and a polling rate of up to 8,000 Hz — and with its compact size, it's perfect for fast-paced gaming.

I’m in the midst of my New Game Plus (NG+) run on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 because it’s easily the best game I have played in recent memory and I want to 100% it with a keyboard this time around, as I used an Xbox controller in my original playthrough.

Because Expedition 33 utilizes a parry and dodge system, you need to be quick, and because of that, I needed a fast keyboard. While I don’t really believe in polling rate, I do believe that lighter switches play a huge role in succeeding in any fast-paced game.

Performance-wise, the HyperX Origins 2 65 did a great job keeping my expedition alive and my in-game deaths were limited to lack of skill — not a shoddy keyboard. I don't know if it's the compact size, the snappy response, the light actuation and short travel, or all of the above, but I loved gaming with the Origins 2 65.

While I thoroughly enjoyed gaming with the HyperX Origins 2 65, I was a bit disappointed by the o-ring mount design. I’m not sure if it’s because CannonKeys made a splash with the Bakeneko by providing an exquisite, bouncy typing experience, but the Origins 2 felt like a tray mount with good noise dampening. In addition, the switches are loud. While I didn't expect a mechanical keyboard enthusiast-tier typing experience, it does feel like HyperX had a lot of potential with the o-ring mounting system and the POM switches... but that just kind of fell flat.

All in all, the gaming experience with the HyperX Origins 2 65 is superb, but the typing experience was subpar at best.

Software

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is supported by the company’s NGENUITY software and I found it to be simple to use and not bloated like some other mechanical keyboard software. NGENUITY actually reminds me a lot of “VIA” which is the open-source key mapping software used by most enthusiast-level mechanical keyboards.

NGENUITY allows you to change lighting effects, re-map keys and record macros. That’s it — and this is good, because I don’t like when keyboard software is bloated with unnecessary features nobody will ever use.

That said, it was cute to see an animated hedgehog appear when I selected the confetti lighting preset.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Origins 2 65 is an interesting mechanical keyboard — it's definitely a gaming keyboard, first and foremost, but its o-ring design suggests the brand is also trying to appeal to keyboard enthusiasts. Unfortunately, that effort falls a little flat — if you're looking for a compact gaming keyboard that will also give you an enthusiast-level typing experience, we suggest the magnetic Arbiter Studio Polar 65 (or you can just go straight to enthusiast with something like the Mode SixtyFive custom keyboard).

I do hope HyperX will go back to the drawing board and refine its o-ring design, because the components are there — it just needs to be implemented better. But despite the ho-hum typing experience and the lack of ability to change the keyboard's RGB presets on the fly, I did enjoy gaming on the HyperX Origins 2 65. It's a compact, customizable board with easy-to-use software, light linear switches, and a snappy 8,000 Hz polling rate. If you're looking for a compact gaming keyboard you can easily personalize, the Origins 2 65 is a solid option.

The original HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless still beats out all other wireless headsets in at least one category: battery life. At a whopping 300 hours over 2.4GHz, no other headset has even come close — and the recently-launched HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 is, well... still only sort of close.

The new Cloud Alpha 2 is a wireless over-ear headset with an impressive battery life of up to 250 hours over a 2.4GHz wireless connection. It also features a slew of other updates, including a premium redesign, simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity, and a customizable desktop base station so all your audio controls are right at your fingertips. Of course, we should point out that the headset's 250-hour battery life drops to just half that (125 hours) if you're using the simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity. That's still pretty impressive — and it still beats almost all of the best wireless headsets we've tested (HyperX's Cloud III S Wireless gets 120 hours over just a 2.4GHz wireless connection).

The Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is available now, in black, for a retail price of $299.99, though it's currently on sale at HyperX for $279.99.

Design and Comfort of the Cloud Alpha 2

The HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is a wireless over-ear (circumaural) headset with a detachable boom microphone and a separate, customizable desktop base station. It features a sturdy, premium build with a dark gray stainless steel headband and curved aluminum forks attached to large, oval-shaped plastic earcups. The headband has leatherette-covered foam padding, while the earcups have soft, velvety microfiber-covered padding.

The Cloud Alpha 2 has an updated design that puts it in line with the other headsets in HyperX's current Cloud series — specifically, the wired HyperX Cloud III, the HyperX Cloud III Wireless, and the HyperX Cloud III S Wireless. The Cloud Alpha 2 has a more streamlined overall look than its predecessor, with aluminum forks that curve alongside the earcups and a premium-looking monochromatic dark gray-and-black color scheme. HyperX's HX logo is printed in silver on the side of each earcup, and "HyperX" is also printed across the top of the headset's steel headband. The headset doesn't have removable magnetic speaker plates like the Cloud III S Wireless, but I don't think that's a particularly big selling point for the Cloud III S Wireless.

Unsurprisingly, given its extremely similar design to the other headsets in HyperX's Cloud series, the Cloud Alpha 2 is a very comfortable headset. The steel headband is extremely flexible and well-padded, and the padding at the top of the headband is especially soft — so there's no pressure at the top of your skull. The earcups tilt and swivel both ways (they also swivel flat, making the headset easier to travel with), and are independently height-adjustable. The inside of the headband measures approximately 9 inches (228.6mm) long, and each earcup extends an extra 1.5 inches (38.1mm), for a total length of about 12 inches (304.8mm). The earcups extend in notches (10 notches per side).

I had no issues wearing the Cloud Alpha 2 for hours at a time, though it wasn't so lightweight or airy that I forgot I was wearing it. It feels very similar to the Cloud III series, though the earcups are angled slightly more and feel a bit wider. The Cloud Alpha 2 weighs 12.16 ounces (344.7g), which is only slightly heavier than the Cloud III Wireless / Cloud III S Wireless (12.05oz / 341.5g), but is definitely heavier than the wired Cloud III (10.86oz / 308g). It's also heavier than its predecessor: The original Cloud Alpha weighed 11.84 ounces (335.7g). All in all, the Cloud Alpha 2 isn't a particularly heavy headset, but it is noticeably heavier than the wired Cloud III.

The headset has several ports and controls on each earcup (such is the nature of a wireless gaming headset). On the left earcup, from back to front, there's a power button, a microphone mute button, and three ports: a 3.5mm audio jack for wired listening, a USB-C port for charging, and a 3.5mm port for plugging in the headset's detachable boom microphone. On the right earcup, from back to front, there's a switch to move between "adapter mode" (2.4GHz wireless only) and "dual mode" (2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth) mode, a multi-function button, and a volume wheel.

Instead of a traditional USB-A (or USB-C) dongle for its 2.4GHz wireless connection, the Cloud Alpha 2 comes with a desktop base station that plugs into your PC and serves as both a wireless receiver and a convenient way to quickly tune your headset and adjust settings without having to open up any software. The base station has a large multi-function volume wheel with a convenient tap-to-mute mic button in the center, as well as six colorful, fully-programmable buttons. In addition to the USB-C port on the back, it also has 3.5mm line-in and line-out ports, if you'd like to connect the headset via its 3.5mm cable (or connect a different wired headset, I guess). There's a switch on the side that lets you toggle between the base station's line-in port and the 2.4GHz wireless connection. At the moment, none of the settings you tweak in HyperX's companion software seem to save directly to the headset, but you can use the software's EQ features over a wired connection if you're plugged directly into the base station.

The Cloud Alpha 2 comes with several accessories in the box. This includes the aforementioned base station, a microfiber cloth drawstring carrying bag, as well as three cables: a short 1.6-foot (0.5m) USB-C to USB-C cable, a longer 5-foot (1.5m) USB-C to USB-C cable with a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and a braided 5-foot (1.5m) 3.5mm aux cable.

Specs

Audio Performance of the Cloud Alpha 2

The Cloud Alpha 2 features multi-layer, dual-chamber 53mm angled dynamic drivers with a frequency response range of 20 - 20,000 Hz — the standard for most gaming headsets, though we've seen quite a few premium gaming headsets outside that range recently. Audio on the Cloud Alpha 2 is quite good — it's better than the audio you'll get from the Cloud III / Cloud III Wireless / Cloud III S Wireless' 53mm drivers, but I'm not sure it's $300 good.

I've been playing a lot of Where Winds Meet lately, so I started my testing with that. The details and layers were certainly there — I got all the atmosphere and background conversations as I walked through the streets of Kaifeng, but the soundstage was a little closed in general, which isn't surprising for a closed-back headset. The headset's bass was more powerful than I've noticed in the Cloud III series, but it still wasn't that deep, resonating power I've gotten from headsets like Audeze's Maxwell.

Virtual surround on the Cloud Alpha 2 did sound very good, however, and I was able to pinpoint exactly where sounds were coming from — whether they were voices, gunshots, or footsteps — without needing to second-guess the accuracy. The headset is also well-tuned for first-person shooters in general, as gunshots and footsteps are especially discernible.

Music on the Cloud Alpha 2 is good, but not great; I'd definitely pick a headset like the Maxwell or even Razer's BlackShark V3 Pro over the Cloud Alpha 2 for pure listening. Bass is present but not particularly impressive overall — the sound profile is pretty mid-heavy and there's a lot of sibilance even in the upper mids. While I could hear all the details in songs like Beyonce's Single Ladies and Enya's Orinoco Flow, everything sounded a little too compressed for what I expect from a $300 headset. Overall, the Cloud Alpha 2 does sound better than the Cloud III series, but not much better. And the Cloud III series is significantly cheaper.

Microphone of the Cloud Alpha 2

The Cloud Alpha 2 has a detachable boom mic that sits at the end of a flexible gooseneck arm, as well as built-in microphones in the earcups, so you can use the headset for chatting on the go. The detachable boom mic is a 10mm omnidirectional mic that's very similar (possibly the same?) as the mic that comes with the Cloud III series. It's a solid headset mic, but it's still a headset mic — vocals are moderately full and warm, and nobody I spoke with had any issues hearing or understanding me, but nobody was particularly impressed with how I sounded, either.

I did appreciate having the tap-to-mute button on the base station, though — while I haven't had the mute button blip issue I had with the Cloud III on any of HyperX's recent headsets, I just really love this whole tap-to-mute thing. The built-in mics are about what you'd expect — not great (my voice sounded a bit thin to listeners), but (probably) better than nothing.

Features and Software of the Cloud Alpha 2

The Cloud Alpha 2 is customizable with HyperX's Ngenuity Beta software — not to be confused with HyperX's non-beta Ngenuity software. You can use the Ngenuity Beta software to customize both the headset and the base station — you can adjust a handful of standard controls on the headset (volume, mic volume, mic monitoring, and game/chat balance), play with the equalizer, and add mic effects and presets such as AI noise reduction, compressor, limiter, and low/mid/high boosts. You can also tweak the headset's virtual spatial audio (direction, distance, etc.), which is already pretty impressive.

You can also use the Ngenuity Beta software to customize the base station. You can customize the light ring with various effects (and layer them), and you can change the colors of the buttons.

The buttons are also fully programmable, though they do come preset with the indicated functions: mic volume, game/chat mix, mic monitoring, mute, EQ settings, and play/pause. You can adjust the mic volume, game/chat mix, and mic monitoring levels by pressing the corresponding button and turning the multi-function wheel (press the button again to exit). Hitting the EQ settings button lets you switch between music, gaming, and voice chat EQ settings (fully customizable), and the mute and play/pause buttons perform as you would expect. But, as I said, the buttons are fully programmable — you can rearrange the preset functions however you like, and you can also map keyboard functions, media keys, and macros.

I will point out that Ngenuity Beta is still in beta — while it's better than it was when the headset launched, the software still leaves quite a bit to be desired. None of the changes you make in the software seem to save directly to the headset or to the base station, so you'll need to be running the software in order to use most of the features. This probably won't be an issue if you're using the headset solely for gaming, but it's definitely a little frustrating if you're hoping this can double as a lifestyle or travel headset.

Battery Life of the Cloud Alpha 2

The original Cloud Alpha boasted a genuinely unmatched battery life of 300 hours over 2.4GHz wireless. The Cloud Alpha 2 is rated for up to 250 hours — which is less than 300, but still more than twice what you'll get from almost any other wireless gaming headset. However, there is a catch: The Cloud Alpha 2 gets 250 hours over 2.4GHz wireless in "adapter mode" — that is, when you're connected to 2.4GHz wireless only. If you're in "dual mode," connected to 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth simultaneously, that figure drops to around half of that (125 hours). Don't get me wrong — 125 hours is still excellent, and would be even without simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity, so there's not much to complain about here.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is a pretty solid successor to the original HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, but there's more competition these days. The Cloud Alpha 2's 250- or 125-hour battery life is very impressive, and the headset itself is very well-built and comfortable. Audio quality isn't nearly as good as you'll find in other similarly-priced headsets, however — the Audeze Maxwell (and the Audeze Maxwell 2, which we're currently testing) both offer much better audio quality. Of course, gamers don't necessarily need or want pure, perfect audiophile-level quality, and the Cloud Alpha 2 does do a great job with details — especially high-pitched details like footsteps and gunshots — and virtual surround and spatial sound. So the Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is still a great gaming headset, even if it's not my favorite music-listening headset.

HP is moving its Omen gaming PC brand under the HyperX brand name. HP acquired HyperX in 2021, but kept the peripheral brand and its own gaming system moniker separately until CES 2026. Beyond the new label, the Omen 15, Omen 16, and Omen Max 16 are getting updates with Intel and AMD's latest processors.

This name change puts HP's gaming rigs and monitors in the same lineup as its HyperX's mice, keyboards, headsets, microphones, controllers, and other peripherals. It gives HyperX a more complete ecosystem, and that name has more cachet in gaming than its parent company. It seems very similar in position to the way that Dell uses Alienware as a gaming name, which makes sense given that Dell bought Alienware way back in 2006.

But other than HyperX's name going on the box and the lid, the systems are getting slight changes over last year, with improvements to the keyboard, heating, and silicon.

On the Omen Max 16, HP is promising a faster OLED display that is brighter, and, with recessed borders, the panel should be less prone to glare. That system now goes up to 300W of total platform power and will come with a 460W GaN charger. In fact, HP is claiming that this system is the fastest gaming laptop that doesn't have external liquid cooling. We'll have to test it to see if that claim holds up.

The Omen 15, will have three different TPP options, topping out at 170W TPP. The Omen 16 will go up to 200W. These two systems are also getting HP's first keyboards with an 8,000 Hz polling rate.

Perhaps what's most jaw-dropping is the wide variety of configurations HP is offering, though it's unlikely every option will be in every market. For instance, a datasheet for the HP Omen 15 references Intel processor options starting from 14th Gen Core, second-gen and third-gen Core Ultra, as well as next-gen Ryzen and Intel processors. The Max 16 datasheet doesn't mention Panther Lake chips at all. All three systems mention "next-gen" Intel processors, though HP hasn't said anything about Nova Lake coming to these machines yet.

In its press release, HP has only placed a vague Spring release date for the Omen Max 16, and said pricing will come closer to launch. An HP spokesperson told Tom's Hardware that the Omen 15 will be available "sometime this month" with the Omen 16 coming in the spring, but didn't reveal any pricing.

HyperX's other launches at CES include a 34-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor with a 360 Hz refresh rate and the Clutch Tachi, an Xbox-licensed leverless arcade fightstick.

Even a budget-priced gaming mic can drastically improve your audio setup — and the best gaming mics start at just $60. While HyperX's newest budget-friendly contender, the SoloCast 2, isn't the most exciting mic on the market, it's pretty impressive for the price.

The SoloCast 2 is a standalone USB gaming microphone with a cardioid polar pattern and a condenser capsule that records at 24-bit / 96 kHz. While its specs aren't wildly different from those of the original SoloCast, it has a brand-new build that feels much sturdier, features a clever built-in stand, and adds a large tap-to-mute button on top. Not bad for $60 (available now, in black).

Design of the SoloCast 2

While the original SoloCast looked like a pretty traditional condenser microphone, the SoloCast 2 is a sleek, solid black cylinder with a novel built-in stand. HyperX's second-generation budget-friendly USB microphone is a pretty neat-looking update: the mic is housed in a matte-black plastic chassis that measures 6 inches (152.4mm) long by 2.08 inches (53mm) in diameter. The upper half of the cylinder features a matte black metal grille with HyperX's signature honeycomb pattern. Under this grille, there's a foam pop filter and an internal shock mount — the 14mm electret condenser capsule is suspended inside the chassis to prevent any interference from desk vibrations (as it is, after all, a desktop microphone).

The SoloCast 2 might look like a solid cylinder, but it's actually got a unique, integrated desktop stand. There's a hinge at the back of the cylinder that lets you tilt the microphone back 40 degrees — angling it so it's directed at your face, if you're sitting at a desk. That stand part of the cylinder is nice and hefty — the full unit weighs about 12.9 ounces (365.7g), and the bottom is lined with non-skid rubber material just to guarantee the mic isn't slipping around your desk.

There's a bright red indicator light at the bottom of the mic (tilting the mic up also angles this light toward your face, so you won't miss it) that tells you whether the mic is muted or recording. It's red when the mic is recording, which threw me off... quite a bit, honestly, as many gaming microphones with RGB lighting default to red when they're muted. I realize that red for recording makes sense, and that red is HyperX's color, and that this is an issue most users will not have. But, still.

Aside from its neat little built-in stand, the SoloCast 2 is pretty simple. There's a large, flat, tap-to-mute surface on the top of the mic — I'd expect nothing less from HyperX, as this is definitely my favorite feature, and there's a USB-C port on the back of the mic, near the hinge. On the bottom, there's a mounting point that's compatible with both 3/8" and 5/8" threaded mounts, so you can fold the microphone up and mount it — stand and all — on a boom arm or mic stand.

The SoloCast 2 is a simple, straightforward mic with a built-in stand, so it includes only one accessory in the box — a 6.5-foot (2m) USB-C to USB-A cable.

Performance

The SoloCast 2 records sound at a high-res 24-bit / 96 kHz bit-depth / sample rate (recording studio level), but so does the original SoloCast thanks to a firmware update HyperX pushed out in 2022. Like the original SoloCast, the SoloCast 2 has a cardioid polar pattern — perfect for one speaker located directly in front of the mic.

This is essentially a plug-n-play mic, and it sounds pretty good out of the box. Vocals sound full and rounded, though not quite as clean as they sound on the Logitech Yeti Orb. My voice had a decent amount of depth and detail in both recordings and streams, and the mic also offers a nice proximity effect (though the built-in stand is too low for this to be comfortable). The SoloCast 2 has a built-in internal shock mount and pop filter, but they're both on the weaker side: the mic picked up both desk movement and plosives very, very easily in my testing. In other words, we definitely recommend mounting this mic on a boom arm.

The mic does pick up a lot of background noise — my fans were ever-present in my testing, but vocals still came across strong and clear. There are some settings you can tweak in HyperX's Ngenuity Beta software that work pretty well to reduce noise and clean up the sound in general, but that has its own issues. However, mounting the mic on a boom arm did a lot to at least reduce any noise from desk movement and typing.

Specs

Features and Software

The SoloCast 2 works with HyperX's Ngenuity Beta software, which gives you a handful of options for adjusting the mic's tone. This is where you can adjust the mic's gain (there's no on-mic gain control, unfortunately), and turn on a handful of software-based improvements, such as high / low pass filters and AI noise reduction.

You can also adjust the mic's sound using a simple 10-band equalizer. You can add and save as many EQ presets as you want; the software doesn't come with any built-in presets.

It's important to point out that the Ngenuity Beta software is definitely still in beta. The settings do not save to the microphone; they don't even save to the software. So the frequency filters, noise reduction, and EQ will only work when the software is running. (The software does save EQ presets, but you'll need to turn the EQ on and select the preset every time you open it.) I assume this will be fixed at some point, but there's no timeline at the moment.

Bottom Line

The SoloCast 2 isn't the most exciting microphone on the market, but it's pretty impressive for $60. It's a solid follow-up to HyperX's original SoloCast, with a much sturdier build and a tap-to-mute button that the original was definitely lacking. At $60, it's the same price as the Logitech Yeti Orb (the Yeti Orb debuted at $60 in 2023 and received a price increase to $70, but is currently back at $60 on sale). While I do like the Yeti Orb's out-of-the-box sound better, the SoloCast 2's tap-to-mute is a much more convenient feature — especially as the Yeti Orb has no on-mic controls. Assuming you're using this mic for more casual chatting with friends, teammates, and coworkers, this is likely to be pretty essential (so long as you remember that red means recording).

The HyperX Cloud III wired gaming headset has dropped to its lowest price ever at just $49 on Walmart for Cyber Monday, which is a massive 50% off its $99.99 MSRP. That’s a tempting deal for a headset that is already our top recommendation for the best budget gaming headset, making it an even more enticing choice for anyone looking to upgrade their audio on a tight budget.

• Check out this deal on Walmart

Successor to HyperX's highly acclaimed Cloud II headset, the Cloud III includes some of the most comfortable cans that we have tested. It weighs 10.86 ounces (308g) and features a leatherette-covered padded headband, curved aluminum forks that hold the earcups, and leatherette-covered memory foam earpads. The 53mm dynamic drivers are similar to the ones used on the Cloud II, with a slight redesign and placed at an angle to deliver "accurate, smooth, and detailed sound by directing audio into the ears at a more optimal position."

The Cloud III offers support for a wide range of devices including PC, Mac, mobile devices, as well as consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. One can connect the headset using a standard 3.5mm audio jack or USB-C/USB-A (via the bundled adapter). There’s also a detachable boom mic with a built-in mesh pop filter, although the sound quality is just average like most built-in headset microphones, meaning that you may have to rely on a dedicated microphone.

Other features include a driver frequency response range of 10 - 21,000 Hz, with a balanced audio profile and high quality bass performance. It also offers support for DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio when connected via USB-C to your PC, which results in good directional sound and plenty of environmental detail while playing games. Lastly, HyperX headsets have a reputation for being durable meaning this headset should offer solid longevity.

With its deep discount, wide device compatibility, proven comfort, and sturdy design, the Cloud III is an easy pick if you’ve been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your gaming audio.

If you're looking for more Black Friday savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, Gaming Chair, Best Wi-Fi Routers, Best Motherboard or CPU Deals pages.

HyperX was all excited about the modularity of its Pulsefire Saga mouse lineup at CES 2025 — showing off not just modular parts that would come with the mouse, but a variety of colorful 3D-printed modular parts that it suggested users would be able to print at home.

(Of course, who wants to pay $120 for a gaming mouse, only to have to then print your own parts at home?)

Okay, well, you don't have to print your own parts at home, as the mouse does come with some parts in the box — an extra version of each modular part, which includes the shell, primary buttons, and individual thumb buttons. But the modular parts aren't particularly interesting on their own, so at the end of the day it's just a regular mouse with switchable parts unless you really plan on putting your 3D printer to use.

The HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro is, at its core, a wireless gaming mouse with a right-handed shape, six buttons (five programmable), and up to a 4,000 Hz wireless polling rate. It's lightweight — but not that lightweight — and it features HyperX's 26K sensor, which is the same sensor we've seen in HyperX mice for the past couple of years. But it is modular — an uncommon trait among the best gaming mice — and the modularity is implemented nicely.

Design and Comfort of the HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro

The Pulsefire Saga Pro Wireless has a pretty familiar shape — it looks a lot like the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2, albeit with a less ambidextrous shape. The mouse, in its default form, has a mildly contoured right-handed shape with flat primary buttons, a notched scroll wheel, and two thumb buttons that follow the chassis' side curve. It features a lightly textured matte black shell with HyperX's HX logo printed in silver on the palm rest. It's not the most exciting mouse design, but the angled separation of the buttons from the palm rest gives it a little HyperX flare. It has one customizable RGB lighting zone, in the scroll wheel.

The notable thing about this mouse is that it's modular — though it's not nearly as much as the Orbitalworks Pathfinder. The modularity is implemented pretty well: the parts feel sturdy and are mostly connected magnetically. You can swap out the main shell (the palm rest and sides), the primary buttons, and the thumb buttons. HyperX includes two options for each in the box: two palm rests (one is slightly more contoured), two sets of primary buttons (one set has finger grooves), and two sets of thumb buttons, which can be used separately.

Swapping out the shell is as easy as sliding off the back of the mouse, which is connected magnetically. This is perhaps a little too easy, however, as I kept sliding it off accidentally whenever I tried to unplug the mouse. Once the back is off, the thumb buttons, which are also connected magnetically, pop off easily (I suppose you can try to pry them off without sliding off the back, but it's easier if you do). The primary buttons also pop off — these, you cannot swap without sliding off the back. Everything fits together neatly and easily, and feels fairly sturdy — I didn't have any issues with parts falling off or moving around, except when I was trying to unplug the mouse from its USB-C cable. There's also a storage spot for the 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle under the hump, which is a nice touch.

Regardless of how you configure this mouse, it's on the smaller side. It measures 4.7 inches (119.7 mm) long by 2.65 inches (67.2 mm) wide, and is 1.57 inches (39.8 mm) high at its highest point, which is smaller than most mainstream gaming companies' flagship mice. It's also a little shorter than the Pulsefire Haste 2, which measures 4.89 x 2.63 x 1.5 inches (124.6 x 66.8 x 38.2mm). I have medium-sized hands and long fingers, so larger/longer mice have never been much of an issue for me, but if you're looking for a shorter mouse, this is worth a look. It's the same length as Razer's Cobra Pro (but slightly wider and taller).

All configurations of the Pulsefire Saga Pro give it the same weight of 2.54 ounces (72 g) — lightweight, but not that lightweight. I don't play a lot of games where mouse weight is an issue for me, but this mouse definitely isn't so lightweight you'll forget it's there. It's still lighter than some similarly-sized mice — the Cobra Pro weighs 2.72 ounces (77 g) — but the Haste 2, for example, is significantly lighter at 1.87 ounces (53 g). I suppose it's the modularity that adds to the weight, probably to ensure the strength and integrity of the shell, but the Pathfinder is both modular and ultra-lightweight, maxing out at 1.94 ounces (55 g). Of course, the Pathfinder is also significantly pricier at $189.

On the bottom of the mouse, you'll find PTFE mouse feet — two large feet along with some extra dots and a ring around the sensor for glide, a DPI switch button, and a power switch that lets you toggle between the mouse's 2.4GHz wireless connection and Bluetooth.

In the box, you'll find the pre-built mouse and secondary options for each modular part, as well as extra PTFE mouse feet, pre-cut grip tape (though, only one — so you should finalize your mouse build before adding grip tape), a 5.9-foot (1.8 m) HyperFlex USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB-C adapter, and a 2.4GHz wireless USB-A dongle.

Specs

Performance of the HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro

The mouse features HyperX's 26K optical sensor, which has a maximum resolution of 26,000 DPI and a maximum speed of 650 IPS, and can handle up to 50 G's of force. This is the same sensor featured in the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2, and it's a good sensor — but it's definitely a couple of years old at this point. It still works very well, with fast, accurate tracking that doesn't skip or stutter. It tracked nicely over a variety of different surfaces, including hard, soft, hybrid, and glass mouse pads, as well as standard desktop surfaces such as wood and laminate.

The mouse features HyperX's own optical switches in its primary mouse buttons, which are pretty nice — precise, tactile, and clicky. They're a little on the firm side, like those of the Pulsefire Haste 2, but I didn't mind that this time. Unfortunately, the mouse's side buttons and scroll wheel are still lackluster — the side button switches are mushy, and both the scroll and the scroll wheel click are lacking in tactile feedback for me. The primary buttons' optical switches feel very good, but this kind of highlights how bad the other switches feel.

The mouse offers up a solid performance for gaming in general, but at this point I'm sort of programmed to see this kind of simple, lightweight, minimal-button gaming mouse as a mouse for games where speed and accuracy are important — e.g., first-person shooters and competitive eSports. And while this is a decent mouse for those types of games, it doesn't really stand out. It's light, but not that light; it has a solid sensor, but not bleeding-edge (or particularly current); and it offers up to a 4,000 Hz wireless polling rate in a world where its competitors all feature 8,000 Hz wireless polling rates. While these specs aren't necessarily going to make a significant difference for the casual gamer, the Pulsefire Saga Pro just feels a little behind.

Features and Software of the HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro

The Pulsefire Saga Pro is a pretty straight-forward 6-button mouse, but it has a few options that can be adjusted using HyperX's universal peripheral software, Ngenuity. I have no real issues with Ngenuity, other than that it's fairly basic — but this mouse is fairly basic, so it's not an issue.

You can use Ngenuity to update the mouse's firmware, remap its buttons, adjust the DPI steps, switch the polling rate to 4,000 Hz, and customize the RGB lighting in the scroll wheel. The mouse comes preset with a 1,000 Hz polling rate and four preset DPI steps (400, 800, 1,600, 3,200), and you can add an additional step in the software.

Wireless Experience and Battery Life of the HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro

The Pulsefire Saga Pro has three forms of connectivity: ultra low-latency 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired (USB-C). It also features HP's "Instant Pair," meaning it can pair over 2.4GHz wireless with compatible HP Omen laptops sans dongle. I haven't tried this feature, as I don't have a compatible HP Omen laptop, but it certainly sounds handy for those who do.

HyperX rates the Pulsefire Saga Pro's battery life at around 90 hours with a 1,000 Hz polling rate, which is good — but also pretty standard for similar mice. Bumping the polling rate up to 4,000 Hz decreases that figure, of course, down to about 30 hours.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro is a solid, if somewhat boring, wireless modular gaming mouse. The only real reason I see to get this mouse over other mice on the market is if you'reThe excited about its modularity — and you own a 3E printer, and you have, I don't know... very unique hands? Because while it might make sense to 3D print your own modular parts for a hefty MMO-oriented gaming mouse, I don't see it being quite as useful for something that's supposed to be simple, speedy, and lightweight. I don't think you can trust the at-home 3D printing process enough to expect it to output something competition-ready, so anyone who is 3D-printing parts is probably looking for a different type of mouse.

I like the idea of this mouse, but $119.99 is too much to pay for mediocre modularity. The Pulsefire Haste 2 — while also not particularly exciting and two years old at this point — will give you a pretty similar, if slightly less modular, experience.

When building a new PC or putting together a new space for your work or PC gaming, few prioritize a wrist rest. That's because many people either don't have wrist rests or settle for the included rock-hard slabs of plastic that come attached to many gaming keyboards. Check most companies' health and safety policies for desk assesments and you'll see a wrist rest included, but a surprising amount of people don't use one at all, and if you spend a significant amount of time on a keyboard, you're risking the chance of developing musculoskeletal disorders and other health issues without support.

On offer at Amazon is the HyperX wrist rest for just $17reduced from $20 ($22 direct from HyperX). This tried and tested favorite wrist rest of many of the editors at Tom's Hardware is a superb value for the money, and provides comfort and even cooling to your wrists.

This version is the full-sized wrist rest for use with a full-size keyboard. The pad measures 18 x 3.9 inches (L x W), and is plain black in color, with some red stitching around the edge. The HyperX logo is emblazoned on the top, in a subtle black, so this rest can fit in an office environment without looking unprofessional.

The wrist rest is constructed from a thick cloth covering, a cooling gel/memory foam filling, and a non-slip, textured rubber base. This wrist rest will last you a long time, and when it eventually succumbs to wear and tear, you'll have saved your wrists a lot of strain.

HyperX's original QuadCast is still one of our favorite gaming microphones — it sounds great out of the box, has a great tap-to-mute feature, and it's packed with stream-ready lighting. The company introduced a very minor update to the mic in the form of the QuadCast S, but it was mostly a color update. One of the best gaming mics, the QuadCast S added colorful RGB lighting in place of the aggressive all-red, and updated the port to a USB-C port, but otherwise it was the same great gaming mic under the hood.

Now HyperX has finally decided to give the gaming mic a real update with the QuadCast 2 and the QuadCast 2 S, which feature a minor redesign to both the mic itself and the shock mount, as well as some audio upgrades. The new QuadCast 2 S, which is what we're taking a look at in this review, records audio in 192 kHz / 32-bit format, which is quite a step up from the original QuadCast's and QuadCast S's 48 kHz / 16-bit recording. The QuadCast 2 records audio in 92 kHz / 24-bit format, which is the same as the HyperX Duo Cast. Otherwise the mics largely remain the same, which isn't necessarily a bad thing — they still sound great out of the box and feature four selectable polar patterns and HyperX's excellent tap-to-mute feature.

Both mics are available now; the QuadCast 2 S retails for $200 but is currently on sale for $150, while the QuadCast 2 starts at $150.

Design and Comfort of the QuadCast 2 S

The QuadCast 2 S is a desktop condenser microphone with four selectable polar patterns. It features a cylindrical design very similar to its predecessor, the QuadCast / QuadCast S, and comes with its own built-in (but removable) shock mount, which is attached to a sturdy desktop stand. The QuadCast 2 S currently comes in only black, but knowing HyperX we assume we'll also see it in white soon enough.

The microphone looks a lot like the original QuadCast / QuadCast S. It's the same size as its predecessor, measuring 8.375 inches (212.73mm) tall by 2.125 inches (53.98mm) in diameter; when it's mounted on the included desktop stand it stands just under 11 inches (279.4mm) tall, while the base of the stand is about 5 inches (127mm) in diameter. Like its predecessor, it has an internal mesh pop filter surrounded by a metal grille with a honeycomb pattern, and when it's plugged in the mesh lights up with bright, customizable aRGB lighting — just like the original QuadCast S. The less expensive QuadCast 2 features all-red lighting, like the original QuadCast.

The microphone is on the lighter side: it weighs 12.16 ounces (344.7g) alone, and just over 1 pound (488g) with the shock mount. The stand weighs an extra 9.7 ounces (275g). It's heavier than the original QuadCast / QuadCast S, however, which weighs just 11.9 ounces (336g) with the shock mount. HyperX's Caster microphone and camera boom arm is basically designed for this mic, as it supports up to 2.2 pounds (1kg) and not much more (I tried putting the Rode NT1 5th Generation mic on the Caster arm with the SM6 shock mount, which weighs around 2.47 pounds, and it almost immediately fell over).

Speaking of shock mounts, HyperX has redesigned the QuadCast 2 S's to make it easier to remove. The mic now attaches to the shock mount via two spring-loaded pins, so all you have to do to remove it is twist and pull (the shock mount on the previous QuadCast / QuadCast S screwed into the mic). The shock mount does have a boom arm attachment that fits most mic stands / boom arms (3/8" and 5/8" threading), so I don't see a lot of people removing the shock mount unless it needs to be replaced, but it's nice that you can remove it without unscrewing anything.

On the front of the mic there's a multi-function knob that lets you adjust gain, monitor volume, monitor/playback mix, and switch between polar patterns. The default function of the knob is mic gain — simply twist to adjust the mic's gain up or down. Monitor volume and monitor/playback mix only come into play when you plug headphones into the mic's 3.5mm direct monitoring jack, and you can cycle through them by pressing the button: monitor volume is yellow and lets you adjust the volume of what you're hearing through the headphones you have plugged in; playback/monitor mix is blue and lets you adjust how much of the mic you hear (vs. how much of the PC audio you hear), and gain is pink.

You can change the mic's polar pattern by pressing and holding the button to cycle through them. The light ring around the top of the microphone displays the selected polar pattern visually: the red area indicates which direction the mic is currently taking input from. It's actually a very clever and intuitive way to indicate polar pattern, versus the traditional symbols we saw on the original QuadCast / QuadCast S. When you aren't using the knob to adjust settings, the light ring around it acts as a VU meter.

The QuadCast 2 S also has a tap-to-mute button on the top, which is, as always, very well-implemented — all you have to do is lightly touch the top of the mic and it mutes (the lights turn off to indicate that it's muted).

On the back of the microphone you'll find the USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone monitoring jack; the ports are slightly offset from the center so the mic stand doesn't interfere with your cables, which is thoughtful.

In the box, the QuadCast 2 S comes with a built-in shock mount and a desktop microphone stand, as well as a 9.8-foot (3m) braided USB-C to USB-A cable.

Specs

Performance of the QuadCast 2 S

The QuadCast 2 S's big draw is its ultra-premium 192 kHz / 32-bit sample/bit rate, which is a big jump up from the original's 48 kHz / 16-bit recording. But realistically, almost nobody is going to use the QuadCast 2 S to record audio at a 192 kHz / 32-bit resolution — and most gamers won't even need more than 48 kHz / 16-bit resolution if they're streaming and chatting with friends. So while the 192 kHz / 32-bit sample/bit rate sounds impressive, it's overkill on a microphone that is still, at the end of the day, very clearly designed for streamers and gamers, not studio-level mastering.

Sample/bit rate aside, the QuadCast 2 S performs very well — as you might expect, given that not too much has changed from the original QuadCast / QuadCast S, both of which were excellent gaming microphones. Vocals on the QuadCast 2 S are crisp and clear, with just enough warmth to make you sound friendly, but not so much that it sounds like the mic is changing your voice. The cardioid polar pattern combined with the built-in shock mount and sturdy desktop stand did a decent job of minimizing consistent background noise, such as my PC's noisy fans, but only did a passable job at minimizing inconsistent background noise, such as typing (even on a relatively quiet keyboard). The mic does have an internal pop filter, but you'll probably want an external one as well.

The QuadCast 2 S's four (quad) polar patterns are also a plus in a world where most gaming mics are cardioid or hypercardioid. While it's always good to have multiple microphones if you have multiple speakers, having the option for omni- or bi-directional recording can definitely be useful in a pinch, and also allows you to capture different types of audio, such as room ambiance or musical instruments.

Features and Software of the QuadCast 2 S

The QuadCast 2 S can be configured using HyperX's Ngenuity software, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. I usually ding peripheral software for having too many unnecessary features (nobody needs a virtual pet when all they want to do is change their mouse DPI, Asus) but Ngenuity is perhaps a little too light on features. Ngenuity lets you adjust the same settings you can adjust on the mic: gain ("mic volume"), monitor volume ("output volume"), monitor/playback mix, mute, and polar pattern. It also lets you turn on a high pass filter... and that's it.

Well, that's it insofar as audio/recording adjustments — the main thing you'll use Ngenuity for with the QuadCast 2 S is to customize the microphone's lighting. The mic comes with a default rainbow wave pattern set, but it has several patterns that you can customize and mix for just about any lighting combo you like. You can also turn the lighting off, if you want, but if you're not looking for a light show you probably shouldn't be looking at this mic.

Bottom Line

The QuadCast 2 S is a great gaming mic — it sounds and looks great (assuming you like lots of colorful RGB lighting) out of the box, and it doesn't really need any software at all thanks to the intuitive, easy-to-use on-mic controls. But nobody needs 192 kHz / 32-bit resolution in a USB gaming mic.

The QuadCast 2's 96 kHz / 24-bit is much more reasonable, but the QuadCast 2 is limited to all-red lighting — so what you're really paying $50 for is the pretty, colorful RGB in the QuadCast 2 S. If you're absolutely determined to push the boundaries of audio recording resolution, I'd at least recommend a mic like the Rode NT1 5th Generation, which features 32-bit float recording as well dual USB / XLR connectivity.

In a world of stripped-down, ultra-lightweight FPS-oriented gaming mice, HyperX is bringing something new (well, newish) to market: a lightweight, modular gaming mouse with eight interchangeable parts in the box and a downloadable 3D print file for further customization. The HyperX Pulsefire Saga will come in both wired and wireless versions, and will feature HyperX's current 26K optical sensor, the brand's own optical switches, and both mice will offer speedier polling rates — 8,000 Hz on the wired Saga, and 4,000 Hz wireless on the Saga Pro.

The brand is also, of course, updating its stripped-down, ultra-lightweight FPS-oriented Pulsefire Haste 2 line with a couple of new variations: the wireless Haste 2 Pro 4K, which will have — you guessed it — 4,000 Hz wireless polling; and the wireless Haste 2 S, which will have a magnesium alloy shell for "a balance of strength and agility" (whatever that means — it's a mouse, after all) and premium glass mouse skates installed (with spare PTFE skates in the box), but will have regular 1,000 Hz polling rate. The brand is also introducing a more budget-friendly wireless ambidextrous gaming mouse called the Pulsefire Fuse, which will run on a single AAA battery and feature dual wireless connectivity (2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth) and have a Pixart PAW3311 sensor.

The HyperX Pulsefire Saga and Saga Pro are certainly not the first modular mice we've seen — partially modular customizable mice, such as the Mountain Makalu Max and the Razer Naga V2 Pro, are more popular than fully modular mice, of course. The Saga/Saga Pro will come with eight interchangeable parts in the box (which sounds like a lot but really isn't, as this includes four interchangeable thumb buttons). You'll get two primary mouse button pieces, two palm rest pieces, and two buttons for each of the two thumb buttons. It's not really the most exciting-looking mouse, even for modularity: the interchangeable palm rest pieces don't even change the shape of the mouse (both are ergonomically curved for a right hand).

But I suppose that's where the 3D printing aspect comes in — HyperX showed off several concept 3D-printed parts, including pieces with different shapes (such as adding a thumb rest), as well as pieces made of different materials and colors. The brand is offering a free 3D print file that customers can use to make and print their own custom mouse parts, so the possibilities are, theoretically, unlimited. I'm not entirely sure how many people are looking for something so unique that they'd rather make and print it themselves instead of just purchasing something that works, so we'll have to see how the market responds.

Spec-wise, the Saga and Saga Pro will both feature HyperX's current HyperX 26K optical sensor, which has a maximum resolution of 26,000 DPI, a maximum speed of 650 IPS, and can handle up to 50 G's of acceleration. Both mice will feature the brand's in-house optical mouse switches, and will have customizable RGB lighting — the wired Saga will have lighting in the scroll wheel and on a strip that divides the buttons from the palm rest, while the wireless Saga Pro will only have lighting in the scroll wheel. The Saga will offer polling rates of up to 8,000 Hz over its wired connection and will weigh a fairly lightweight 69g in all of the in-box customizations (this will change, obviously, if you use your own 3D-printed parts). The Saga Pro will offer wireless polling rates of up to 4,000 Hz over 2.4GHz wireless and will weigh 72g. HyperX says it will get up to 90 hours of battery life over 2.4GHz wireless using the standard 1,000 Hz polling rate, and up to 30 hours if you go for the 4,000 Hz.

Both mice will be available in March 2025; the Saga will cost $79.99, while the wireless Saga Pro will go for $119.99.

If modularity doesn't thrill you, no worries — HyperX is also adding a couple of new variations to its Haste 2 lineup. The Pulsefire Haste 2 Pro - 4K adds an optional 4,000 Hz wireless polling rate to the existing Haste 2 Wireless, as well as optical mouse switches. A minor update, but not a particularly surprising one given how many gaming mice have been pushing polling rate limitations (and yes, it's debatable whether most gamers will benefit or even notice the polling rate difference — but that's neither here nor there). The mouse otherwise appears to be the same as the original Haste 2 wireless: HyperX 26K optical sensor, lightweight 61g design, dual wireless connectivity, and PTFE mouse skates. HyperX says it will get up to 90 hours of battery life, presumably with a 1,000 Hz polling rate, which is close to the original Haste 2 wireless' 100 hour estimate.

The Haste 2 Pro - 4K will be available in January for $119.99, or $30 higher than the original Haste 2 wireless' retail price of $89.99.

If you're not here for high polling rates but you are here for aesthetic, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 S is a fancier, premium version of the Haste 2 wireless, with a solid magnesium alloy shell and tempered glass mouse skates. It has translucent buttons (not magnesium, obviously) and will come in navy and silver colorways. Tom's Hardware editor Matt Safford liked the way the magnesium shell felt in his hand, even if it's technically a little heavier, at 64g, than the original 61g Haste 2 wireless. It will come with HyperX's glass mouse skates pre-installed, but HyperX will include extra PTFE skates for those who can't or don't want to use glass skates (they're not great for wood or glass surfaces, for example). HyperX will also sell its glass mouse skates separately on HP.com for $19.99.

The Haste 2 S is premium... only on the outside, it seems. Magnesium shell aside, it features the same 26K optical sensor and regular switches as the original Haste 2 wireless, as well as a standard 1,000 Hz polling rate. It will get better battery life — up to 120 hours over 2.4GHz wireless, versus the original's 100 hours, and will feature a quick-charge that will get you up to 18 hours of play time after 10 minutes of charging. Other specs include dual wireless connectivity and customizable RGB lighting in the scroll wheel. It will, of course, be expensive: $149.99 when it drops this March.

Finally, HyperX's new Pulsefire Fuse wireless mouse is a budget-friendly, lightweight ambidextrous mouse for people who keep... dropping other lightweight ambidextrous mice.

Okay, it's actually — according to HyperX — "designed for palm grip users who are looking for a sleek frame." The mouse has an ambidextrous shape with Microline textured panels along the sides for extra grip, and features two customizable RGB zones. Like the brand's other budget-friendly wireless mice, the Fuse runs on one AAA battery, and will get up to 85 hours of battery life over a 2.4GHz connection (it will also have Bluetooth). The Fuse will feature a Pixart PAW3311 sensor, which has a maximum sensitivity of 12,000 DPI, a maximum speed of up to 300 IPS, and can handle up to 35 G's of acceleration. It will have Kailh switches in its primary buttons and a standard 1,000 Hz polling rate, and will weigh 75g with the battery installed (64g without).

The Pulsefire Fuse will be available in March for $49.99.

One of our favorite gaming headsets is on sale for just $67 in these Black Friday sales, matching the lowest-ever price we've seen for this great budget gaming headset option. The HyperX Cloud III is a wired headset with powerful drivers, an amazing soundscape, great bass, and a premium-quality build.

You can find this deal at Amazon, where the HyperX Cloud III wired gaming headset is only $67 in the Black Friday sales. Our peripherals editor reviewed the HyperX Cloud III headset and awarded it 4 out of 5 stars for its superb value, build quality, looks, fantastic bass, and comfort. Our cons of this headset were the software, weak virtual surround sound performance, and a loud mute button, but overall, it was an improvement over the previous HyperX Cloud II, which was also a superb headset for the price.

The HyperX Cloud III is a worthy successor to the HyperX Cloud II and continues to offer amazing performance at sensible pricing. This wired headset is super-comfortable to wear thanks to its lightweight design and soft memory foam ear pads. The soundscape of the Cloud III is balanced yet powerful thanks to a set of angled 53mm drivers that let you listen out for enemy footsteps or enjoy the booming bass of a large explosion. They're also great if you just want to sit back and enjoy some of your favorite tunes.

Some of the features of the HyperX Cloud III include DTS Spatial Audio for conjuring up 3D directional soundscapes in-game, and a clear microphone (with mute button) to communicate in-game with friends. These cans are compatible with most platforms and can connect to a PC, PS5, or Xbox via a 3.5mm cable, USB-A, or an included USB-C adapter. It's hard to find anything to compete with these gaming cans at this low price.

If you're looking for other products, check out our Black Friday Computer Hardware Deals Live blog for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals Live blog, Monitor Deals Live, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

HyperX is finally updating its flagship gaming mic — and it's a real update, this time. 

The QuadCast 2 and QuadCast 2 S, announced today, will get a boost in recording quality — the QuadCast 2 will record audio at up to 24-bit / 96 kHz, while the QuadCast 2 S will record audio at up to 32-bit / 192 kHz. The two mics have also been minorly redesigned and will feature a multi-function knob for mic gain control, headset playback volume, monitoring volume, and switching between the mics' four polar patterns.

They also look a little different, with redesigned shock mounts (that appear to be easy to remove) and less-rounded ends, and the QuadCast 2 S now has addressable RGB (instead of just regular RGB). 

The original QuadCast has been one of our favorite gaming microphones since its debut in 2019 — it's just a great all-around mic in terms of both performance and usability. It comes with a built-in shock mount and a sturdy desktop stand, has four selectable polar patterns for a variety of recording situations, and features on-mic controls: gain adjustment and the best tap-to-mute around. It received a very minor update in 2020 with the QuadCast S, which swapped the micro-USB port for USB-C and added (a lot of) RGB lighting — but it was otherwise the same mic, just wrapped in a very colorful package. 

The QuadCast 2 and QuadCast 2 S are not the same mic, however. The QuadCast 2 has the original's all-red color scheme and supports audio recording at up to 24-bit / 96 kHz, while the QuadCast 2 S has aRGB (with an LED VU meter) and supports audio recording at up to 32-bit / 192 kHz, which, as HyperX points out, is the highest recording resolution found on a consumer USB gaming microphone at the moment (and might just be overkill).

Aside from the bump in recording resolution and the new multi-function knob, the mics are otherwise pretty similar to their predecessors. They both feature four polar patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional, stereo) and have 3.5mm audio jacks for direct, zero-latency monitoring. They also have HyperX's excellent tap-to-mute feature, and come with a detachable shock mount that can attach to an included desktop stand or a boom arm (or other stand) via 3/8 and 5/8 inch threading. 

HyperX didn't say much (or, well, anything) about the mic's condenser capsules. According to the specs, both mics will have three 14mm electret condenser capsules, like their predecessors, so that probably means they're the same. The mics will be compatible with HyperX's NGENUITY peripheral software, which includes a 10-band EQ and a new AI-powered noise reduction feature. 

Okay, it's not totally different, but it's definitely more of an update than we saw in the QuadCast S — and high-res 24-bit / 96 kHz recording was basically all we were looking for in the QuadCast (especially after we saw it in the HyperX DuoCast). 

The QuadCast S is available now for $149.99 and the QuadCast S 2 is expected to be available in November for $199.99.

The HyperX Alloy Rise takes its cues from the world of custom mechanical keyboards. It’s designed around customization and top-tier typing, offering one of the best typing experiences of any gaming keyboard from a major brand available today. With pre-lubed, hot-swappable switches, swappable top cases and badges, and a soft, gasket mount structure, as well as 8kHz polling and full software programmability, the Alloy Rise splits the distance between gaming and custom keyboards, and is remarkably good overall. 

While not quite perfect in fit and function, the Alloy Rise is a prime contender to be one of the best gaming keyboards of the year. Its biggest drawback, however, is its price. At $199.99 for the full-size version and $169.99 for the more compact 75-percent layout, its MSRP undermines its features. It’s good, but when keyboards such as the  Drop CSTM80 and the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 exist for less, the Alloy Rise doesn't feel like the best deal. 

HyperX Alloy Rise Specs 

Design of the HyperX Alloy Rise

At first glance, the HyperX Alloy Rise appears to be a pretty standard full-size gaming keyboard. It has a traditional black chassis that isn’t afraid to throw a rainbow wave at you the moment you plug it in. When you look a little closer — and especially when you type on the Alloy Rise — it quickly becomes apparent that there’s more happening here than meets the eye.

It’s 2024, post- the COVID-19 custom keyboard trend, and pretty much all of the big brands have released enthusiast-grade gaming keyboards that take inspiration from the custom mechanical keyboard community. The Alloy Rise is the latest to jump on this trend and this keyboard embraces customization and quality typing in a way that HyperX’s keyboards have never done before. 

Like the Drop CSTM80, the Alloy Rise uses a magnetic alloy top case that can be pulled off and swapped with another without using a single tool. There’s also a swappable metal badge that attaches along the right side. This can also be pulled off or set back in place with a satisfying snap — tool-free.

It’s a neat feature, but as of this writing you can’t really do anything with it just yet. I was sent an alternative top and badge set to try, but the alternatives aren't yet available to purchase.  The documentation I was sent says that there should at least be navy and white tops to consider, as well as three different sets of badges (Abstract, 8-Bit, and Cute, sold in sets of four). I do hope they release more in time — as Drop has done — because it’s a neat way to change-up the look of your keyboard. 

As you might imagine from a keyboard themed around customization, the Alloy Rise features hot-swappable switches and uses a completely standard layout that lets you easily add your own aftermarket keycaps. The PCB supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, so just about any switch or keycap set will work with it.

At least — if you pick up the full-size version. HyperX is launching this keyboard in both a traditional 104-key layout, as well as a compact 75-percent version for those who prefer mousing space over a dedicated number pad. The 75-percent version takes some liberties with its keys (the Right Shift key is a bit shorter and there’s an extra F13 key to consider), but most aftermarket keycaps sets will still support it. 

You may not want to change either, however, because both are very good by gaming keyboard standards. The keycaps are made of double-shot PBT, which is resistant to wear and tear for increased durability. They’re also very thick, which enhances their sound and how solid they feel under your fingers. And, because lighting is a core aspect of customization, they also feature backlit legends that allow the keyboard’s per-key RGB lighting to shine through, bright and consistent, across the entire keyset.

The Alloy Rise comes with your choice of linear or tactile switches. Both options are pre-lubed for smoothness and acoustics and have a faster 1.8mm actuation difference. Is it enough that you can feel the difference? That's debatable, but the difference is there. The switches also have box-style stems to help with wobble, so they’re as stable as they are smooth. 

The construction of the keyboard is layered — literally. The swappable top cases are made of metal but the bottom, including its single-stage tilt feet, are plastic. Internally, it uses a plastic switch mounting plate on top of a layer of foam for soft bottom-outs. I didn’t disassemble this keyboard (there are enough screws where it seems clear that you’re not intended to), but I suspect there’s an additional layer of foam or silicone in the bottom of the case, too.

The combined effect of these foams is to remove any errant vibration or hollowness from the case, isolating the sound of the switches. This makes the keyboard sound more crisp, clean, and quiet. The Alloy Rise is arguably volume-matched to a typical membrane keyboard, which is pretty impressive for a mechanical set of keys. 

The circuit board and plate assembly rests on flexible gaskets surrounding the keys. This gasket mount structure isolates keystrokes and provides a cushion for each press. Full-size gasket mounted keyboards aren’t common and those that exist tend to offer minimal reaction when typing normally — but that’s definitely not the case here. Looking closely, you can see that each key gives, subtly, under normal typing pressure, making it easy to type on without experiencing the early fatigue — typical of most gaming keyboards — from slamming against a rigid structure.

On the gaming front, HyperX has designed the keyboard to be exceptionally responsive. In addition to its smooth, faster-actuating switches, the Alloy Rise also features an 8,000Hz polling rate. The majority of gaming keyboards operate at 1,000Hz, which means they report key presses to the computer every millisecond (1ms response time). This keyboard reports key presses eight times more frequently, or every 0.125 milliseconds. Beyond 1ms, we're into the range of “you need to be a machine to tell the difference.” But if you’re a competitive player, it makes sense to get the highest performance peripheral you can afford — there's no blaming the keyboard for a delay with the Alloy Rise, which is as fast as it gets currently.

Apart from its gaming prowess, the Alloy Rise also features an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight brightness to match the lighting in your environment. In a bright setting, it will ramp it up, and in a dark setting it will decrease the brightness so as not to distract you.

The keyboard's braided cable is also detachable, so you can swap it out with one of your own. HyperX is happy to sell you (separately, of course) an eye-catching coiled aviator cable to impress all of your fellow keyboard enthusiast friends. 

The Alloy Rise's onboard controls are surprisingly limited. There’s a click-to-mute volume knob and three media keys for controlling tracks, but there’s no way to cycle lighting effects unless you tie a different preset to each of its ten profiles. Instead, you can adjust brightness, enable or disable the ambient light sensor, turn on game mode, and swap profiles. You can add more Fn commands using the software — but, out of the box, that's it.

For $200, I really expected this keyboard to be wireless. The ASUS Strix Scope II 96 Wireless offers a similar typing experience, better programmability, and both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity for $180. The Alloy Rise is unmistakably great to use, but it really feels like you're paying a premium for the swappable cases (which the Drop CSTM80 has for $130) and 8K polling (which you likely won't even notice).

The typing experience of the HyperX Alloy Rise is outstanding. It is genuinely one of the best-feeling gaming keyboards I have used all year, and it easily ranks among the best currently on the market — including high-water marks such as the ASUS ROG Azoth, Strix Scope II 96, Corsair K65 Plus Wireless, and the Razer Blackwidow Pro V4 75.

HyperX clearly paid attention to what keyboard enthusiasts have been clamoring about over the last several years. The Alloy Rise is designed to deliver a typing experience that makes you want to come back to your computer for another round — or, as is usually the case with me, an extra page of writing.

The Alloy Rise's impressive typing experience starts with the keycaps, which are an impressive 1.5mm thick and have a solid, deep sound when bottomed out. They’re also textured to provide a bit of extra grip and they feel nice under the fingertips. 

Next up are the switches, which are very good. I was able to test both the linear and tactile switches and both are pre-lubed and are noticeably smoother than their Cherry MX Red and Brown counterparts. There’s no spring noise to speak of when typing, so all you hear are crisp, full-bodied keystrokes. As a bonus, they let enough light through the legends that you can easily type in the dark, even if you’re not a touch typist. 

The gasket mounting structure is the best implemented of any “big brand” gaming keyboard I’ve seen. It’s right up there with Keychron Q-series in how reactive it is to normal keystrokes. There’s noticeable movement when typing normally (which isn’t always the case), but it isn't so noticeable as to be distracting. Rather, the keystrokes are soft and responsive.

HyperX also did a great job with the stabilizers. They’re not the least bit rattly and are very stable. Though I didn’t disassemble the keyboard, it’s clear that the company took the time and applied a consistent coat of lubricant on the wires beneath the larger keys to make them sound as good as they do. 

Needless to say, I really enjoyed typing on the Alloy Rise. Between its solid build, thick keycaps, and smooth switches, it definitely achieves the same middle ground between gaming and enthusiast keyboards as its competitors. While I wouldn’t say the experience is “better” than the others, due to how subjective that term is at this level, it’s certainly on par with them — and it isn’t likely to disappoint with the quality of its keys.

During my time with the Alloy Rise, I played a heaping helping of Baldur’s Gate 3, but also dipped my toes into Battlefield 2042’s latest season, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and the classic, World of Warcraft. In every circumstance, the Alloy Rise rose to the occasion and carried me through.

I’ll tell you right now: I’m not a pro gamer, but I do enjoy competitive first-person shooters. I play games on a 240Hz monitor and I am sensitive to input lag and delay. There’s not an ounce of sluggishness in this keyboard. It transmits inputs instantaneously. When it came to running around the alleyways in COD’s Favela map or peeking from cover and rushing the flag on Battlefield 2042’s Exposure, I would put this keyboard up against any magnetic or optical gaming slate.

Much of the reason it feels so good to play games on the Alloy Rise is thanks to its switches. HyperX’s linear switches are a hair lighter and faster to actuate than Cherry MX Reds, which adds to their responsive feeling. The pre-lubing makes it easy to prime yourself for movement and — in my opinion, just as importantly — allows you to forget about the feeling of the switches in the moment and focus on your play. The lack of telltale Cherry scratchiness makes them feel more fluid when pressed.

The full-size layout isn’t the best for gamers that enjoy big mouse sweeps. The additional space to accommodate the number pad forces you to space your hands out more and leaves less room for mousing. If you’re a sweep-styled player but you like everything else about this keyboard, I recommend going for the 75-percent version to enjoy the best of both worlds. 

For MMOs, the number pad comes in handy as a macro pad. With NGENUITY (or even WoW’s in-game settings), I was able to map all of my skills and abilities to it. For my additional action bars, I tied those skills to modifier keys and the numbers (Shift+1, Shift+2, and so on). If you’re playing anything where you need extra remappable keys, the numpad comes in clutch. 

The Rise uses HyperX’s NGENUITY software for all of its customization options. As of this writing, this includes being able to remap most of the keys, assign macros, Windows shortcuts, multimedia functions, and mouse controls. The lighting for each key is also programmable and can be assigned in layers to create a wide array of custom effects and animations. 

While the software gets the job done and is decently polished, it feels very barebones. There are only two tabs — Lighting and Keys, and three toggles in the upper right that control brightness, enable game mode, and to choose one of your previously made presets. The NGENUITY software is sparse, but it's also pretty lightweight; it took up only about 210MB of my system’s memory.

NGENUITY gets the job done quickly for most things you would want to do. Changing a keymap is done by clicking the key you would like to change and then choosing what type of assignment you would like (Keyboard, Mouse, Macro, etc.). From there, you simply choose the option or press the key you would like mapped to that position. If you’d like to assign a macro (and you haven’t already recorded it) the Macro menu gives you an option to record a new one on the spot — it’s streamlined and straightforward.

The software allows you to map functions to either the Base or Fn layer. The former replaces the normal key matching the keycap. The Fn layer allows you to map actions as secondary functions, whenever that key is held. You can’t overwrite the built-in commands, but most keys are still free. My biggest gripe is that you can’t remap the Fn to another location. Versions of this functionality have been available in gaming keyboards for years (Razer’s HyperShift, for example), and it allows you to free up how you access different commands to a way that works for you.

Programming the Alloy Rise's RGB lighting is straightforward and intuitive. There are 11 lighting effects (12, if you count static colors) that can be assigned to the whole keyboard or to individual keys. The effects can also be layered — so you can have a background effect, such as a rainbow wave, and also set each key’s lighting to respond when pressed.

NGENUITY was mostly stable and it didn’t outright crash on me but it did break at least once. After recording, then canceling a macro, it stopped registering inputs at all inside the recording window. Only restarting the program made it work correctly again.

I was also surprised that there was no option to configure the Alloy Rise's polling rate. 8,000Hz is intensive and can eat CPU resources, so it’s common for manufacturers to provide an option to set it back to 1,000Hz. I didn’t notice any performance strain on my system, but I also have a high-powered rig. Without any way to lower its connection speed, gamers with older processors may want to think twice about picking the Rise up.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Alloy Rise is an excellent gaming keyboard that feels great to use and performs just as well in games. Its pre-lubed switches and well-implemented gasket mount structure make it smooth, soft, and reasonably quiet for use in an office or with roommates. It’s easy to customize, whether you want to pop on an alternate top case or side badge, or swap in your  own switches, keycaps, or detachable cable. The Alloy Rise is designed to be made your own.

But for all of its strengths, the asking price just feels too high. The keyboard's hallmark feature — the swappable case — is already readily available on the Drop CSTM80, which is a fantastic keyboard and is much cheaper. And the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 goes toe-to-toe with the Alloy Rise when it comes to sound, feel, and gaming functionality, while also saving desk space and offering excellent wireless performance for $20 less. 

What it comes down to is how much you value having that top case be metal (most of the CSTM80’s are plastic), and how important 8K polling is to you. If you don’t mind playing wired and you want a keyboard that feels as premium as its price, lets you customize its aesthetic, and puts a premium on speed, the HyperX Alloy Rise is absolutely worth considering. For everyone else, it's safe to consider the alternatives while you wait for a sale.

MORE: Best Gaming Keyboards

MORE: How to Pick Keycaps for Your Mechanical Keyboard

MORE: How to Build a Custom Mechanical Keyboard

Earlier this year, HyperX launched the latest in its lineup of Cloud gaming headsets — the Cloud III. Like its predecessor, the Cloud III offers decent quality audio in a surprisingly affordable package. So it’s not too surprising that HyperX has just announced a wireless follow-up at Gamescom 2023: the Cloud III Wireless.

The Cloud III Wireless takes the design, build quality, and tech upgrades of the Cloud III — including the latter’s fully redesigned 53mm dynamic drivers — and cuts the cord. This sounds like a great idea, as the Cloud III is one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn, and it’s impressively high-end looking for its modest $100 price. 

In fact, the Cloud II Wireless would be a shoe-in for one of the best gaming headsets if it didn’t take after its actual predecessor — the Cloud II Wireless — which was just like the Cloud II, but slightly too expensive and with only one connectivity option (2.4GHz wireless). The Cloud III Wireless also sports only one connectivity option — 2.4GHz wireless with a USB-C dongle, which makes it compatible with a variety of devices but unable to connect with more than one at a time. It’s also quite a bit pricier than its wired counterpart at $170.

Design and Comfort of the Cloud III Wireless

The Cloud III Wireless is a wireless, closed, over-ear headset with a detachable boom microphone. It looks just like the HyperX Cloud III, which launched earlier this year, minus the wires.

Like the wired Cloud III, the Cloud III Wireless comes in two colorways: black and black/red — our review unit was black/red, with red aluminum forks and HyperX’s HX logo printed on each earcup in metallic red. The Cloud III Wireless sports the same design upgrades as its wired counterpart: a sleeker overall profile with curved aluminum forks and a padded leatherette headband without the previous Cloud headsets’ contrast stitching, as well as extremely soft, comfortable leatherette-covered memory foam earpads. While neither headset has active noise cancellation (ANC), the earpads’ seal offers decent passive noise cancellation.

The Cloud III Wireless is slightly heavier than the Cloud III, but not by much: the Cloud III Wireless weighs 11.64oz (330g), while the Cloud III weighs 10.86oz (308g). With the microphone plugged in, the Cloud III Wireless weighs 12.06oz (342g), which is very close to what the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro weighs (11.96oz / 339g). Numbers aside, the Cloud III Wireless is, along with its wired counterpart, one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn. The clamping force is somehow perfect for me — just tight enough that the headset doesn’t budge when I tip my head back, but no tighter.

Each of the Cloud III Wireless’s earcups is independently height-adjustable with nine notched steps (10, if you count the default) that extend the headband an extra 1.5 inches (38mm) per side. The earcups tilt but do not swivel; the headband is very flexible, so the earcups’ lack of swivel shouldn’t prevent you from finding a good fit (though it’s not a great headset for travel, as it doesn’t fold flat).

The headset has three on-ear controls: a volume wheel on the right earcup, and a microphone mute button and a power button on the left earcup. The volume wheel is just a volume wheel — textured, unclickable, and with very light notching. The round microphone mute button is located above the oblong power button and (unsurprisingly) only functions when the mic is plugged in. Pressing the mute button with the mic plugged in plays a tone and activates a small red indicator LED located on the microphone, so you know when you’re muted.

The power button is located below the microphone mute button. Holding it for three seconds powers the headset on/off, and tapping it once triggers a voice prompt with the headset’s remaining battery life (by percentage). Also on the left earcup is a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm microphone jack.

The headset comes with a USB-C 2.4GHz wireless dongle and a USB-C to USB-A converter, a detachable boom mic, a short (approx. 22 inches / 55.9cm) USB-C to USB-C charging cable, and a soft, cloth drawstring bag.

Specs

Audio Performance of the Cloud III Wireless

The Cloud III Wireless has the same drivers as the Cloud III — 53mm dynamic drivers with a frequency response of 10 - 21,000 Hz. The drivers are the same size as those found in the Cloud II, but they’ve been redesigned and angled for sound that is “accurate, smooth, and detailed,” according to HyperX. The Cloud III Wireless has the same overall audio profiles as its wired counterpart: deep, impactful bass that can be felt in the lower ranges, slightly pulled back mids, and slightly turned-up highs. It’s a fairly balanced profile, overall, but it’s not my favorite for pure listening — mostly because midrange-heavy songs (such as my go-to, K-391’s Lonely World) end up sounding a little dull and lacking in dynamics.

It’s very good for gaming, however, even without any of the software’s (disappointing) tweaks (more on this later). While the headset has a somewhat narrow soundstage, it does spatial audio fairly well — I could tell which direction footsteps were coming from in just about every game, easily, without turning on Ngenuity’s DTS Spatial Sound or Windows Sonic. And while the turned-up highs don’t make for an ideal listening scenario, there’s just enough detail and clarity there for audio cues such as footsteps, gunshots, and all those high-pitched birds and insects in every jungle game soundtrack to be clearly heard.

Microphone of the Cloud III Wireless

The Cloud III Wireless has a detachable 10mm boom microphone — the same mic as the Cloud III, it appears — with an internal mesh pop filter, unidirectional polar pattern, and built-in noise canceling. It sits on the end of a flexible three-inch (76.2mm) gooseneck arm and weighs approximately 0.42oz (12g). The mic can be muted from the headset or from HyperX’s Ngenuity software; muting the mic either way plays a tone and turns on a red indicator light just to the left of the mic. While I am a big fan of this kind of permanently-visible mute status indicator, the light could be brighter or perhaps located further along the mic itself, as it’s still a little difficult to see if you have the mic positioned lower.

The Cloud III Wireless’s microphone, like the Cloud III’s microphone, sounds fine — and that’s it. My voice was relatively full-sounding and clear on voice/video chats and in voice recordings, but the mic’s quality didn’t seem to stand out (for good or bad reasons) to anyone I talked to. The mic did seem to have a relatively low recording volume — an issue we saw on both the Cloud III and the Cloud II Wireless — even with the gain turned all the way up in HyperX’s Ngenuity software.

I’m happy to report that the Cloud III Wireless’ mic did not suffer from the same loud blips from pressing the mic mute button as did the wired Cloud III. Instead, muting the Cloud III Wireless’s mic using the on-ear physical mute button was nearly silent — as it should be.

The Cloud III Wireless’s microphone will work fine for most voice/video chatting scenarios — my teammates had no problems hearing me while we were gaming, and nobody commented on my mic’s quality unprompted. But if you’re looking for a mic that will make your voice sound better, you should look elsewhere. The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) has the best-sounding headset mic we’ve tested, though you’ll still do better with a standalone gaming microphone.

Features and Software of the Cloud III Wireless

The Cloud III Wireless needed a firmware update out of the box, which is performed through HyperX’s Ngenuity peripheral software. It’s not the most useful companion software out there, but it at least seems to have improved (slightly) from what I experienced with the Cloud III.

In addition to firmware updates, Ngenuity offers a handful of software controls including volume/mute, mic mute/gain, and mic monitoring. There’s also a toggle for DTS Spatial Sound, as well as an adjustable equalizer with a handful of presets. When I tested the Cloud III, almost none of these options (minus the redundant ones — volume, mute, mic mute) worked. The features do work, now, with the Cloud III Wireless, but they’re still not particularly impressive.

Mic monitoring turns on... mic monitoring, which allows you to hear your mic’s feedback as you speak so you’re not accidentally shouting at people. This feature is toggleable and works as expected. DTS Spatial Sound is a virtual surround technology that “expands audio into a virtual 3D space, creating a truly immersive environment,” according to HyperX. I’m not sure what this is supposed to mean, exactly, but all this seems to do is expand the soundstage slightly, making environments sound a little fuller. The difference was very negligible in gaming, movies, and music, though it did amplify voices in a slightly strange, echo-y way.

I also found the equalizer to be underwhelming, though it did at least work this time (it did not work when I tested the Cloud III).

Battery Life of the Cloud III Wireless

HyperX rates the Cloud III Wireless’s battery life at 120 hours over its low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection, which is impressive — most of the best wireless gaming headsets don’t get anywhere near that much battery life over 2.4GHz wireless. (Though it’s still less than half of the jaw-dropping 300 hours the  HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gets.) And this estimate seems conservative — I wore the headset while playing Baldur’s Gate 3 over the past week (during which I logged around 75 hours — don’t judge me), and the headset’s battery life is still sitting at a little over 50%.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Cloud III Wireless is a great wireless headset — I would go so far as to say I might even be tempted to give it a perfect score if it had more than one connectivity option. It’s got a sturdy, great-looking build. It’s one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn, and its 2.4GHz wireless connection is rock-solid — this is one of the only wireless headsets I’ve used that still works when I’m in my kitchen, which is separated from my home office by an industrial steel-and-concrete wall approximately four feet thick. Almost nothing gets through this wall — I’ve used a few headsets that can keep a tenuous signal through it, but the Cloud III Wireless didn’t even hint at dropping its connection.

But I was surprised to find how much the Cloud III Wireless’s lack of a second connectivity option inconvenienced me. While the headset’s USB-C dongle is compatible with a variety of devices, most people don’t want to have to shuffle a dongle around. I don’t even need to have two wireless connectivity options — if the Cloud III Wireless had a wired option, I could plug it into my PC and stick the dongle in my PS5. I’m not surprised that HyperX decided to go this way, as its Cloud II Wireless and Cloud Alpha Wireless also connect via 2.4GHz wireless only, but it’s a surprisingly limiting choice nonetheless.

If you’re looking for a headset for only one device, such as your PC, the Cloud III Wireless is a great choice — but so is the wired Cloud III, which is only $100. The Cloud III Wireless’s $170 price is a lot to pay for a single-device peripheral, especially when you can pick up a multi-tasker such as the Corsair HS80MAX for the same price.

The wireless budget earbud market is almost comically overcrowded. A search of earbuds on Amazon reveals a dizzying barrage of no-name buds with lengthy feature lists that prove short on substance. 

HyperX’s attempt to muscle into this crowd with the Cirro Buds Pro, a set of budget earbuds priced at $79.99. Although sorta-kinda marketed towards gamers, the Cirro Buds Pro are better understood as budget day-to-day earbuds for use with a phone or tablet. They do this job reasonably well but don’t move audio quality, design, or features forward.

Design and Comfort

The HyperX Cirro Buds Pro are in-ear earbuds with a round plug shape that nestled nicely inside my ear. I found them comfortable — so much so that I sometimes forgot I was wearing them if I muted my tunes and forgot to resume them. They came with three earbud tip sizes, which is typical for most earbuds. I stuck with the “medium” tips installed from the factory.

The build quality and design of the Cirro Buds Pro left little else to remark on, however. They’re simple, plastic earbuds with a thoroughly conventional shape, adorned only by a subtle gloss-gray HyperX logo that barely contrasts against the surrounding matte black. 

Fashionable? Forget about it. The Cirro Buds Pro are the very definition of basic — in matte black, at least. HyperX also offers the earbuds in tan and blue. These add a bit of style, but the shape and design of the earbuds remains rather generic.

The earbuds are controlled with quick taps used to activate pairing, receive or end calls, and adjust audio modes. I found these controls a bit easier to use than on most earbuds, which I credit to their round, flat exterior surface. It was easy to feel out where your finger needed to land to activate the earbuds’ controls.

HyperX includes a charging case, which shares the earbuds’ functional approach. The case is flat — not rounded — across the top and bottom, and is less likely to slide off a table or desk. A bright LED on front shows the charging status. The case is charged via USB-C and does not support wireless charging.

There’s one more thing about the charging case I need to call out: its transparency — or, rather, lack thereof. HyperX’s product photography showed the case as transparent, and while it technically was, it appeared opaque in most indoor lighting. HyperX also sticks with a matte black charging case exterior even if you purchase the tan or blue earbuds (though a portion of the interior plastic does coordinate with the earbuds’ color).

Specs

Audio Performance

The HyperX Cirro Buds Pro feature 8mm dynamic drivers, but otherwise make few promises about sonic performance. In fact, HyperX’s marketing for the Cirro Buds Pro largely avoided talking about audio quality and instead focused on the earbuds’ features and battery life.

A quick tour through my audio sample tracks made the Cirro’s limitations clear. Boards of Canada’s New Seeds provided clear highs but largely obscured the subtle-yet-hypnotic bass. It was a similar story with Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, where Swift’s vocals pierced through a thin lower-end. DJ Shadow’s Nobody Speak was especially disappointing: the bass was present but obscured, and the sudden appearance of the saxophones around the minute mark — normally one of my favorite moments — was yawn-worthy.

The lack of bass was the unifying theme, as Cirro’s 8mm driver was not up to task. For what it’s worth, the earbuds did manage to avoid the mistake of trying to compensate with overdriven bass that obscured and muddied the mid-range. There was at least some oomph present, which places the Cirro Buds Pro in front of the least-impressive budget earbuds. But the Cirro Buds Pro largely failed to do music justice. 

Gaming performance on the Cirro Buds Pro is best described as “usable.” The reasonably clear mid-range and crisp highs provided distinct, crisp dialogue, and the chirps and beeps of a typical in-game interface came through with ease. However, the lack of bass means=t dramatic and explosive scenes sound remote and wimpy. Cyberpunk 2077 lacked the cinematic heft and immersion it normally provides.

The Cirro Buds Pro are stereo-only — so surround was barely present. This was no surprise given the earbuds price, but it’s an issue for games — especially more recent, cinematic AAA games. I found the sound stage to be located clearly — and only — between my temples (a surround sound video confirmed this). Right, left, and center were distinct, but surround, rear, and height weren’t obvious. 

There is a silver lining: the earbuds have a versatile, balanced sound that didn’t annoy me. That’s not to be taken for granted in the sub-$100 earbud world. They also handled vocal audio well, so fans of podcasts, YouTube, and Tiktok will be pleased. But gamers shouldn’t mistake the HyperX branding on the Cirro Buds Pro as evidence of gaming chops — these are more suited to daily commutes than late-night esports.

Microphone

The HyperX Cirro Buds Pro have an omnidirectional microphone array with two microphones per earbud and built-in noise cancellation. Microphone quality was usable but unimpressive. Recorded audio was not too difficult to understand but had a flat, hollow quality and sounded a bit metallic at the edges. Nobody is going to mistake you for using a quality headset or a halfway-decent microphone if you take calls with the Cirro Buds Pro.

The mics feature “noise cancellation,” but I found this struggled to fit the bill. It canceled low, thumbing, predictable sounds, but would fail to obscure distant, brief sounds — such as a crow in a tree a few yards away, or the clickety-clack of a keyboard. The microphone will work for audio calls in a setting without too much ambient noise, but it’s a poor fit for an open mic on Discord — push-to-talk will prove mandatory. There’s also no way to mute the mic using the earbuds’ tap controls, so you’ll have to do any muting in an app used to record or transmit audio.

Features and Software

The HyperX Cirro Buds Pro have Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which, for some, may prove among its most alluring features. ANC isn’t guaranteed at the Cirro Buds Pro’s retail price of $79.99, though there are competitors, such as the Jabra Elite 4 and the EarFun Air Pro 3, which feature ANC and a similar price point.

ANC mode on the Cirro Buds Pro provided a moderate reduction in ambient noise and some reduction of quick, unpredictable noises. There’s a significant difference between the Cirro Buds Pro’s ANC and the ANC you’ll find on premium earbuds such as Apple’s AirPods Pro or Sony’s WF-1000XM, however. Noises that packed real punch — like a passing bus — muscled their way through with ease.

The ANC includes an Ambient Mode, which delivers ambient noises when you need to be audibly aware of your surroundings. I found the Ambient Mode tended to amplify distant and high-pitched sounds, which made the mode grating to use for any length of time. There’s also a Gaming Mode, which drops the Bluetooth connection into a low-latency mode and enables ANC. I didn’t notice any latency issues with these earbuds.

HyperX doesn’t offer a smartphone app for controlling the earbuds’ functions, so you’ll have to stick with tapping the earbuds to control them. This also means the controls can’t be customized, and there are relatively few functions available — if you want to mute a call or change the volume and your phone is inaccessible, you’re out of luck, as the earbuds can’t control these functions.

Battery Life

HyperX says the Cirro Buds Pro will hit up to four hours of battery life with ANC turned on, and up to seven hours with ANC turned off. The charging case stores an additional 35 hours of charge time. These are common figures for mid-range earbuds.

I found battery life to be similar to HyperX’s claims in my tests — the earbuds managed just under four hours with ANC turned on. I used the earbuds for a few hours daily, and the charging case powered more than a week of use for me.

The charging case charges via USB-C and does not support wireless charging. Topping off the charging case took around two and a half hours — again, these times are what I’d expect for modern, sub-$100 wireless earbuds.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Cirro Buds Pro are the earbud equivalent of popping by a grocery store to pick up ground beef: you pay for $80 worth of earbuds, and you get $80 worth of earbuds. No more. No less. If you’re looking for $80 earbuds, these are a fine choice — especially since they have ANC — but they don’t really stand out much from the oversaturated wireless earbud market.

Ultimately, it hinges entirely on price. The Cirro Buds Pro are a reasonable upgrade for shoppers eyeing extreme budget wireless earbuds (under $50). But if your budget is just a hair more, there isn’t really a reason to consider the Cirro Buds Pro. These earbuds remain in the minor leagues, despite their “Pro” monniker.

When shopping for a gaming monitor, it’s easy to get caught up in the many specs and features used to market them. If you have the budget for a premium display, you can get everything – high resolution, high speed, high contrast, high performance, lots of color and the latest bleeding-edge tech. But if you are looking for value, it’s best to prioritize the features you desire.

The gaming experience hinges mainly on panel speed and response, so spending money on a fast refresh rate is wise before considering screen size or resolution. AOC has just the ticket with its C27G2Z. This 27-inch VA monitor has a curved screen with a 3,000:1 contrast ratio along with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync and wide-gamut color. And it sells for $200 at this writing.

AOC C27G2Z Specs

While high pixel density adds to the sharpness and clarity of an image, you won’t be disappointed in a 27-inch FHD panel. It sports 82ppi, just enough to produce a picture without visible pixel gaps when viewed at a three-foot distance. The C27G2Z also has a 1500R curvature which is a nice value-add. The subtle curve adds a slight immersive effect without any noticeable distortion.

240 Hz and Adaptive-Sync are the specs of greatest interest. High frame rates are the surest ticket to smooth motion resolution and fast response. Now that 360 and 500 Hz monitors are available, 240 Hz should be considered a starting point for competitive gaming. The C27G2Z achieves this rate without overclocking. It also supports FreeSync and G-Sync from 48 to 240 Hz. It hasn’t been certified by Nvidia, but I can confirm that it runs G-Sync just fine.

Image quality is enhanced by a VA panel that met its claimed 3,000:1 contrast ratio in my tests. The C27G2Z does not process HDR10 signals, but it does include three HDR emulation modes that tweak gamma to produce a little more punch to the image. Either way, the deep blacks and saturated color promised by VA technology are fully present here.

The feature set is pared down, as expected at this price point. There are no integrated speakers or USB ports. And there is no LED lighting. You get an aiming point and a frame counter in the OSD, fairly accurate color, and good results from calibration. The performance needed for both gaming and image fidelity is there. The C27G2Z seems like a decent value, so let’s take a look.

Assembly and Accessories

The C27G2Z arrives packed in crumbly foam in its three components: base, upright and panel. They assemble without tools into a reasonably solid and lightweight package. The power supply is internal, so you get an IEC cord along with HDMI and DisplayPort cables.

Product 360

The C27G2Z has a bit of red trim, reminiscent of AOC’s Agon line, to offset the black panel and silver base. There isn’t any LED lighting, but the trim is bright and creates a good effect. The monitor’s design intent is clearly game-focused.

The stand features good ergonomics with 5/23 degrees tilt, 30 degrees swivel and a 130mm height adjustment. You can just get the screen to a center eyepoint in the vertical position. This is my preference for all monitors, especially curved models. Setting the panel this way gives you the full potential of the curve’s immersive effect.

The input panel has two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2. All will run at FHD resolution at 240 Hz, but you’ll need to use DisplayPort for G-Sync. FreeSync works through all three inputs. If you’d like to use headphones or powered speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack is provided. There are no built-in speakers, nor are there any USB ports.

If you look closely at the tiny white power LED at the lower right, you’ll see molded-in symbols for the five control keys. One toggles power, and I accidentally turned the monitor off a few times when reaching for the key that activates the OSD. The first three buttons provide quick access to input selection, game mode and the aiming point.

OSD Features

The C27G2Z’s fourth control key opens the ribbon-like OSD on the bottom of the screen. It is the same menu I’ve seen from AOC for the past decade, and it is relatively intuitive though a little clunky to navigate with buttons. I would rather have a joystick.

The Luminance menu includes seven picture modes that correspond to different activities. Standard is the default and best mode as it gives users access to all other picture and gaming options. Also here are three gamma presets, dynamic contrast and the HDR emulation modes. There are three options that look similar but add different levels of edge enhancement. Their approximation of HDR is just OK, but since the C27G2Z already has excellent contrast, I didn’t find that they improved the image, only made it look different. There is no actual HDR support here.

In Color Setup, you’ll find four color temp presets plus a user mode with RGB sliders. The C27G2Z doesn’t need calibration, but a small improvement is possible with a few tweaks. This is a wide-gamut display so if you want sRGB, it’s one of the color temp options and is quite accurate.

Picture Boost is something unique to AOC monitors. It lets you create a bright section on the screen that can be sized and moved about. Within it, you can adjust brightness and contrast to set it off from the surrounding area. It’s a great way to highlight something like a graphic or part of a gaming environment.

The OSD can be moved around the screen if you don’t like its default position at the bottom center. This menu also has the DP version toggle and volume control.

In Game Setting, there are six additional picture modes for different game types. My advice, leave that off to avoid confusion. If you start combining Eco and Game modes, it’s easy to become lost in the options. Also here is a three-level overdrive which I found too coarse in operation. I couldn’t find a setting free of either black or white ghosting artifacts. This menu also has the Adaptive-Sync toggle and a frame rate counter. If you turn off Adaptive-Sync, a motion blur reduction slider becomes visible. This is a backlight strobe with 20 brightness levels. Darker settings reduce blur further, but past level 10, the phasing artifact common to this feature becomes too distracting. I recommend leaving this off and sticking with Adaptive-Sync. 

AOC C27G2Z Calibration Settings

The C27G2Z delivers decent accuracy out of the box. It benefits from calibration, but it’s not strictly necessary. The grayscale errors are barely visible in content and gamma tracks very well. The color gamut is wide, covering over 88% of DCI-P3. If you want the smaller sRGB space, that option is available in the color temp menu. For my tests, I calibrated the user color temp using the RGB sliders. Gamma was fine on its default setting of 1. If you want a lighter look, choose 2; darker, choose 3. You can also experiment with the three HDR emulation modes; the C27G2Z doesn’t support HDR10 processing. Below are the settings I used for all content.

Gaming and Hands-on

I’ll get the question of resolution answered first. 27 inches is the largest FHD monitor I would care to use, but the C27G2Z’s 82ppi is enough to get the job done for both work and play. Unless you plan to sit less than two feet away from the screen, you won’t see the pixel structure, even in finely detailed images. Clarity is aided here by the panel’s prodigious contrast which is around 3,200:1.

I spent time using the C27G2Z before and after calibration and found the small adjustments required are worth doing. Yes, the picture looks fine out of the box. But the calibrated image is a little better.

The only issue I noted with productivity is that at 100% font scaling, you’ll have to scroll a bit more to see websites or to edit long documents. But this is a minor point that only someone accustomed to large high-res screens will experience. There is enough resolution here for whatever one wishes to do.

When taken in the context of a budget gaming monitor, the C27G2Z excels. It’s snappy and responsive with the reasonably smooth motion one would expect from a 240 Hz panel. Input lag was imperceptible to me and my average skills. A more talented player might benefit from a 360 Hz display or a 240 Hz QHD model. But with the FHD resolution in use here, frame rates are easy to maintain. You won’t need a premium video card to hit 240fps.

Picture quality is top-notch thanks to the C27G2Z’s excellent contrast and wide-gamut color. Accuracy is apparent with or without calibration, as everything looked natural and correct. Shadow detail is rich with deep blacks, and I saw bright highlights that added to the sense of dimension. Doom Eternal was well-detailed with good clarity. The overdrive artifacts I observed in test patterns were less evident during actual gameplay. I recommend avoiding the HDR emulation modes. They add a distracting level of edge enhancement that only reduces clarity.

Overall, the C27G2Z is a solid value among gaming monitors and affords a bit more speed and performance than a 165 Hz display of the same resolution. Since it is priced below 27-inch QHD monitors, it will certainly fill the bill for gamers seeking value.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

To compare the C27G2Z’s performance, I’ve selected monitors ranging in speed from 165 to 360 Hz. We have Dell’s S2422HG, ViewSonic’s XG2431, the HyperX Armada from HP, NZXT’s Canvas 27F and Alienware’s AW2523HF. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

As you can see, 240 Hz monitors are not created equal. The C27G2Z lags a bit in panel response with a 6ms result. This means motion is a tad less smooth than the others. It is visibly better than the 165 Hz Dell though. When testing the overdrive options, I noted that no setting was free of artifacts. I could either choose black or white trails behind moving objects. The MBR option is a little better but then you have to give up Adaptive-Sync.

Overall lag is only 1ms quicker than the Dell. The takeaway here is that the C27G2Z only performs slightly better than a typical 165 Hz monitor. So, it is qualified for competitive gaming but there are faster screens available. Of the 240 Hz monitors in the group, the AOC costs the least.

Viewing Angles

The C27G2Z’s off-axis image quality is just fair. An IPS screen would fare better though these photos show typical VA performance at this price point. At 45 degrees to the side, the image loses around 30% brightness and takes on a red tint. Gamma stays consistent, so you’ll still see full detail. The monitor is almost completely dark from the top. For this reason, you’ll want to be precise in how you place it relative to your eyepoint. A perfectly vertical position is best. 

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

Even value screens show good uniformity when measuring the latest models. The C27G2Z acquits itself well, with no visible bleed or glow in my sample. The meter shows slight elevations down the center of the screen, but I could not see this with the naked eye in either test patterns or content. There are no panel quality issues here.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The C27G2Z is bright enough for any indoor environment or intended use. Only the most sunlit room will need a peak level of over 350 nits. I noted a slightly higher level when using the HDR emulation of 373 nits. That is a tiny, almost imperceptible difference.

With super low black levels, the C27G2Z cracks the 3,000:1 contrast barrier with a 3,205.6:1 score. In this group, only the Dell boasts better and only by an infinitesimal amount. You can see that the IPS screens are strong performers relative to that technology but don’t even come close to VA in contrast. This is a difference that can easily be seen in actual content.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration has little effect on the C27G2Z’s contrast, which is good. I had to lower the contrast slider three clicks to correct the 100% grayscale step, which bodes well. It is well ahead of even the very best premium IPS monitors in this test.

Again, the IPS panels here do well in the ANSI test, but the Dell and AOC are far superior. Contrast is king and unless you put an OLED on your desktop, VA is the best way to achieve maximum image depth with true black levels and saturated color.

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I tested the C27G2Z in its default Standard picture mode, which provides access to all image controls. Other modes lockout different options.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The C27G2Z shows only slight grayscale errors in the 70 to 100% brightness range. The chart indicates a purple tint, but it is tough to spot in both test patterns and actual content. The C27G2Z does not need to be calibrated. Gamma tracking is spot on with values that measure a tad light but look great in practice.

Calibration tightens up grayscale tracking to professional levels with all errors under 1dE. Gamma measures a tad lighter than before. The overall look is slightly better, so the adjustment is worth doing if you have the means or would like to try my settings from page one.

Choosing the sRGB mode from the color temp options renders that gamut but creates a light gamma value at 10% brightness. This translates to fully detailed shadow areas but a bit lighter in tone than before. This minor issue is offset by the C27G2Z’s extremely accurate sRGB color gamut.

Comparisons

The C27G2Z’s default grayscale error of 3.01dE is completely acceptable for any gaming monitor, and certainly for one at this price point. It finishes mid-pack behind three more-expensive screens. After calibration, it takes the crown in a group of very accurate displays. Once adjusted, there are no visible errors from any of them.

Gamma tracking is very tight with a small 0.11 range of values, good enough for second-best, and a 2.73% deviation from 2.2. The actual gamma average is 2.14. If you choose the gamma 3 preset, it gets darker, with an average of 2.31. You can get away with this when the panel has high contrast, like the C27G2Z. Some users will prefer this, so I suggest trying all three gamma settings to find your preference.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The C27G2Z’s color gamut accuracy eliminates any real need for calibration. With an out-of-box average of 2.16dE, color is visually flawless. Like most wide-gamut screens, green is a tad under-saturated, but all other colors are fully covered. This is impressive performance for a $200 monitor.

Calibration tightens up the cyan and yellow secondaries a bit, but visually, there is no difference. Overall, calibration has a greater impact on grayscale tracking than color. We’re talking about minute changes here. The C27G2Z looks great whether you tweak it or not.

If you need an accurate sRGB gamut for photo grading, the C27G2Z delivers with a tiny 1.47dE average error. That’s pro monitor territory. This makes it fully qualified for color-critical applications.

Comparisons

The C27G2Z finishes fifth in the color comparison, meaning this is one impressive group of monitors. None of them have visible color errors. Again, the AOC costs less than all the rest except the Dell, which is around $170 but has a smaller screen.

When you consider color volume, the C27G2Z comes out on top with just a tad more coverage than the S2422HG. Can you see the difference between 88.76% and 88.49%? Unlikely. But it’s easy to see the top two screen’s advantages over the rest. These VA screens are defeating all comers here, and they cost the least. The C27G2Z is a tad undersaturated in green but fully covers the rest of the DCI-P3 gamut.

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If one prioritizes their needs for a gaming monitor, a lot of performance can be found for relatively little money. The gaming experience is most affected by speed and response so a high refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync are a must. Even players of average skill will benefit when a game runs consistently at 240fps.

To achieve this without putting an expensive video card in your PC, FHD resolution is the smart choice. Up to 27 inches, there is enough pixel density to render a detailed image. A refresh rate of at least 240 Hz ensures smooth motion resolution and low input lag.

By using a VA panel, AOC’s C27G2Z achieves solid picture quality thanks to high contrast and saturated color. Among budget screens, it boasts one of the largest color gamuts I’ve measured. With over 3,200:1 contrast, it delivers deep blacks and bright highlights. And its 240 Hz refresh rate maintains clarity when gaming action heats up. The overdrive has room for improvement because it doesn’t have an ideal artifact-free setting. But that is a minor point when the asking price is $200. The value-adds are a 27-inch panel with a 1500R curvature. Add a flexible stand and solid build quality and you won’t miss the USB ports or internal speakers as much. Though there is no HDR support, the emulation modes exist for those who like to experiment.

If you’re on a budget but want something bigger than a 22 or 24-inch screen, AOC’s C27G2Z is a great choice. It prioritizes speed over other factors and delivers a solid gaming experience for the price. Value-conscious users should keep this monitor on their shortlist.

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HyperX first launched the HyperX Cloud II eight years ago — and it’s been pretty popular since launch, which is why HyperX hasn’t launched a successor (though it has had some follow-ups, such as the Cloud II Wireless) until now. 

The HyperX Cloud III is a wired, over-ear gaming headset with a detachable boom microphone, and it’s actually a worthy update to HyperX’s core lineup of Cloud headsets. The Cloud III doesn’t look too different from the Cloud II, but HyperX has dropped the contrast stitching on the headband for a more upscale (and less aggressively gamer) aesthetic. The new headset comes in an all-black colorway as well as a black and red colorway, which features red forks and red logos on the earcups. 

The Cloud III is lightweight, comfortable, and has a similar sound profile to the other core Cloud headsets, such as the Cloud II Wireless and the Cloud Alpha — which was our top pick for best gaming headset until it was dethroned by the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro a year ago. Perhaps the most appealing thing about the Cloud III is its $99.99 price point, which is very budget-friendly given its build and sound quality.

Design and Comfort of the Cloud III

The HyperX Cloud III is a wired, closed back, over-ear headset with a detachable boom microphone. The Cloud III retains the general aesthetic of its predecessor, the Cloud II (and HyperX’s entire Cloud lineup), but it’s definitely been refined and it has a sleeker,  more premium look — though it comes in the standard HyperX launch colorways of black and black/red (our review unit was black).

The Cloud III has a steel headband with aluminum forks that curve toward the earcups, and a padded leatherette headband with single-piece plastic buckles. The headband still sports a debossed HyperX text logo along the top, but doesn’t have the bright contrast stitching of the Cloud II (or the Cloud II Wireless, or the Cloud Alpha). 

The Cloud III’s earcups aren’t significantly smaller than those of the Cloud II, but they’re a bit more contoured and slightly angled for fit. HyperX’s “HX” logo is still on each earcup, but is smaller and more subtle on the black colorway — printed in dark gunmetal gray rather than bright silver. Don’t worry, if you want a more eye-catching headset; the black/red colorway features bright red aluminum forks and red HX logos on the earcups.

HyperX claims the Cloud III delivers “unmatched comfort,” which is a bold claim but one that’s not entirely unwarranted — the Cloud III is extremely comfortable. It’s on the lighter side of average for a gaming headset, weighing 10.86oz (308g) including the cord (but without the boom mic, which adds 0.42oz/12g). 

This is about the same as the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023), which weighs 11.29oz (320g), a little over half an ounce lighter than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, which weighs 11.96oz (339g), and heavier than the Logitech G735, which weighs 9.6oz (273g). It’s on par with the other headsets in HyperX’s Cloud lineup, however, which is a little curious, as the Cloud III is wired and doesn’t have a battery. But the HyperX Cloud II Wireless is actually lighter — 10.9oz (309g) with the mic attached; the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is slightly heavier at 11.81oz (335g) with the mic attached, but it also boasts a 300-hour battery life. 

The Cloud III’s weight isn’t an issue when it comes to comfort, though. The headset somehow has the perfect clamping force — relatively low but just high enough to keep the headset from falling off if you tilt your head back. Its clamping force feels slightly stronger than the Arctis Nova Pro’s and the G735’s — both of which are extremely comfortable and also fall off my head when I look up about 65% of the time. 

The Cloud III also has plush leatherette-covered memory foam earpads, which are slightly larger and thicker than its predecessor’s and feel great. This is definitely one of those headsets that’s easy to forget you’re wearing. The memory foam is soft enough that it won’t bother glasses-wearers, either.

The Cloud III is relatively adjustable: the earcups tilt and are independently height-adjustable; they don’t pivot but the forks allow for some lateral movement and the headband is very flexible. The earcups’ height adjustment is notched, with nine steps, and each earcup can extend an extra 1.5 inches (38mm). The headband is also leatherette-covered and padded with memory foam. The leatherette looks and feels very premium, and the headset definitely looks like it costs more than $100. 

The headset has two on-ear controls — a volume wheel on the right earcup, and a microphone mute button on the left earcup (which also houses the 3.5mm mic port). The volume wheel is just a volume wheel — smooth, un-clickable, The mute button is small but easy to press (and find, as it’s the only button), and there’s a red mute indicator LED located on the microphone itself. It’s relatively bright, but it could be slightly brighter for when the microphone is positioned at the edge of your vision. I like this feature a lot: it’s one of the more useful ways to indicate mute status, in my opinion, although my favorite is a physical flip-to-mute (most recently seen in the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro).

The Cloud III has a four-foot (1.2m) non-detachable analog cable with a 4-pole 3.5mm headset jack, as well as a 4.27-foot (1.3m) USB-C dongle cable. The dongle has a 3.5mm port for the headset’s analog jack,  (as well as a USB-C to USB-A adapter), which you can plug the headset’s analog jack into for a total cord length of 8.25 feet (2.5m). The Cloud II’s accessories include a mesh carrying bag and velour replacement earpads; the Cloud III doesn’t come with either of these, which is too bad — while I prefer leatherette to velour earpads for passive noise cancellation, it’s always nice to have options.

Specs

Audio Performance of the Cloud III

At a glance, the Cloud III’s specs do not look wildly different from the Cloud II’s. Like the Cloud II, the Cloud III sports 53mm dynamic drivers, which are slightly larger than most of the competition (40 - 50mm) but still only around half the size of Audeze’s planar magnetic drivers in the Audeze LCD-GX and the Audeze Maxwell, as well as HyperX’s own Cloud Orbit S. They’re not the same drivers found in the Cloud II — HyperX says the Cloud III’s drivers have been redesigned to deliver “accurate, smooth, and detailed sound by directing audio into the ears at a more optimal position.”

The Cloud III’s re-engineered drivers have a frequency response range of 10 - 21,000 Hz — slightly wider than the average gaming headset (20 - 20,000 Hz), but slightly narrower than the Cloud II (10 - 23,000 Hz). (Frequency response is only one aspect of audio; a wider frequency response range isn’t automatically better.) I can tell these are redesigned drivers (versus brand-new), as the Cloud III has a similar — refined, but similar — sound profile to the Cloud II Wireless (which has a refined-but-similar sound profile to the wired Cloud II). 

The Cloud III has an excellent bass response, which is deep and powerful, and can be felt even in the lower ranges where it can’t be heard. The kick drum at the beginning of Lorde’s Royals wasn’t as detailed on the Cloud III as it was on higher-end headsets, but the synth bass was present and clean. 

The headset’s mids are slightly restrained — enough to be noticeable in Enya’s Orinoco Flow, but not so much in songs that stick closer to the midrange, such as K-391’s Lonely World. Highs, on the other hand, are slightly turned up — the high-pitched strings at the beginning of Britney Spears’ Toxic were at the cusp of being painfully bright. 

Overall, the Cloud III’s sound profile was more balanced than you might expect (given the powerful bass). Listening to music on this headset was pleasant, but it’s not a headset I would grab for that purpose — the soundstage was a little narrow and the dynamics were disappointing compared to more audiophile-leaning headsets, such as the Audeze Maxwell.

Gaming on the Cloud III sounded quite good, though the DTS surround sound was either so subtle as to make no difference — or just not working. Directional sound was still pretty good, but it wasn’t quite the virtual surround sound experience I was expecting. The headset offered plenty of well-layered detail in games like Subnautica: Below Zero and Uncharted 4. The headset is compatible with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Switch via USB (it’s compatible with Microsoft’s Xbox via analog only). I plugged it into my PlayStation 5 and fired up God of War: Ragnarok (a game I’m playing through very slowly via headset reviews), and the headset’s detail didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t quite as immersive with its narrower soundstage, but the excellent fit and lack of sound leakage helped a lot.

Microphone of the Cloud III

The Cloud III has a detachable 10mm boom microphone, which HyperX claims has improved clarity over the Cloud II’s 6mm boom microphone. The Cloud III’s microphone features a condenser capsule with a unidirectional polar pattern, built-in noise-canceling, and an internal mesh pop filter. It sits at the end of a flexible three-inch (76.2mm) gooseneck arm, which feels very well-made and sturdy. Just to the left of the microphone is a red mute indicator LED that lights up when the mic is muted from the headset.

The Cloud III’s microphone sounds... fine. Yep, that’s it — just fine. My voice sounded full enough - though definitely not broadcast quality — and the microphone’s noise-canceling did a decent job of removing background noise (I have several very loud PC case fans) without distorting or thinning out my voice. The microphone has a relatively low recording volume — an issue we also saw with the Cloud II Wireless). It wasn’t too bad, but it was definitely on the softer side, even with the input gain dialed up to the max.

Moving the microphone closer to my mouth helped with the low recording volume, but made my speaking voice sound fuzzy (understandably; the mic was way too close). Luckily the built-in pop filter did a pretty good job of keeping the plosives at bay — even when I was far, far too close to the mic. The mic did pick up some sibilance at any distance, however, and I was also getting some surprisingly loud blips when I pressed the mute button. Because the mute button is a physical button, it’s normal to hear something, but these were unusually loud (especially considering the mic’s low recording volume).

When I asked my colleagues how I sounded on the Cloud III, they couldn’t tell I’d switched headsets (to be fair, I switch headsets with alarming frequency, and my colleagues are almost certainly sick of my asking how I sound every single day). They said I sounded “About the same? Probably?” — which is better than saying I sounded terrible, I suppose. The Cloud III’s microphone isn’t that bad, it’s just not that good, either. No headset microphone will make you sound as good as one of the best standalone gaming microphones, but the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) comes pretty close.

Features and Software of the Cloud III 

The Cloud III “works” with HyperX’s universal peripheral software NGENUITY, which is — shockingly — kind of a mess. It had trouble detecting the Cloud III about 50% of the time — it’s possible this is a pre-release bug, but I’m not confident that’s the case as I’ve had issues with NGENUITY detecting peripherals before.

Once you get NGENUITY to recognize the headset, you can change a handful of settings — many of which seem to do virtually nothing. (If all of them do virtually nothing, however, that means NGENUITY hasn’t really recognized the headset and you’ll need to unplug it or restart NGENUITY or find a new computer or something.) At the moment there are only two settings that seem to really make a difference, and those are the volume slider and the microphone slider. The volume slider is largely unnecessary as it controls system volume; the microphone slider controls input gain, which ranges from “unintelligible whisper” to “still a little quiet.”

There’s a toggle for mic monitoring, DTS Spatial Sound, and the equalizer, but none of these features appear to work as of this writing. I spent far too long toggling the Spatial Sound and EQ while straining to hear even the subtlest of differences, and I can confidently say that they’re just...not there. I’m not sure if this is a pre-release issue that will be fixed at launch, or if it’s something with my test unit/my PC (though I did try it on multiple PCs, including one stripped of other peripheral software, just in case, and nothing worked), or if it’s something that HyperX will fix in the future.

Bottom Line

HyperX has spent eight years riding on the success of its Cloud II headset, and the Cloud III is an excellent update — it retains most of the features people love about the Cloud II while improving build quality, comfort, and audio (somewhat). Its sound profile is relatively balanced, but has some issues in the higher mids and highs (the Cloud II had some very inconsistent highs, however, so the Cloud III has definitely improved, here). It also has a new microphone, which has some quirks but is fine for chatting with friends and teammates.

The Cloud III is one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve worn — I quickly forgot I was wearing it. And it looks and feels like it costs a lot more than its $99.99 asking price, with its premium leatherette padded earcups and aluminum forks. It’s not the cheapest headset on the market, but it’s definitely one of the best deals — SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 1 and Razer’s BlackShark V2 X both retail for $59.99, and do not look anywhere near as high-end as the Cloud III.

It’s nice to see companies have discovered you can make ultra-lightweight gaming mice without poking a bunch of holes in them. Case in point: the new HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2, which is a hole-free update to the brand’s ultra-lightweight honeycomb mouse (the Pulsefire Haste). 

The Pulsefire Haste 2 is even lighter than its predecessor, weighing just 53g (versus the original Haste’s 59g). That’s incredibly lightweight even by ultra-lightweight-mouse standards — it’s lighter than all the mice that currently occupy our list of best gaming mice.

But HyperX did more than just shave off a few grams; the Haste 2 also features several internal upgrades, including a better sensor (HyperX 26K), better switches, and up to an 8,000 Hz polling rate. It’s available now in both black and white colorways, for $59.99 — $10 more than the original Haste, but still relatively budget-friendly. Alongside the Pulsefire Haste 2, HyperX also dropped the Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless, which is — you guessed it — wireless, with both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connectivity and up to 100 hours of battery life. The Haste 2 Wireless comes in both black and white, costs $89.99, and weighs 61g — heavier than its wired counterpart, but still pretty lightweight overall.

Design and Comfort of the Pulsefire Haste 2

The Pulsefire Haste 2 looks a lot like the original Pulsefire Haste, minus the holes. Well, minus the visible holes on the top of its shell. If you flip the mouse over, you can see the underside of the Haste 2 still has holes — they’re covered by a sticker, but they’re easily visible. 

Anyway, the Haste 2 seems to be built on the same general frame as its predecessor, with a faux-ambidextrous shape (roughly symmetrical with straight sides, a low hump, and two thumb buttons on the left side). It comes in black and white colorways — our review unit was white. The mouse has a lightly-textured matte-finish case, glossy accents, and one RGB zone (under the scroll wheel). HyperX’s “X” logo is printed on the mouse’s palm rest in dark silver. There’s also a small HyperX logo printed on the left side of the mouse — I suspect this is a remnant of the original Haste design, which had a palm rest full of holes, because this seems like too much branding for a stripped-down mouse.

The mouse has no extra texturing for grip on the sides, but it’s not a particularly large mouse — it measures 4.89 inches (124.6mm) long by 2.63 inches (66.8mm) wide, and its hump is 1.5 inches (38.2mm) tall at its highest point. It’s also extremely lightweight: HyperX lists its weight at 1.87 ounces (53g), which seems accurate — my review unit weighed in closer to 1.9 ounces (54g), but there’s some leeway as it’s difficult to weigh a wired mouse without its cable.

The Haste 2 is small enough and light enough that it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up and move, hence the lack of texture. But this doesn’t mean it can’t get slippery, especially if your hands get sweaty while gaming. But don’t worry, HyperX has you covered. The company includes four pieces of textured, black pre-cut grip tape with the Haste 2. 

Installing the grip tape on the Haste 2 was a little trickier than I expected — I had no problems installing grip tape on the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro or the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition, but the Haste 2’s grip tape wasn’t cut quite as perfectly, and I ended up having to remove and reinstall each piece a few times. This was pretty easy to do (luckily), but, as you can see from the pictures, it still doesn’t fit the mouse quite as well as it should. But this is also probably more apparent on the white version of the Haste 2, as the grip tape is black.

You’ll also find an extra set of PTFE skates in the Haste 2’s box. The bottom of the mouse features five PTFE skates — two at the top, two at the bottom, and one around the mouse’s optical sensor in the center. This is a wired mouse, and it has a non-detachable 6-foot (1.8m) USB-A cable. The cable, which HyperX calls “HyperFlex 2,” is an excellent mouse cable — it’s lightweight, flexible and it has almost no memory, so it’s practically unnoticeable when you’re using the mouse.

Performance of the Pulsefire Haste 2

The Pulsefire Haste 2 may not look that different from the original Haste once you get past the hole-free design, but it’s also been upgraded on the inside. The Haste 2 features a new sensor — HyperX’s own 26K sensor, which has a maximum sensitivity of 26,000 DPI, a maximum speed of 650 IPS, and can handle up to 50 G’s of acceleration.

It also has new mechanical switches, also made by HyperX, which are rated for up to 100 million clicks. The switches are very firm — slightly too firm for my preference. I didn’t have any issues with double-clicks or mis-clicking, but there were a couple of times when my clicks didn’t register because I wasn’t using enough force. This only happened in the beginning, though — all of my clicks registered once I got used to the mouse. 

I’m not a big fan of the Haste 2’s inconsistent feeling in general. The main left/right switches are firm, clicky, and mechanical, while the thumb buttons are fairly lightweight — and the scroll wheel click is even lighter and feels a little mushy (the scroll wheel itself is notched and has a gummy-feeling scroll). The DPI switch actually has a pretty nice click, but, like all topside DPI switches, it’s just inconvenient enough that I can’t see myself using it for anything real.

The Haste 2 is an ultra-lightweight mouse with six buttons and a polling rate that can be cranked up to 8,000 Hz — it’s made for gamers who prioritize speed above everything (and precision, a little). I tested the Haste 2 across a variety of games, but because it’s best-suited for first-person and team-based shooters, I focused on Overwatch 2 and Halo Infinite. The Haste 2 performed well as an ultra-lightweight FPS mouse, but I was mildly annoyed by how hard I had to click. It is best for anyone who wants something speedy and lighter-than-air, and its pseudo-ambidextrous profile makes it better for fingertip and claw grips (unlike the more ergonomically-rounded DeathAdder V3 Pro).

Features and Software of the Pulsefire Haste 2 

The Pulsefire Haste 2 works with HyperX’s NGENUITY peripheral software. The mouse has a native DPI switch but it does not have a profile switch. The mouse only has one onboard profile, so it will remember your programmed settings when you shut down the software or plug the mouse into a new device, but you can’t set up multiple profiles (which is a little disappointing, even if it’s a feature I almost never use). Luckily, this makes programming the mouse pretty straightforward, even if NGENUITY is, like all peripheral software, unusually unintuitive.

You can use NGENUITY to program the mouse’s buttons, adjust sensor settings (change DPI levels, adjust polling rate, tweak lift-off distance), and customize the mouse’s RGB lighting. Button programming is fairly straightforward, though somewhat limited. The left and right mouse buttons can only be assigned right/left click functionality (though you can swap them). The thumb buttons, DPI switch, and scroll wheel button can be assigned mouse and keyboard functions, multimedia controls, Windows shortcuts, or custom macros (there’s a built-in macro recorder).

You can also adjust some of the Haste 2’s sensor settings. The mouse comes with four preset DPI levels — 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 — which you can toggle through using the DPI switch. In NGENUITY, you can remove levels, add levels (maximum: 5), and tweak levels, depending on preference. You can also change the mouse’s polling rate and set its lift-off distance (well, you can pick between “high” — 2mm — and “low” — 1mm). 

The Haste 2’s polling rates go up to 8,000 Hz, which is something you’ve probably seen on some gaming mice and keyboards, but not all (or even most). Polling rate measures how often a device sends information to the PC — for mice, it’s how often the mouse refreshes its position on the screen. This is important for gaming, as higher polling rates reduce latency (to a point). A mouse with a polling rate of 125 Hz updates its position 125 times per second, or every 8 milliseconds. A mouse with a polling rate of 1,000 Hz updates its position 1,000 times per second, or every millisecond, which is noticeably faster than every 8 milliseconds.

Once you get past 1,000 Hz, the speed gains become less noticeable — a lot less noticeable. A mouse with a polling rate of 4,000 Hz updates its position 4,000 times per second, or every 0.25 milliseconds, while a mouse with a polling rate of 8,000 Hz updates its position 8,000 times per second, or every 0.125 milliseconds. While it’s true that updating every 0.125 milliseconds is objectively faster than updating every 0.25 milliseconds, we’re talking about a time delay difference of one-eighth of a millisecond. Also, higher polling rates put more strain on your CPU — and if you aren’t running a recent-generation Core i7 or Ryzen 7 or higher, the extra stress on your CPU could cause your game to run worse.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for an ultra-lightweight gaming mouse, the Pulsefire Haste 2 is just 1.87oz/53g — impressively lightweight, and it won’t trigger your trypophobia. The Haste 2’s upgraded sensor, included grip tape, and support for ultra-high polling rates make it a decent upgrade over the original Hast. But at the end of the day, it’s still more of a budget pick. It’s not particularly ergonomic, which is probably better for fingertip and claw grips, and it lacks some of the more advanced customization and refinement you’ll find in more premium products. 

But it’s... fine. The Haste 2 is fine — it’s a solid ultra-lightweight gaming mouse with a flexible, drag-free cable, and a budget-friendly starting price (which is less than half the price of premium ultra-lightweight gaming mice, such as the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro or the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition). It’s fine, but that’s it.

Updated April 4, 2023, 10:04 a.m. ET to reflect that HyperX has changed the MSRP of the Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless from $79.99 to $89.99

The best gaming monitors on the market offer good performance with tons of bells and whistles. But sometimes, it’s better to keep it simple. After all, how much fiddling do you want to engage in once you've got the picture to your liking? When a display offers speed, quick response and good image accuracy out of the box, what else is truly necessary? If you agree with this, there are some great deals out there.

NZXT is a well-known peripherals maker and recently delved into the monitor genre with its Canvas line of displays. I looked at the Canvas 32Q QHD/165 Hz panel not too long ago and found it delivered all the right things for a great gaming experience at a great price with no frills to add complication. The Canvas 27F adheres to the same design goal, good clean fun at a low price. It’s a 27-inch FHD/IPS screen with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync and HDR400.

NZXT Canvas 27F Specs

Like the Canvas 32Q, the 27F comes in either black or white with a stand or an arm. Pricing at this writing is $230 for the panel, plus $40 for a stand or $100 for an arm. A dual arm adds $170 to the total. Whichever way you slice it, it’s a bargain for the level of performance offered.

The panel is a snappy IPS part with FHD resolution. Pixel density is relatively low at 82 pixels per inch, but with a 240 Hz refresh rate, it’s easy to achieve high frame rates without spending four figures on a video card. While you won’t get the super-fine detail of a QHD or UHD screen, the smooth motion with 240 fps is a real advantage when playing fast-paced games.

The Canvas 27F includes HDR10 support with a peak output of over 400 nits. Color is sRGB, so you won’t get the extra punch of a wide gamut display, but I found decent saturation in HDR mode thanks to an accurate panel that sticks close to industry standards for gamut, white point and gamma. In fact, no calibration is necessary to see a colorful and well-rendered image.

Video processing is covered by both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync support over a 48-240 Hz range. The Canvas 27F has not been certified by Nvidia, but there were no issues in my tests using both Nvidia and AMD-based PCs. Response time is a claimed 1ms MPRT, and I saw no reason to doubt this. This is one of the fastest monitors I’ve tested, with just 20 ms total lag recorded.

There’s a short list of extras with this monitor. You get a frame counter but no aiming point. There is no LED lighting, nor are there internal speakers. But you get two HDMI inputs, DisplayPort, USB and a headphone jack. You also get a solidly built, well-engineered display that has everything necessary for top-shelf gaming.

Assembly and Accessories 

My Canvas 27F sample shipped in separate boxes that housed the panel, stand and arm. I had a stand left over from my Canvas 32Q review and discovered the two are not identical. The 27F is lighter and requires a smaller stand with a lesser spring to control the height adjustment. Everything goes together easily, and tools aren’t required for the stand. However, the arm bolts to the panel with four fasteners, so have a Phillips-head screwdriver handy. The cable complement includes an external power supply plus DisplayPort, HDMI, USB-C and USB-A/B. 

Product 360

NZXT’s no-frills approach extends to the Canvas 27F’s design, which is minimalist in a good way. The front bezel is 7mm wide and flush around the top and sides, with a 21mm trim strip at the bottom that includes NZXT’s logo finished in polished black.

In back, the simple elegance continues with a smoothly tapered component bulge in the middle with a 100 mm VESA mount point. NZXT’s logo is again molded in a polished finish against black plastic that absorbs all light. A small joystick is easy to find around the bottom right which is used to control all monitor functions.

The stand is solid and free of wobble. It has a 120 mm height adjustment along with -5/20 degrees tilt and 20 degrees swivel. You also get a 90-degree portrait mode. Movements are what you’d expect from a much more expensive piece of hardware with firm but smooth resistance. A small cable clip snaps onto the stand to keep the wiring tidy.

The input panel is up and under and includes one DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a USB-C port. The latter can be a video input that mimics DisplayPort and provides peripheral support. You also get USB 3.0, one upstream and two down along with a headphone jack. All video inputs can run at full resolution and 240 Hz.

OSD Features

The Canvas 27F’s OSD is divided into just five sub-menus accessible by pressing the joystick in the back. It’s completely text-based and very well organized though I found one oddity – the sliders have no numbers associated with them. That means you’ll have to count clicks if you want to record settings for use later.

The Canvas 27F has eight picture modes that use different combinations of gamma and brightness to make them more suitable for different tasks. I used Standard, the default, for all testing and gaming. It’s quite accurate out of the box, so much so that my calibration barely made a difference. Despite this, the Image menu has color temp presets, including a custom setting, gamma options, color saturation and sliders for low blue light and black equalizer. That last one can be used to brighten shadow detail if you have a hard time seeing in the dark.

This menu also has gaming options that include three overdrive (Response Time) settings, a frame counter (Refresh Rate) and MPRT. MPRT is a backlight strobe that cancels out Adaptive-Sync like most gaming monitors. It’s better than most examples I’ve tried because its phasing artifact is minimal. But at 240 Hz, it is also completely unnecessary. Setting the overdrive on Fast, the middle option, provides perfect motion processing with no ghosting and no loss of resolution.

Other Setting includes a FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync toggle, the ability to turn off the power LED, auto source detection for the video inputs and volume control for the headphone jack.

NZXT Canvas 27F Calibration Settings

Calibrating the Canvas 27F is unnecessary, but I did it anyway because that’s how I roll. You can leave all settings on their defaults and enjoy accuracy that rivals many calibrated displays. By using the Custom color temp, I eked out a tiny improvement in the test results but no visual gain. This is a very well-done display. My settings are provided below. To hit the indicated values, max the slider and count down from 100, or count up from zero.

HDR signals switch the Canvas 27F automatically and leave all picture controls available. I don’t recommend making any changes, but you can if you wish. I left everything set to default values for my HDR tests and gameplay.

Gaming and Hands-on 

If you plan to use a 1920 x 1080 monitor for desktop productivity, 27 inches is the largest I recommend. Anything bigger will have too little pixel density for easy reading of small text or detail rendering in photos and video. You can see the Canvas 27F’s pixel structure if you sit closer than three feet, but the image is sharp thanks to a grain-free anti-glare layer that prevents reflections from lightening the image.

Color is exemplary, and I didn’t notice the Canvas’ lack of a wide gamut. That’s thanks to its accuracy and solid contrast. I work on an sRGB monitor every day (a BenQ PD3200) and have never wished for more color when it comes to productivity.

Without my intervention, the Windows and Nvidia control panels recognized the Canvas 27F’s 240 Hz capability. I never saw a hiccup during several days of testing and usage. Adaptive-Sync worked without issue on both G-Sync and FreeSync platforms. HDR also showed up fine when selected in Windows Control Panel or when selecting the option in-game.

Doom Eternal is my first go-to game to test video processing, and the Canvas 27F excelled during my many hours playing in horde mode. I’m spoiled by fast monitors now to the point that I consider 240 Hz a minimum refresh rate. At 1920 x 1080 resolution, it was no problem for my GeForce RTX 3090 card to keep the fun over 200 fps. I pegged the frame counter at 240 many times. The quick response and blur-free motion made possible by the Canvas is addictive. There was no need for the MPRT backlight strobe, nor did Adaptive-Sync ever allow a frame tear. The overdrive worked perfectly on its Fast (middle) setting with no artifacts or ghosting.

HDR gaming showed a slight improvement in visual quality over SDR, mainly due to increased brightness. It is possible to adjust all image parameters in HDR mode, which few monitors allow. I preferred things left on their factory defaults with the brightness slider on maximum. The picture was never harsh, but highlights stood out thanks to the Canvas 27F’s prodigious light output of nearly 500 nits.

Dark material, like the nighttime stealth missions in Call of Duty WWII, was less impactful. With no dimming option, black levels and shadow areas were more gray than black. Detail was clearly rendered, and I had no problem seeing what I needed to see. But the sense of foreboding that comes with deep black levels wasn’t there. Considering the Canvas 27F’s game performance and low price, this is a forgivable flaw. 

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240 Hz FHD monitors are THE performance bargain, so I’ve rounded up a group of them from my test database to compare the Canvas 27F’s results. Included are the HyperX Armada 25, Pixio PX259P, Viewsonic XG2431, Monoprice 40778 and AOC C32G2ZE. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag 

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures. 

The first thing you’ll notice is that the Pixio can run at 280 Hz, but there is no apparent advantage here. It refreshes at 4ms like most 240 Hz screens and ties the Canvas 27F for first place in the lag test with 20 ms. Only a 360 Hz screen can respond quicker and costs about twice as much as the monitors here. For most gamers, myself included, a spread of 20 to 25 ms is small. The gaming experience will be roughly the same when playing on any of these panels. A highly skilled player will undoubtedly prefer the Canvas 27F for competition. It is completely qualified for premium eSports play.

Viewing Angles

The Canvas 27F is an excellent example of what IPS viewing angles can be. There is almost no reduction in brightness at 45 degrees off-axis and the color shift is barely visible as a blue tint. Gamma remains the same, meaning shadow and highlight detail stays sharp. The top view is slightly washed out and green but looks better than many similar IPS panels I’ve photographed.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

I consider any result under 10% to be visually perfect in the black field uniformity test. The Canvas 27F posted one of the best results I’ve seen, with just a 4.07% deviation from the center zone. No anomalies are visible in any test pattern, color or otherwise, even in a completely dark room. This is excellent performance, especially for such an inexpensive monitor.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The Canvas 27F exceeds its 400-nit claimed brightness in SDR mode by a healthy margin. It’s plenty bright with more than enough light to deliver a vivid picture in any environment. It’s also the brightest monitor of the bunch, which explains the fifth-place finish in the black level test. No matter, it has the broadest dynamic range of the IPS screens at 1,152:1. The VA-based AOC has far deeper black levels, so if contrast is a high priority for you, it’s a great choice.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration doesn’t change the Canvas 27F’s image in any visible way. It slips to fourth in the contrast comparison, but it isn’t too far behind the Monoprice and HyperX displays. Any IPS monitor that can top 1,100:1 is a standout product.

The Canvas 27F stays strong in the ANSI test with a 1,083.7:1 score. That’s also a standout figure, as many IPS screens can’t maintain intra-image contrast over 1,000:1. This is excellent performance.

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The Canvas 27F is a rare monitor that can be calibrated in any of its eight picture modes. That being said, Standard is the best choice for an accurate picture that doesn’t need adjustment to realize its full potential.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The Canvas 27F’s default grayscale chart would be a great result for a calibrated monitor. Remember that you can pick one of these up for just $270 with stand. There are a lot of jealous pro monitors looking at this review right now. Gamma tracking is nearly perfect except for a slight rise (too dark) in the 60-90% range. In practice, this means a few slightly darker highlights which will be very hard to spot.

Calibration improves the numbers, but visually, the Canvas 27F looks the same as before. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Comparisons

The Canvas 27F easily out-paces the other monitors in my default grayscale tracking test with an impressive 1.30dE average error. There are no visible issues anywhere in the brightness range. The field draws even after calibration, with all screens having no problems whatsoever. The AOC is on par with the NZXT in this test.

The AOC continues its winning streak in the gamma test, but the Canvas 27F is right behind. The good part is that the error is to the darker side, making it much less significant. Numbers below 2.2 mean the picture can look washed out. None of the panels have problems with that score.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Some may complain about the Canvas 27F’s lack of wide gamut color, but that is typical for the category. Nearly all FHD 240 Hz displays are sRGB or sRGB plus with a little bonus color. The Canvas stands out with more accurate color than other screens in the class. 

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

If you switch back and forth between the Canvas 27’s default and calibrated charts, you’ll barely notice a change. That means calibration is not necessary and that it’s a very accurate monitor out of the box. This is pro-level performance that would typically indicate a high price of entry. I can’t make any comment other than that all points are on-target and there’s a slight bit of bonus red and green.

Comparisons

Were the Canvas 27F not calibrated, it would finish third in the group. With a few tweaks, it takes the crown for color accuracy in the sRGB realm. Note that none of the monitors have a wide gamut.

Despite that, I sorted the volume chart to show DCI-P3 ranking since HDR is in play for four of the screens, including the Canvas 27F. Oddly enough, the AOC has the greatest color volume but doesn’t support HDR. NZXT is the best of the rest, with over 77% coverage of DCI-P3 and over 114% of sRGB. In this class, you won’t find too many wide gamut panels. Color-critical work will require a software lookup table. But the Canvas 27F does justice to games with its accuracy and correct color tracking in HDR mode.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors. 

The Canvas 27F supports HDR10 signals seamlessly by switching modes automatically. All image modes and controls are still available, so it’s possible to calibrate HDR independently. That’s something very few monitors can do. Luckily, no fiddling is needed because it delivers great performance right out of the box.

HDR Brightness and Contrast 

The Canvas 27F is a DisplayHDR 400 certified monitor, and it has no trouble exceeding that figure with over 478 nits peak brightness. Unfortunately, there is no zone or field dimming, so actual contrast is the same as SDR, 1,120.4:1. ViewSonic is the only one to offer a dynamic option and you can see that it bumps contrast to over 5,000:1. The end result is that the Canvas 27F’s HDR doesn’t look significantly different than its SDR presentation.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color 

The Canvas doesn’t have extra HDR contrast, but it does have the same high degree of accuracy as its SDR results. Grayscale tracking is visually flawless, with all errors under 3dE. The EOTF tracks close to the reference line with a rise at zero percent (too light) and an early arrival at the tone-map transition point. In practice, this means blacks that are more gray and occasionally muted mid-tones. It is possible to mask these issues by adjusting the contrast slider upwards. That will offer a little more depth, but some highlight detail will be harder to see.

Even though the Canvas 27F is an sRGB monitor, it tracks the larger color gamut in HDR mode up to around 80%. It also makes a good run at Rec.2020 by hitting the targets up to almost 70% saturation. This is good engineering on NZXT’s part that maximizes the display's capabilities. Aside from a slight hue error in magenta, this is a superb chart for a monitor that costs less than $300.

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There are a lot of gaming displays that offer high performance and a long feature list. If you can do without things like internal speakers, LED lighting and aiming points, there are great deals on monitors that don’t compromise speed or image quality.

The NZXT Canvas 27F is a perfect example of this. The 240 Hz FHD category is already a performance bargain, with many monitors delivering great value. Though pixel density is relatively low, motion resolution is very high, thanks to fast frame rates. You'll never see motion blur or hesitation when the action moves at 200 fps or higher.

The Canvas 27F has everything needed for gaming at every level, from novice to professional. Video processing is as good as the very best displays with a solid and reliable 240 Hz, flawless Adaptive-Sync, precise overdrive and super low input lag. 

Image quality isn’t compromised either. You don’t get a wide color gamut, but the Canvas 27F has a little extra volume that renders accurately. In its default picture mode, no calibration is necessary. Even if you perform one, the improvement is measurable but not visible. Contrast is a bit above average for IPS panels at over 1,100:1. The only downside is there’s no dimming option for HDR. That content looks a little better thanks to the excellent color and a bright panel that comes close to 500 nits peak.

There’s no question that the NZXT Canvas 27F is a performance bargain. If you already have a monitor arm, you can attach one for just $230. Even the stand only adds $40 to the price. For pro-level performance, it’s hard to imagine a better screen. Players looking for high frame rates and reliability should definitely check it out.

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HyperX, HP's peripherals brand, is launching a new line of cutetastic keycaps, headset stands, microphone holders and other personality-driven accessories that are manufactured using the company's industrial-strength Jet Fusion 580 3D printers. The new line of "personalized" accessories will be known as HX3D, with the first accessory, a Cozy Cat keycap, available for $19.99 on HyperX.com later this month.

At HP's pre-CES demo, we got to take a look at number of sample keycaps, headset stands, headset clip-ons and other models that may or may not be available for sale at some point. Most of them had a very cutesy design, with bright pastel colors and the shapes of adorable cartoonish animals such as rubber ducks or unicorns. 

Some of the sample accessories also looked like skeletons or demons. But they were still cutesy in a Hello Kitty sortof way. 

The Cozy Cat itself is an adorable 3D cartoon cat with a blue, snow-flake scarf that's adorned with the HyperX logo. You definitely wouldn't want to do any serious typing with this keycap, but maybe  you could place it on the Esc key or one of those Scroll lock keys you never use.

HyperX announced that it plans to have limited-time keycap sales like the one with the Cozy Cat throughout the year. It also released a YouTube video that shows some of the sample accessories in action, including a headset add-ons, stands and keycaps. 

The company says it will be working with designers and esports personalities to come up with more fun accessories to sell. But despite what HyperX says in its press materials these don't really "take hardware personalization to a new level," because while they allow you to decorate your gear, they aren't unique to each consumer; they just are whatever the company chooses to sell.

The fact that these HX3D products are manufactured by 3D printers is interesting, but not particularly relevant to the consumer who buys them. HyperX told us that it is using HP Jet Fusion 580 Color 3D printers and printing the accessories in nylon. These printers cost around $50,000 new (or $32,000 used on eBay) so it's not like you could 3D print these models at home with the same quality. Also, HyperX has not revealed any plans to share the design files it's using so, even if you have one of the best 3D printers for consumers, you couldn't attempt to make one of these accessories at home.

Finally, it's clear that HyperX isn't printing these accessories to order, but just making them in these limited edition batches. So whether your keycaps is made in a mold or on a 3D printer doesn't really change anything for you. If you could design your own HyperX accessory online and then have it printed for you, then this would be a really unique and interesting use of the technology.

HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Mice

If you're looking for a lightweight gaming mouse, HyperX has two new choices coming in the Pulsefire Haste 2 and Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless.  The Haste 2 (wired) tips the scales at just 53 grams and uses a special 26K DPI sensor, along with an 8,000 Hz polling rate. 

Designed to compete with the best wireless mice, the Haste 2 Wireless is slightly heavier at 62 grams but has the same 26,000 DPI sensor. It can connect via 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth 5.0 or USB-C. Its 370 mAh battery lasts up to 100 hours on a charge.

Both mice are available in black or white colorways and have built-in RGB lighting you can control via software. They use PFTE skates that are intended to provide a smooth glide.

The Pulsefire Haste 2 and Haste 2 Wireless will be available in April for $59 and $79 respectively.

HyperX Clutch Gladiate Xbox Controller

HyperX is also coming out with its own wired Xbox controller called the Clutch Gladiate. This controller has rear buttons you can remap, textured grips, a 3.5mm audio jack and two trigger locks. It will launch in March for $34.

Whether you run your own podcast, YouTube channel, Twitch stream, or just want to speak up on your game or Discord channel, you need a quality microphone to be heard clearly. 

Although headset mics have come a long way in recent times, you still can't beat the sound quality from a larger dedicated desktop microphone, and the HyperX Quadcast USB mic is a fantastic option at only $89 from Amazon. We've reviewed the HyperX Quadcast and even given it one of our Editor's Choice awards for its superb sound quality and intuitive controls. 

If you're looking to build a small and compact micro ATX-based PC then consider the Lian Li Lancool 205M Micro ATX PC Case for just $76 at Amazon. This case provides plenty of airflow thanks to the two large 140mm fans pulling air through the open mesh front panel. 

Gaming on a budget or looking to build a cheap gaming PC setup for someone? Then you will need a monitor and here we have an Acer Predator XB253Q for $159. It's not the largest screen at only 24.5 inches, but it does offer 144Hz refresh rates and fast response times on an FHD IPS panel. 

TL;DR — Today’s Best Deals

• HyperX QuadCast USB Microphone: now $89 at Amazon (was $139)
• Lian Li Lancool 205M Micro ATX: now $76 at Amazon (was $89)
• Acer Predator XB253Q: now $159 at Amazon (was $279)
• Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD: now $124 at Best Buy (was $189)
• HyperX Wrist Rest: now $14 at HyperX (was $19)

Today’s best deals in detail

Looking for more deals?

One of the great things about a popular gaming monitor category is that it spawns value models from less-visible manufacturers. Not only do these displays sell for low prices, but they also often come with excellent performance and solid build quality.

I rarely add a new company to my list of monitor reviews, but here, I have the Galax Vivance VI-01. It’s a 27-inch flat IPS panel with QHD resolution, 165 Hz, G-Sync certification, FreeSync compatibility, HDR and extended color. It checks all the important boxes for less than $300.

Galax Vivance VI-01 Specs

The VI-01 is similar to many of the best gaming monitors in this category, but it adds value as a prominent feature. The IPS panel has a claimed 1ms MPRT response, and my tests showed it draws the screen in 6ms, which is equal to nearly every other 165 Hz monitor I’ve experienced. It also has relatively low input lag with a slightly quicker-than-average total score of 29ms. It will undoubtedly deliver a snappy and smooth experience to a wide variety of gamer skill sets.

The panel is a 27-inch flat-screen with QHD resolution, meaning a very good pixel density of 109ppi. And you can reach its 165 Hz maximum refresh rate without spending a mint on a high-end video card. Adaptive-Sync comes in both forms with Nvidia G-Sync certification, a rarity at this price, and AMD FreeSync compatibility. They operate over a 48 to 165 Hz range. The VI-01 also includes a blur-reducing backlight strobe option that works instead of AS.

HDR10 is supported by an auto-switching mode and an extended color gamut. In my tests, I measured just over 88% coverage of DCI-P3, which is about average for the genre. Out-of-box color is a bit off the mark, but I was able to calibrate the VI-01 to a good standard. The picture is plenty colorful for both SDR and HDR content, although I did not find an included sRGB mode.

The only other gaming feature here is a selection of aiming points. There is no LED lighting though you can get an upgraded version of the VI-01 with LEDs in the back: the aptly named VI-01RGB. The stand is a solid piece with only a tilt adjustment. There are built-in speakers but no USB. And the input panel includes two HDMI and two DisplayPort inputs.

So, there aren’t a ton of bells and whistles, but the VI-01 seems to have the right tools for a solid gaming experience. Let’s take a look.

Assembly and Accessories of Galax Vivance VI-01

The VI-01 arrived in a slim box with its contents encased in crumbly foam. No tools are required for assembly and the base slips into the upright and is retained by a friction spring. The panel then snaps in place. 

A 100mm VESA lug pattern is provided, but you’ll need your own fasteners to use an arm or bracket. The only video cable provided is DisplayPort and there’s a small external power supply to feed the juice.

Product 360: Galax Vivance VI-01

The VI-01’s styling is very simple, with a thin flush bezel in front surrounding a matte screen. The image is free of grain, and reflections are managed well. Only a small Galax logo appears on the bottom trim. The OSD joystick is in an unusual place, just right of center. There’s also a button to toggle G-Sync/Adaptive-Sync on and off. In the photo, you can see a small lens above the upright. That’s the LED feature that comes on the VI-01RGB model. My sample did not have this.

The stand is cast aluminum with a wrinkle finish that resists fingerprints and light in equal measure. The friction fit of the base and upright is something I haven’t seen before. It is very solid and does not pull apart easily. You can pick the VI-01 and move it around without fear of parts falling off. 

Unfortunately, the rubber feet leave marks behind on your desk. I often slide monitors around my white table that serves as a testing area, and this one left faint black streaks on the surface. They cleaned up easily, but this is also something I haven’t seen before. The stand offers only -5/20 degrees of tilt, but there is no height adjustment, swivel or portrait mode. The screen sits a bit low for my average desktop, so I had to angle it upward to my eyepoint.

The clearly labeled input panel has two DisplayPort and two HDMI 2.0 inputs. You also get a 3.5mm audio output. The built-in speakers sound tinny like most monitors but are relatively free of distortion. There are no USB ports.

OSD Features of Galax Vivance VI-01

Though the VI-01 includes an OSD joystick, its function is not immediately intuitive. For instance, to move between the sub-menus, you’d think left and right would be the way to do it. Incorrect; it’s up and down. Left is cancel/return. And adjusting sliders is also up and down even though the sliders are horizontal. It’s a little wonky, but I got used to it after a short time. To activate the OSD, press the joystick and click right. Clicking down cycles through the six available aiming points, three shapes and two colors.

The VI-01 has five main picture modes with another seven under the Game label. The easiest way to avoid confusion is to stick with the default one, Standard. It offers enough image controls to correct the out-of-box color errors I found.

The Picture menu has video processing options, including G-Sync toggle, AMBR (backlight strobe) and Response Time (overdrive). I found the best motion processing with this turned off. The three settings all create ghosting artifacts that break up the edges of moving objects. The AMBR is a viable alternative to Adaptive-Sync. It only has a slight phasing artifact and maxes the brightness to prevent the dimming that usually occurs. And it is the smoothest motion available from the VI-01.

You can calibrate using the User Color with its RGB sliders. I achieved excellent grayscale tracking, but there are no gamma presets, which are sorely needed. The default curve is too light. HDR is set by default to Auto and switches automatically when HDR10 signals are present. However, there’s no additional contrast in this mode.

Calibration Settings for Galax Vivance VI-01

In the default Standard mode, the VI-01 has a cool grayscale, light gamma and under-saturated color. A grayscale calibration fixes one and three, but there are no gamma presets. This means the picture will be a bit lighter in overall tone with slightly less perceived contrast. My instrumented calibration settings shown below will make a visible improvement, especially in color saturation. I also noticed some edge enhancement at the default Sharpness setting. That slider should be set to zero for the clearest image.

When HDR is set to Auto, the VI-01 switches without user intervention when an HDR10 signal is applied. Color accuracy is good with a neutral grayscale and correct luminance tracking. I noted a few color saturation errors, which you can read about on page five.

Gaming and Hands-on with Galax Vivance VI-01

I found the VI-01 looked a bit flat on the Windows desktop and when playing a few familiar games. It needs some tweaking to the grayscale and my visual observation suggested a light gamma. Tests and calibration confirmed that the gamma is indeed low, and grayscale runs cool by default. After calibration, the picture was much better with natural hues, greater color saturation and better-perceived contrast. Gamma still looked a little light, meaning the picture didn’t quite have the pop that comes with correct luminance tracking.

Moving on to work tasks, I found the VI-01 very competent for things like Word and Excel. Thanks to its sharp and detailed image, I could edit graphics without issue. I recommend setting Sharpness to zero to eliminate the slight edge enhancement I saw. It’s most visible when viewing black text against a gray background.

Gaming was a satisfying experience thanks to the VI-01’s smooth motion processing and low input lag. It is adequate for a gamer of my skills and will be a solid tool for nearly any player. G-Sync and FreeSync worked without issue, and I saw frame rates between 140 and 165 fps in both Doom Eternal and Call of Duty WWII. Overdrive was left off because any other setting created distracting ghosting artifacts, which broke up fine detail in moving objects and backgrounds. 

The backlight strobe, called AMBR, also worked well with no visible artifacts in gameplay. When you turn this feature on, it locks the brightness on maximum, so there is no dimming of the image. It cancels out Adaptive-Sync as most monitors do, but I only saw the occasional frame tear. It is a viable option.

Image-wise, HDR looked a little better than SDR. Highlights were brighter, and I could see greater color saturation. To make a practical comparison, the VI-01 in HDR mode looks as good as a premium display running in SDR mode. It’s at its best when playing HDR content. SDR games like Tomb Raider have good color and detail but the low gamma veils the image slightly.

Overall, the VI-01 performs as expected for the price. It’s a good value and delivers excellent gaming performance but image quality, while good, has room for improvement.

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I have no shortage of QHD 165 Hz monitors for the VI-01’s comparison charts. All were recently reviewed. The group includes the HyperX Armada 27, Gigabyte M27QP, Viotek GNV32DBE, NZXT Canvas 32Q and Cooler Master GM27-FQS.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The VI-01 is slightly quicker than average in total control lag. This is a good thing because most 165 Hz monitors are very responsive to the user and ideal for fast-paced gaming. Unless you have extreme skills, this display will provide an excellent feel and experience for all types of play

Most 165 Hz monitors, including the VI-01, draw a full white field pattern in 6ms. For this test, the Galax’s overdrive was turned off because any other setting produces ghosting and edge breakup of moving objects. Motion tests show the same level of smoothness as any other 165 Hz display. Adding in the backlight strobe option (AMBR) increases motion resolution at the cost of Adaptive-Sync.

Viewing Angles

The VI-01 is an inexpensive monitor, but its off-axis image quality equals a premium IPS screen. At 45 degrees horizontal, there is a slight light reduction but no change in color. Fine detail remains clear thanks to stable gamma. The top view is much darker with a green tint.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The VI-01 has excellent off-axis performance with no color shift at 45 degrees horizontal and only a 10% reduction in brightness. There is also no change in gamma. This is one of the most shareable 27-inch monitors I’ve seen. The top view is typical of IPS screens with a green shift, 50% light falloff and washed-out detail. But the view to the sides is well above the norm for IPS panels.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The VI-01’s specs promise 350 nits, and my sample nearly delivered that. It’s off by 5 nits which is not noticeable to the naked eye. There is plenty of brightness here. Black levels are about average for the category, making contrast just a tad under my 1,000:1 benchmark.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration increases contrast slightly to 1,001.1:1. While this is a seemingly small difference, the improved color saturation is not small. Coupled with a more neutral grayscale, calibration makes a significant and positive impact on image quality.

ANSI contrast is solid at 975.8:1. This speaks to the high quality of the VI-01’s build and component selection. Galax has not cut corners here. The price is low, but the build is excellent.

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One trait many value displays have in common is weak out-of-box color accuracy. The VI-01 is no exception, but it isn’t too hard to make it into a much better monitor.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The VI-01 starts out with a very cool grayscale. You can see this as a flatter image with a two-dimensional quality. Because of the light gamma, the default picture lacks brilliance.

Calibration improves grayscale tracking enormously to where there are no visible errors at any point in the brightness scale. Gamma is still too light though. The picture is much better thanks to greater color saturation, which I’ll talk about below, but there is potential for more. A darker gamma preset would be welcome.

Comparisons

The VI-01’s default 6.59dE result is typical of value displays. While the error isn’t huge, the monitor will look much better with calibration. I recommend using the settings I posted on page one at a minimum. That will get you close to the mark. My sample finished at 0.90dE, which is excellent for this category and price point.

The VI-01’s light gamma is a flaw that cannot be fixed. A 0.25 range of values isn’t too bad relative to most monitors, but the 12.73% deviation from standard should be corrected with a firmware update. Galax could either adjust the gamma or add presets to the menu options. This affects both perceived contrast and color saturation.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

You can see what I’ve been talking about in the first color chart. The primaries, especially red, are significantly under-saturated. The hue errors in magenta and yellow are easy to fix with a grayscale calibration, but the only way to increase saturation is with a darker gamma option.

Luckily, my adjustments add color back in. The hue errors are fixed except for blue, which is a little off the mark. The lower points, 20-60%, are much closer to their targets which is a major visible improvement in quality. Calibration makes the VI-01 a lot better, but there is still some upward potential.

Comparisons

Though the VI-01 is last in the color gamut comparison, 3.50dE is a respectable score for the money. Remember that this monitor costs less than $300. It undercuts much of its competition while only sacrificing a little color accuracy and contrast. In other words, it’s still an outstanding deal.

Gamut volume is not a problem here with the VI-01’s 88.19% coverage of DCI-P3. My only complaint is that there’s no sRGB mode, but that won’t be a problem for most gamers. Like most wide gamut screens, the Galax comes up short in the green primary.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The VI-01 correctly processes HDR10 signals with a dedicated picture mode and automatic switching. There are no picture options available, but I found decent accuracy and a picture that was slightly better than its SDR counterpart.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The VI-01 delivers good brightness in HDR mode with just over 363 nits peak. That’s enough to make a little extra impact in the highlight areas of the image. But with no dynamic dimming feature, black levels are the same as they are in SDR mode. That means contrast is the same as well. HDR delivers a bit more color saturation but that is all.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

I was happy to see that the VI-01 was very color accurate in HDR mode, especially in the grayscale test where I recorded no visible errors and a near-perfect EOTF. The only flaw in luminance tracking is a high reading at 5% black, which is too light. Fixing this parameter alone would increase HDR contrast by a good deal. The rest of the curve is right on the reference line with the tone-map transition point at 65%.

In the HDR gamut test, I noted over-saturation in red by around 15%. This isn’t a huge problem and given the VI-01’s light gamma, it makes color more vibrant at the expense of a little fine detail. Some bright areas show a bit of clipping, but you have to be looking for it. In the heat of an action game, you aren’t likely to notice a problem. 

Hue tracking is on point except for blue, which shows the same shift toward cyan that I observed in SDR mode. The VI-01 interprets Rec.2020 much the same way with over-saturation of the inner points. It manages to get up to around 88% red, but the other colors top out closer to 70%. This is typical performance when compared to all wide gamut monitors.

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With so many QHD 165 Hz screens to choose from, it makes sense to find value-oriented products in the mix. A lower price doesn’t have to mean less performance. However, it’s important to prioritize your wish list because you won’t always get it all. If gaming is the primary consideration, response and motion processing should be a priority.

The Galax Vivance VI-01 delivers excellent gaming performance. Panel response is on par with other 165 Hz screens and with quicker-than-average input lag, it makes a great tool for your favorite action titles. In my experience, it matched my every move perfectly and kept the picture sharp in all scenarios, fast or slow. With G-Sync certification, FreeSync compatibility and a well-done backlight strobe, video processing is as good as the best in class. Just make sure to turn off the overdrive to avoid artifacts.

The only flaw for me was image fidelity, and that was all due to the light gamma. It may seem like a minor point, but gamma impacts all aspects of the picture, especially color and contrast. Though the VI-01 has the 1,000:1 contrast ratio I expect from an IPS panel, the light gamma creates a subtle but visible veil. Calibration improves color saturation, and that is a good thing. But darker gamma would take this monitor to a higher level.

When considering what you get for the money, the VI-01 is a good choice. It’s one of the least-expensive 27-inch QHD 165 Hz monitors available and that partially excuses its downsides. If you’re looking for a solid budget-friendly gaming display, the Galax Vivance VI-01 is definitely worthy of consideration.

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HyperX is no stranger to the world of gaming microphones. Its HyperX QuadCast currently holds the top spot on our list of the best gaming microphones, and has since released multiple iterations, like the QuadCast S and DuoCast. It was only a matter of time before HyperX tried its hand at an XLR microphone to target streamers and content creators clamoring for a more professional audio solution. 

The time has finally arrived. I’ve spent the last two weeks with the XLR-powered HyperX ProCast, a side-address cardioid condenser microphone designed with more serious creators in mind. It features a rich, natural sound, sturdy build, a built-in high-pass filter and -10dB pad, and useful accessories like a shock mount and pop filter. It’s a decent microphone, but at $249 it’s much too expensive to actually recommend buying.

HyperX ProCast Specs

Design of the HyperX ProCast

The ProCast is immediately recognizable as a HyperX microphone. Like the QuadCast and QuadCast S, it features a tall, cylindrical design with a honeycomb grille that takes up most of its upper half. It lacks some of the visual pizazz of those microphones, lacking colored lighting (which isn’t possible over XLR) or much color outside of the red suspension bands on the shock mount. It’s a bit boring, honestly.

The mic feels sturdy in the hand thanks to its all-metal body, but it doesn’t feel like it could survive a fall. At 0.83 pounds (376 grams), it’s surprisingly light, and even with its metal cage, the capsule inside floats on a narrow stem that could easily get damaged from a good bang. It’s designed to go right on a stand (sold separately) and stay there.

You’re not likely to be doing gymnastics holding your XLR mic, so what really matters is the technology inside the chassis. The ProCast is a large diaphragm condenser mic. (The diaphragm is the circular disc mounted inside the grille that actually captures the sound). Large diaphragms are more expensive to manufacture but can also deliver better, richer recordings, which is exactly why they’re found in recording studios around the world. Side by side, the ProCast delivers a noticeably fuller sound than the small-diaphragm Blue Yeti, for example.

When it comes to specs, the capsule is able to capture the full range of human hearing: 20Hz to 20,000Hz. It’s quite quiet with a signal to noise ratio of 75dB and has a wide dynamic range of 123dB. The maximum sound input level is 140dB, loud enough where you’ll need earplugs to prevent hearing loss. The sensitivity is -38 dbV/Pa, however, which means it will pick up just about any surrounding noise in your room.

It uses a cardioid pick-up pattern and is built for side-address. That means you’ll be talking into its face versus the end of the cylinder like a traditional broadcast microphone. That polar pattern focuses pick-up directly in front of the mic, so sounds coming from the back and sides are quieter and sound thinner. It’s not a good fit for recording interviews or multiple hosts talking across a table, but is perfect for single-host podcasts and streaming to Twitch or YouTube.

One of the benefits the ProCast offers is its very natural, true-to-life sound. To accomplish that, it’s tuned to be quite sensitive to surrounding noise. Your keyboard and noisey roommates won’t be as loud as your voice, but they’ll still be audible and make their way onto your stream or podcast. Most people won’t need to worry about sound treating your room with this mic, but if you have a lot of reflective surfaces or your recording space is naturally echoey, its reflections could still make their way into the mic.

Around the back of the microphone, HyperX has included a pair of switches that adjust the sound and sensitivity of the ProCast’s capsule. One switch acts as a -10dB “pad,” which is audio-speak for volume reduction. Turn it on and your loud source instantly comes through -10dB quieter. 

The second switch enables an 80Hz high-pass filter, which cuts low frequencies below 80Hz. If you have a naturally deep voice, it helps to remove some of the extra boominess you may be experiencing. It can also help filter out any low droning sounds in the background, like an HVAC system, but it didn’t do anything for the fans on my PC.

At $249, it’s an expensive gaming microphone, but HyperX does increase value by providing a shock mount and pop filter right in the box. The shock mount is screwed directly to the microphone, but works pretty well at isolating the mic from minor vibrations and bumps. The pop filter is a simple metal mesh but also works quite well to block plosives.

The ProCast doesn’t come with any kind of stand like HyperX’s other microphones, so you’ll need to purchase one separately. The shock mount comes with 5/8-inch threading but doesn’t include a 5/8-to-3/8-inch adapter and may not work with all stands. Since most aftermarket mounts include one in the box, it shouldn’t be an issue, but you’ll definitely want to double check before ordering a desk stand or boom arm to make sure it will fit.

And, like all XLR microphones, you’ll need an audio interface in order to connect it to your PC. For my purposes, I used the Elgato Wave XLR but it also worked fine with my RodeCaster Pro 2 and Presonus Studio 26c. The mic requires 48V of phantom power to run but isn’t gain hungry, so even budget-friendly audio interfaces should work well with it.

Sound Quality on the HyperX ProCast

The sound on the ProCast is the star of the show. HyperX’s microphones have always impressed with their recording quality and that continues to be the case here. Over the two weeks I spent with it, I tested it with everything from isolated test recordings in Audacity, to gaming with friends, calls over Discord, virtual conference calls, and even recording acoustic guitar. The ProCast managed to sound good through all of it. 

The large diaphragm did a great job of picking up on the lower frequencies in my voice. I don’t have a natural radio voice and often have to speak very close to it to get enough bass presence. Here, I was able to sit back a few inches and still have the same full, natural sound I need for recording work. When I did lean in, the microphone didn’t become boomy with too much proximity effect.

I was surprised to find that the high-pass filter had an audible effect on my voice without also making it sound thin. It cut out some of the lows but left the recording sounding a bit more “clean” instead of anemic. 

The pad, on the other hand, I didn’t find much use for. In a normal recording setting for streaming, I just didn’t find much use for it. Simply adjusting the volume on my interface was enough and made the pad an unnecessary extra. It works: testing in Audacity made it clear. So, if you do want to mic a guitar cabinet or drum set, it’s a nice value-add. 

I was also impressed by just how quiet the mic was. Setting my levels to capture my voice at a standard -12dB, there was hardly any audible noise coming through. That low noise floor makes it easier to hear tiny details and to create more true-to-life, high-resolution recordings. 

What wasn’t so great is off-axis noise rejection. The cardioid pattern tries to isolate sounds coming from directly in front of the microphone (and a very small window behind it due to how the technology works). Sounds coming from the back and sides are thinner and a bit quieter but still come through very easily. 

That design can be a good thing if you don’t want the mic directly in front of your mouth. For streaming, being a little off-position is common and the ProCast is forgiving of that. At the same time, every click of my mouse and clack of my keyboard made their way through into my recordings. The same was true of my case fans, especially when the CPU cooler would kick into high gear while benchmarking. 

The ProCast is a great sounding microphone but it works best in very quiet environments. 

Sound Sample for the HyperX ProCast

Have a listen to how it sounds below.

The HyperX ProCast doesn’t lose points for sound quality. There, like the original QuadCast, it impresses. The problem is that it’s just not good enough to justify its $249 cost of entry. At the current MSRP, it faces stiff competition from devices that also offer great recording quality, sometimes for much less.

The first mic that came to mind conducting this review was the Neat King Bee II.  At $170, it offers even better sound quality, more robust construction, and a much more unique look. The Blue Spark SL is easily on par with the ProCast in sound quality, feels more premium, and costs $50 less. If you don’t mind swapping to a dynamic microphone (which is probably better for most home streamers anyway), the Shure MV7 is another excellent alternative that offers far more features: USB or XLR connectivity, touch controls, automatic gain sensing, app support, and much better noise rejection.

With all of that in mind, it’s not that the HyperX ProCast is bad, it’s just a bit bland, feels too light in the hand, and demands a premium because… well, I’m not exactly sure why. At $150 or even $180, this microphone would be worth considering. At $250, it’s just not.

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If you’ve budgeted around $750 for the best gaming monitor for you, you have several categories to choose from. For maximum resolution, there are plenty of 4K 144 Hz screens available. However, that option will give you the lowest motion resolution. Why? Frame rates, pure and simple. You can put a lot of pixels on the screen, but if the best you can do is 120 fps, that fine detail will be lost when you move the mouse in a first-person game.

To satisfy the need for speed, you can go with an FHD 360 Hz screen, as this option will deliver the smoothest performance of all. However, sitting in the middle is QHD at 240 Hz. It’s a great option because it puts 109 pixels per inch onto a 27-inch panel and, with a fast enough video card, delivers frame rates over 200 fps. That’s a performance sweet spot and one I’ll be exploring in this review of AOC’s Agon Pro AG274QG. It’s a 27-inch IPS panel with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR 600 and a wide color gamut. It also includes Nvidia’s Reflex Latency Analyzer and a whole raft of gaming features.

AOC Agon Pro AG274QG Specs

The AG274QG starts with a fast IPS panel that has a claimed response time of 1 ms. In my test, the draw time from full black to full white was 4 ms which is only 1ms slower than a 360 Hz monitor. I also measured very low input lag, which puts this display in contention with the professional competition. While a 360 Hz screen will be the ultimate gaming tool, this Agon Pro is only slightly behind in speed. Adaptive-Sync comes in G-Sync Ultimate form with an Nvidia certification. You can also run AMD FreeSync, 48-144 Hz over HDMI, and 48-240 Hz through DisplayPort. Consoles are supported up to 120 Hz over HDMI with Adaptive-Sync.

AOC also didn’t skimp on image quality. The AG274QG is rated for 600 nits in HDR mode and met this spec while testing. It’ll also get close to 450 nits for SDR content, so it works in the brightest environments with plenty of punch and clarity. The color gamut is larger than most, with a measured 95% coverage of DCI-P3. A near-perfect sRGB mode can automatically engage for SDR if you want even more precision.

Amping up the contrast quotient is an edge-dimming backlight with 32 zones. This action increases contrast to 5,000:1 in SDR mode and over 33,000:1 for HDR, putting the AG274QG ahead of many HDR monitors I’ve tested. You can improve the image further with the included rigid light hood that snaps in place. It provides a real advantage in all but the darkest rooms by preventing any light from hitting the screen from the sides or above.

Other features include a very nice LED lighting system that has effects on the back of the panel and a projector built into the stand that displays two different Agon logos on the desktop. There are many choices for color and effect available in the extensive OSD. Premium build quality abounds with a rock-solid stand, full ergonomics and a decent pair of built-in speakers. All your peripherals are supported by USB 3.2 with four downstream ports, one of which is colored green for the Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer feature.

Assembly and Accessories

The light hood comes in its own carton, which sits at the top of the AG174QG’s box. Another small box contains the external power brick and a nice collection of cables. You get USB, HDMI and DisplayPort, along with a pair of stand clips to keep your wiring tidy. Also in the box is the Quick Switch control puck that provides fast access to the OSD. It plugs into its own dedicated port underneath.

Product 360

With the light hood installed, the AG274QG has an impressive presence. The hood is lined with light-absorbing material and once snapped on becomes part of a very solid unit. The stand is super solid with a very wide and deep base. You won’t be tipping one of these over, no matter how intense the gameplay gets. Styling is very angular, with nary a curve in sight. Corners are just rounded enough to keep them from being sharp, but flat surfaces are the order of the day. The front bezel is thin at just 5 mm around the top and sides and 10 mm at the bottom. There’s just enough room for a tiny Agon logo in the center.

If you doubt the AG274QG’s origin, a projector built into the stand puts either a graphic or the word “AGON” on the desktop. A little slider on the barrel switches between images. You can change the color and intensity or turn it off in the OSD. Additional lighting is located in the back on six geometric shapes arrayed to the sides. They can be any color and be left static, flashing or breathing. A slick metal headphone hook that slides out is also found on the back. An Agon logo tops the panel, and you can see red trim on the stand.

Ergonomics include -3/21 degrees tilt, 20 degrees swivel and 120 mm height. The upright has soft click stops to make it easier to repeat an adjustment, and there’s a 90-degree portrait mode. The OSD can be controlled by a tiny joystick around the back right or by a large puck called Quick Switch, which plugs into its own dedicated port. The puck adds some quick access buttons configured by the user. If you prefer using an aftermarket arm or bracket, a 100 mm VESA mount is provided with included fasteners.

The input panel features a single DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. DisplayPort supports G-Sync Ultimate from 1 to 240 Hz, while the HDMI ports work from 48 to 144 Hz with either G-Sync or FreeSync. USB comes in version 3.2 with one upstream and four downstream ports. The photo doesn’t show it, but one of the ports is meant for Nvidia’s Reflex Latency Analyzer and is color-coded green. To use this feature, you’ll need a supported mouse. Read more about it in our overview here.

OSD Features

The AG274QG uses the same style menu as other Agon Pro displays, with eight sections arranged in a grid that appears at the lower right when you press the joystick or the center button on the Quick Switch puck.

Game Setting is where you’ll find the picture modes, called Game Mode. There are seven presets, but the default and best option is Off. You can still adjust all image and video processing parameters so there’s no real need for the other modes except the three user memories, which the numbered buttons can call up on the Quick Switch puck. Dial Point is an aiming reticle that appears as a tiny red cross at the center of the screen. You get a three-level overdrive which I found unnecessary. The AG274QG has superb video processing without it. Even the Weak setting caused ghosting artifacts. Surprisingly, there is no backlight strobe option, but this monitor doesn’t need it. When frame rates are high, motion resolution is nearly perfect.

In the Luminance menu, you can adjust brightness in nit values. They measure relatively close to the mark. There are five gamma presets, with the default one being slightly light in tone. Adding +.2 fixed that issue neatly. The SDR Colors sRGB option, when turned on, automatically selects the sRGB gamut for SDR content which is the correct way to do it. If you prefer the larger gamut for everything, just turn it off. You can also engage the zone dimming feature for SDR, and it does increase contrast visibly. The Auto Brightness and Auto Black Level options use a sensor to adjust those parameters according to your room’s lighting conditions.

The Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer has several options for monitoring sensitivity (how often the timing is sampled) plus the size and position of the measuring rectangle. The numbers appear in small font in the upper right corner of the screen. You can monitor your input lag in real-time while playing.

Color Setup has a 6-axis color adjustment plus three color temp presets. The user mode has precise RGB sliders that help achieve pro-level grayscale accuracy for both SDR and HDR. The Audio menu includes a toggle for DTS sound processing. Turning this on improves the audio by expanding the soundstage. It also sounds a little less tinny though you won’t hear any serious bass from the internal speakers.

The Light FX menu has lots of options for the color and effect of the LEDs in back. You can create any color you wish with RGB values and choose from multiple patterns and effects like breathing or flashing. The Logo Projector refers to the light built into the stand. It can be any color and there are three intensity levels, or you can turn it off.

AOC AG274QG Calibration Settings

If you leave Game Mode off, there are no picture modes to contend with, which is a good thing. The brightness slider is ticked in nit values fairly close to the actual light level. To improve gamma, I set the option at +.2 and adjusted the RGB sliders in the user color temp. The result was pro-level accuracy for color, grayscale and gamma. My instrument-derived settings are below.

In HDR mode, you can use the same RGB settings which worked well for me. There are three modes for the backlight dimming feature. Gaming is the default and best choice. It follows the correct luminance curve and keeps color from becoming over-saturated. With little effort, the AG274QG can be a very accurate monitor with premium image quality and fidelity.

Gaming and Hands-on

27-inch QHD monitors are very versatile in that they will fit on nearly any desk while providing enough screen area for just about any task or form of entertainment. Resolution is fine enough to sit at a comfortable distance, around three feet, and experience sharp detail and clarity. Though other form factors are more suitable for gaming, like 21:9 ultra-wides or 43-inch jumbo panels, the 27-inch QHD display is a staple.

The AG274QG is a premium example in this category. It delivers a bright picture with saturated color and best of all, quick response and some of the smoothest video processing I’ve seen. It’s one of the few monitors that doesn’t need overdrive or any kind of blur reduction to maintain high resolution during fast camera pans and movements. The picture remains razor sharp no matter what kind of game you’re engaged in, and that comes down to the frame rate. Granted, I’m testing with a GeForce RTX 3090, which keeps the action around 200 fps in full detail. But this is the key to the best gaming experience, and this monitor provides that.

It also delivers superb HDR. With a 32-zone edge dimming backlight, it is well above screens that only offer full-field dimming or no dimming. I would put the AG274QG against a full-array local-dimming FALD monitor and defy most users to tell the difference. Its HDR is that good. Doom Eternal played with a very bright and colorful image that revealed every texture and nuance. There was no apparent hit to performance either, as I saw around 200fps playing the same scenes in SDR and HDR. The AG274QG is a great choice if you want to upgrade to an HDR-capable display.

Call of Duty WWII was a similar experience. Its natural color was the star of the show, with bright sunlight during daytime battles and deep shadows at night. Detail was always visible, and I never needed the shadow enhancer option.

For workday tasks, the AG274QG is a great tool. Its 109 ppi pixel density is well suited for text or graphical documents. Whether running Photoshop or Word, you’ll see your work clearly with excellent contrast and vivid color where appropriate.

I also noted the built-in speakers with DTS mode. They put out decent volume without distortion and the DTS option expands the sound field a bit beyond the edges of the screen. There isn’t much bass, but the midrange and high frequencies are well-balanced.

Ergonomically, the AG274QG is a solidly built piece that easily earns its place in the premium category. My only nitpick is the extra-large base. While it provides a lot of stability, its nearly 14-inch depth is a bit intrusive. The wide legs are skinny enough to allow objects to live below the screen, but a smaller base would likely work just as well.

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To compare the AG274QG, I’ve mined my database for three more 240 Hz QHD screens – Gigabyte’s M27QX, AOC’s PD27 and Asus’ PG279QM. To see how 165 Hz QHD screens stack up, I’ve included the HyperX Armada 27 and Cooler Master’s GM27-FQS.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

A 1 ms difference in response time translates to a visible improvement. A 240 Hz monitor is clearer and quicker than a 165 Hz one. While 2 ms may not seem like much, but it truly is better at higher frame rates. Of course, running over 200f ps in QHD resolution will require a decent video card.

Overall input lag scores are visually closer between the six displays. The AG274QG is one of the quickest monitors I’ve tested, eclipsed only by the PD27 by just 1 ms. I was impressed to see this result with the overdrive turned off. Since any of its options result in ghosting, I don’t recommend using it. But it’s not needed because all the motion patterns I viewed were crystal clear, making it a seriously smooth gaming monitor.

Viewing Angles

The green color shift seen above is typical of IPS panels, but the AG274QG retains brightness at 45 degrees off-center better than most screens. The gamma is unchanged, which means detail won’t be harder to see if you’re not sitting on-center. The top view is quite blue, with some image washout observed.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The AG274QG’s screen uniformity is generally good except for a slight hotspot I saw in my sample’s lower right corner. It wasn’t an issue in actual content, nor could I see it in brighter field patterns. Color uniformity was visually perfect, with no variation in hue.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

AOC specs 450 nits for the AG274QG’s SDR brightness, but my sample only got to 390 nits. This isn’t a deal-breaker because that’s a lot more light than one would need indoors. Even at 390 nits, you could play in a sunlit space, especially with the light hood installed.

Black levels are about average for the category, with the AG274QG finishing mid-pack. You can see the advantage held by the PD27’s VA screens, as its blacks are much deeper. With over 3,000:1 contrast, it has an impressive image, but the other screens are nearly identical in their dynamic range. The AG274QG has a usable dimming feature that ups SDR contrast to around 5,000:1 with no visible downside.

After Calibration to 200 nits

After calibration, the AG274QG gained a second-place finish in the black level contest losing only to the PD27’s VA screen. Contrast is about the same as before but is slightly ahead of the other IPS displays. This is solid performance that can be enhanced by turning on the dimming feature.

ANSI contrast remains strong at 1,043.5:1, very close to the static number. The AG274QG is an excellent monitor with premium components and quality control. Its price isn’t low, but you are getting a high-end screen for sure.

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The AG274QG comes with its Game Mode turned off. There are seven presets, but none improve accuracy as much as a calibration.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The default color temp setting is Warm, but my tests showed a cool grayscale with blue errors visible from 30% and higher. Gamma is a touch light as well though it tracks straight which is a good thing. The image looks a bit flat but the tools to fix this are provided.

By adding +.2 to the gamma and adjusting the RGB sliders, tracking is now at the professional level and visually perfect. I verified these results with the native color gamut and in sRGB mode. You can switch gamuts without affecting either white point or gamma, which is as it should be.

Comparisons

For a premium monitor, the AG274QG is slightly disappointing out of the box. It has good default color accuracy, which you’ll see on the next page. However, its grayscale and gamma leave room for improvement. A 5.32dE average error is higher than most screens in the category. After calibration, it’s firmly in contention with a low 0.74dE average.

Gamma tracking is tight, with just a 0.24 range of values and a 1.36% deviation from 2.2. The actual average value is 2.23, which is visually perfect.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The AG274QG truly excels in gamut accuracy with a bit of adjustment. The default grayscale error pulls magenta and cyan off their hue targets, but saturation points are close to the mark. The gamut is quite large as well, with only a very slight green under-saturation.

After adjusting gamma and the RGB sliders, the gamut is well into the visually perfect range. Every point is in contact with or inside its target box, representing 1dE. It doesn’t get much better than this.

The sRGB mode is even better, with a tiny average error of 1.06dE. That is equal to any professional screen I’ve tested. And since you can set up the AG274QG to switch color gamuts automatically between SDR and HDR, it’s one of the few gaming monitors that provides perfect color for every kind of content.

Comparisons

As much as I am impressed with the AG274QG’s color accuracy, the other screens are excellent too. This is a premium category so this is how it should be. None of the displays have visual errors. The AOC delivers the bonus of perfect color for both DCI-P3 and sRGB, so that’s something to consider.

There are a handful of monitors that have larger color gamuts than the AG274QG, but most wide gamut screens are closer to 90% coverage or a little less. This is the main disadvantage of the PD27. The Asus and Gigabyte have a bit more green available but for most content, the visual difference will be slight. The AG274QG is qualified for color-critical work in either DCI-P3 or sRGB color spaces.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

When comparing LCD monitors, HDR quality is often determined by peak brightness. The more light you have, the more highlights will pop against darker content. The AG274QG is rated for 600 nits, giving it a little more juice than other screens at this price point.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The AG274QG just crests the 600-nit mark with a 603.1987-nit result. I’m more interested in the black level, which is lower than the VA-based PD27 and within striking distance of the PG279QM. This is thanks to the very effective 32-zone edge dimming backlight, which AOC uses properly here. With a measured static contrast of 33,142.8:1, you can see a clear difference in quality over the remaining four screens. If you want good HDR, this is the way to go. Only a full-array backlight or OLED panel can deliver more dynamic range than this. The difference is easy to see in actual content with deeper blacks, brighter highlights and more saturated color.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

In HDR mode, the AG274QG inherits the RGB settings from SDR mode, which managed to keep grayscale tracking on-point until the tone-mapping range above 70% brightness. I could not reduce the extra blue without affecting the lower levels, which is where most content lies. Real-world picture quality is excellent, with just a hint of blue in the brightest areas but neutral grays everywhere else. The EOTF follows the spec almost perfectly when you select the Gaming option for the HDR Variable Backlight. Shadows are deep, dark and detailed while the brightest bits pop as they should.

The DCI-P3 saturation chart shows slight over-saturation in general but excellent tracking with no points too far off their targets. This means there will be no obscured detail in any kind of content, bright, dark or mid-toned. The Rec.2020 chart is similar. The AG274QG tracks the inner targets correctly until color runs out around 95%. This is how it should be since a lot of HDR content is mastered to the full Rec.2020 gamut. This is excellent performance.

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It’s hard not to be spoiled by super-fast gaming monitors. Though FHD/360 Hz and QHD/240 Hz screens are expensive, they provide an addictive gaming experience with their instant control response and smooth motion processing. If you subscribe to the axiom that higher pixel density is always better, then the QHD category strikes the best balance between detail and frame rate. Consoles and popular opinion have vaulted Ultra HD/120 Hz screens to the top of the must-have list. But when you’re ripping through a battlefield or speeding down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, their extra pixel count only serves to reduce the fps count, which increases motion blur.

Though a 360 Hz screen is the ultimate in smoothness and response, the AG274QG’s 240 Hz QHD panel is so close in feel as to be equal. I qualify that with “in my experience” because a gamer with superior skill may only be satisfied by a higher frame rate. However, after a lot of frenetic gameplay on my part, I doubt there are many players who would not become instantly addicted to this monitor.

Picture-wise, it ticks all the boxes except for the one next to out-of-box accuracy. There, it could use some improvement. But once calibrated, it is extremely precise. A large color gamut enhances both SDR and HDR content, and the zone-dimming backlight creates superb contrast, especially for HDR, where I measured over 33,000:1. And the 600-nit output doesn’t hurt either.

Video processing is the standout. The AG274QG doesn’t need overdrive or a backlight strobe to deliver motion resolution that’s among the best I’ve experienced. With super-low input lag and fast panel response, it really doesn’t get better. Its gaming feel is that of a fine sports car.

If you have the budget for a high-performance gaming monitor and the need for a usable desktop display, the AOC Agon Pro AG274QG is hard to beat. Speed-hungry players should definitely keep it on their short list.

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HP has long operated its line of HyperX-branded gaming peripherals, which include headsets, microphones, mice and keyboards. However, the brand is looking to branch out with the release of 25-inch FHD 240 Hz Armada 25 and the 27-inch QHD 165 Hz IPS Armada 27 gaming displays. The Armada 25 is the panel I’ll be testing here.

Users looking for speed over resolution will want to take notice. The Armada 25 offers 240 Hz operation with G-Sync certification and FreeSync compatibility. It has an effective overdrive and also includes a backlight strobe blur reduction feature. There’s no HDR or extended color, but when it comes to response and clean video processing, HyperX has you covered. Let’s look at this new contender for the best gaming monitors list.

HyperX Armada 25 Specs

At $449 for the 25-inch and $499 for the 27-inch, the choice between them comes down to speed, and 240 Hz is significantly smoother than 165 Hz in my experience. Some may decry the Armada 25’s FHD resolution but when the picture is moving quickly, blur becomes a real factor. With a reliable 240 Hz refresh rate and one of the better overdrives I’ve seen, it delivers extremely smooth motion processing with no ghosting. And if you prefer a backlight strobe over Adaptive-Sync, HyperX obliges with a five-level option that lets you balance brightness with clarity. It has no real downside, as I didn’t notice any phasing problems.

The Armada 25 is certified by Nvidia for G-Sync operation between 48 and 240 Hz. I also verified AMD FreeSync compatibility in my tests.

Though there is no HDR or extended color, HyperX didn’t skimp on image quality. I measured around 1,200:1 contrast which is higher than most IPS panels can muster. Color accuracy is excellent as well. You can enjoy the Armada 25 without calibration and its color gamut covers nearly 110% of sRGB according to my measurements.

What sets it apart from other gaming monitors is the inclusion of a monitor arm instead of a stand. I was initially surprised to see this but once set up, the Armada 25 is a seriously rugged and solidly-built display. The arm is easily the best example I’ve experienced. It can clamp to your desk’s edge or use the included adaptors if you have a hole available. HP makes an extra arm available if you want to mount a second screen on a single column.

HP is no stranger to gaming, as it already has success with the Omen series. On the surface, the new HyperX Armada 25 looks like a home run, but only a deeper dive will tell for certain.

Assembly and Accessories for the HyperX Armada 25

HyperX ships the Armada 25 in recyclable packaging with no crumbly foam or plastic bits aside from the slick envelopes that protect the parts from scratches. The arm clamps easily to a table or desk 15 to 50 millimeters (0.6-2 inches) thick. It’s quite substantial, and the assembly is rated to hold up to 20 pounds per arm. You can slide a second arm on the column if you wish. A movable ring sets the height of the fulcrum and includes a hook for cable management. The power supply is internal, and you get long HDMI and DisplayPort cables. The DP cable is red, which is a nice touch.

Product 360: HyperX Armada 25

The panel is largely unadorned with simple and functional styling. Only HyperX logos on the front and back announce the brand. A G-Sync label in the lower right verifies the Armada 25’s Nvidia certification. A few polished bits form a large X on the back with a large logo at the top. The controls consist of a single power toggle key and a joystick for all other functions.

The arm allows for a wide range of movement and positioning. Each joint is firm and smooth, with no play. The arm slips over the column and is retained by a quick-release ring that can be raised and lowered. The panel fulcrum can be tilted from -20 to +60 degrees, rotated 90 degrees for portrait mode and swiveled 90 degrees to either side. The arm can swivel 180 degrees as well. The lift range is 12.5 inches, and the arm can sit in a 10-inch window on the column. Each arm can hold up to 20 pounds and works with both 100mm and 75mm VESA bolt patterns. For edge mounting, the desk needs to be between 0.6 and 2 inches thick. A hole mount should be between 0.6 and 2.4 inches. The column and single arm weigh just over 10 pounds. It is well-built and extremely flexible; you can position the panel almost anywhere.

The panel comes off with the push of a button for easy access to the inputs. The Armada 25 offers only video access, two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4. There is no audio output jack, no speakers and no USB. Cables are run through clips on the arm to keep everything neat and tidy.

OSD Features of HyperX Armada 25

The Armada 25’s OSD is clearly from HP but sticks to the branding with HyperX logos. It’s divided into eight submenus and comes up when you click the joystick twice. A quick menu gives access to brightness, picture modes and input selection. At the bottom, you can see the input resolution and refresh rate always displayed.

The HyperX Armada 25 has one of the best overdrives I’ve seen. It works best at evel 3, where you’ll get no real motion blur or ghosting. If you prefer a backlight strobe, turn off Adaptive-Sync and turn on MPRT. It has five levels which deliver varying levels of brightness. Level 2 is only about 5% dimmer and smooths motion further with no phasing artifacts. HyperX delivers excellent video processing overall.

The crosshair can be created from four available shapes and comes in eight different colors that can be placed anywhere on the screen. You can also turn on a frame rate indicator.

There are eight picture modes, of which Standard is the default. It’s accurate enough to be used without calibration, but you can achieve greater precision in Custom RGB where you get RGB sliders to adjust color temperature. I missed a gamma setting because the included luminance curve is a tad light. But this is a minor nit on my part. The only color gamut is sRGB, and thanks to a bit of bonus blue, it is nicely saturated for all types of content.

Calibration Settings for HyperX Armada 25

The Armada 25 ships in its Standard picture mode, which is close enough to spec that it doesn’t require calibration. However, I saw a visible improvement when I adjusted the sliders in Custom RGB. They have fine resolution, which makes precise adjustments very easy. Gamma is a tad light, averaging around 2.11 after calibration. Given the panel’s excellent contrast, I’d love to see a darker option, but this is a minor point. My instrument-derived settings are below. I used them for all testing and gaming.

Gaming and Hands-on with HyperX Armada 25

Gaming on any 240 Hz monitor, regardless of resolution, is a lot of fun. The response and smooth motion are such an enhancement that resolution becomes a secondary consideration. An 4K monitor will be sharper, but the clarity of an FHD display running at a high frame rate is more consistent. There is never any visible blur, and every control input meets with instant action. With my frame rates around the 240 fps mark, I could freely switch between G-Sync and MPRT (backlight strobe) and see little difference in motion quality. Adaptive-Sync is barely a factor over 200 fps, and the Armada 25’s superb overdrive kept things clean no matter how fast I moved the mouse.

Though the image was softer than a QHD or 4K screen, there was more than enough contrast and color to make it look deep and dimensional. Textures popped off the screen and accurate color ensured a natural look. The Armada 25 looks slightly better than most IPS monitors thanks to its contrast advantage. 200:1 doesn’t seem like a big upgrade, but visually, it’s significant. Only a VA panel will be any better than this.

The arm system was also a pleasure to use. With essentially no desktop footprint, you can let objects live under the panel without getting in the way. And if you want to change positions for different games, it’s easy to do. The Armada 25’s arm is one of the best I’ve experienced. It’s super solid, firm in movement and built to last.

Workday tasks are easy to get through as well. Though pixel density isn’t super high at 90ppi, it’s enough to read small text or render fine detail in photos and video. The Armada 25’s excellent contrast helps make things look sharper than one would expect. Accurate color is a bonus too. For all-around use, work and entertainment, this monitor gets the job done.

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The Armada 25 competes with a large group of fast monitors that run from 240 up to 360 Hz. For comparison, I’ve included AOC’s 360 Hz AG254FG and Pixio’s 280 Hz PX259P. The remaining panels are 240 Hz – ViewSonic XG2431, AOC C32G2ZE and Monoprice 40778.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The Armada 25 is one of the quicker 240 Hz monitors I’ve tested with a 4ms response time. The 360 Hz AOC is a tad faster, but I’ve observed that visually, the difference between 240 and 360 Hz is less significant than the difference between 165 and 240 Hz. You’ll pay a good bit more for 360 Hz and only get a tiny bit more smoothness.

In the lag test, the Armada 25 equals the 360 Hz AOC which means that it delivers a similar feel when gaming. Reaction time is everything on the battlefield, and the HyperX will provide nearly all the advantages of a 360 Hz monitor without the higher price tag or the requirement for a high-end video card.

Viewing Angles

Though I am a fan of VA’s high contrast, there’s no denying the superior viewing angles of a good IPS panel like the Armada 25. The color shifts slightly blue at 45 degrees to the side, but the reduction in brightness is only around 10% and barely noticeable. The top-down view has a green tint with a 30% light drop and less definition, thanks to a lower gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

My Armada 25 sample aced the uniformity test with less than 9% deviation across the screen; I couldn’t see any bleed or glow with the room completely darkened. Color patterns showed only smooth, even tones and brighter gray fields were also free of visible aberration.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

HyperX rates the Armada 25 for 400 nits, but my sample maxed out at just over 350. I had to switch to the Custom RGB mode to achieve this. Standard mode was a tad lower at 328 nits. Both modes are more than bright enough for any indoor environment. If you’re a fan of dark room gaming, you can go down as low as 33 nits by turning the brightness to zero.

The Armada 25 has a great-for-IPS black level of 0.3054, giving it 1,147.7:1 contrast, just a tick below the class-leading AG254FG. Though it may not seem like a significant difference on paper, that extra 150:1 makes a visual improvement in depth and color saturation.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration elevates the AOC and Monoprice screens, while the Armada 25 remains about the same. But this is not a negative result in any way. Putting these three monitors side by side would reveal nearly identical picture quality. The AOC is on another level contrast-wise, but you must decide if you want a 32-inch FHD monitor with its relatively low pixel density.

The Armada 25 excels in the ANSI test as one of the few monitors to score higher than its static value. Only a tiny handful of IPS panels have ever topped 1,200:1 in my experience. This is an exceptional display with a deep picture, solid blacks and excellent color saturation.

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The Armada 25 keeps its picture modes simple. The default one is called Standard, and it delivers decent accuracy without calibration. Only the Custom RGB mode has any options for adjustment.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The default chart shows a barely visible blue tint in the brighter steps. This error will be tough to see in actual content. Gamma is a little light but tracks close to the reference line.

After calibration of the Custom RGB mode, tracking is now visually perfect with all errors below 2dE. Gamma is nearly the same, with a slight dip at the 90% step. Gamma presets would be a nice addition here to give users the option of a darker presentation. But overall, this is excellent performance.

Comparisons

I can’t complain about the Armada 25’s out-of-the-box grayscale error of 2.70dE. It’s lower than the other screens and puts the monitor in the calibration-not-needed category. The 360 Hz AOC is a high achiever, but it will cost you around $240 more. The final error of 1.01dE puts it in line with the other screens.

Though the Armada 25’s gamma tracking is a tad light, it stays close to the reference line with a tight range of values. 0.15 is about as close as it gets. The actual average is 2.11, not too far off the mark. And it’s closer to 2.2 than the bottom three screens.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The Armada 25 closely follows the sRGB specification with full gamut coverage and a little bonus blue. In Standard mode, the magenta and cyan secondaries are slightly off hue, but saturation points are on target. There is no visible error here.

Calibration slightly improves the result, with all points now inside or in contact with their target boxes. The boxes represent 1dE, so this is an excellent test result.

Comparisons

The Armada 25’s third-place finish with a 1.80dE color error speaks to the quality of all the monitors here. The AOC is certainly an overachiever, but I have no problem recommending the HyperX or any of the competition. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Only the 32-inch AOC attempts extended color with its 85% coverage of DCI-P3. The other screens fully cover sRGB except for the AG254FG, which comes up short. The Armada 25 has a little extra blue saturation, making cool tones a little more vibrant and giving sky and water textures more brilliance. There’s no HDR here, so this is an appropriate color presentation that stays close to standard while providing a little extra vividness.

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In the speed versus resolution debate, I take the side of speed. After playing games on every type of monitor, fast, slow, hi-res, low-res; I always find that a higher frame rate makes for a better gaming experience. Seeing fine detail clearly as it flashes across the screen makes a big difference when the action gets frenetic. If you want to enjoy the virtual environment at a slower pace, 4K is undoubtedly the way to go. But if you want to raise the frag count, there’s no better tool than a monitor running above 200fps.

The HyperX Armada 25 presents a minor conundrum. From a performance standpoint, it checks every box. It has excellent contrast and color accuracy. Video processing is well into the premium level with a clean overdrive, effective backlight strobe and Adaptive-Sync for Nvidia and AMD systems. Build quality is as good as it gets, and the inclusion of a high-quality mounting arm is a real bonus, especially if you plan to add a second panel.

My only complaint is the lack of speakers, audio connections and USB. Though these things aren’t necessary for a high-performance gaming display, they are convenient. And most other monitors include at least two of them. Indeed, the Armada 25 is the first monitor I’ve seen lately with no 3.5mm headphone jack. Users will have to resort to the audio output of their PC or console to hook up external speakers. And USB will be relegated to the connected system as well.

That aside, I can heartily recommend the HyperX Armada 25. It delivers fantastic performance, image fidelity and build quality. Users looking for a speed advantage and about $200 savings over a 360 Hz screen should definitely check it out.

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If you’re a fan of HP’s HyperX gaming peripherals lineup, it now includes two of the best gaming monitors, the Armada 25 and Armada 27. I recently looked at the Armada 25 and found it to be a very capable and responsive display with everything a gamer needs for high performance, fast frame rates and smooth video processing.

The other panel in HyperX’s line, the Armada 27, is on my test bench for this review. It’s not just a bigger screen; it also adds a wide color gamut, HDR and QHD resolution. The max refresh is 165 Hz, so it won’t quite deliver the super smooth motion of its smaller stablemate. But with 109ppi pixel density, this $499 display will render a sharper image. And it ships with the same cool mounting arm setup as the Armada 25. Let’s take a look.

HyperX Armada 27 Specs

A 27-inch QHD monitor is the sweet spot of price versus performance. This is a hot and crowded category, with many displays coming in under $600. Indeed, the Armada 27 is out the door at $500, which is only $50 more than the Armada 25. You get greater pixel density, a larger screen, HDR, and a wide color gamut for that extra money. The only thing you give up is speed, 165 Hz, versus the 240 Hz of the 25-inch model. If that sounds appealing, read on because I found a lot to like here.

The Armada 27 comes with the same high-quality mounting arm in place of a traditional stand. This is certainly unusual, but the arm is very convenient. It includes a beefy clamp and hardware for desks with holes already in them. An arm lets you put the panel just about anywhere, at any angle, in portrait mode and any height within a 12-inch range. It’s much more flexible than a traditional stand.

The panel is IPS, but its similarity to the Armada 25 ends there. QHD resolution delivers an ideal 109ppi, so you see a sharper picture immediately. According to my measurements, you also get HDR with 400 nits peak brightness and a wide color gamut that covers over 91% of DCI-P3. I also discovered during testing that you could calibrate for sRGB and DCI-P3 independently and save your settings when you switch modes. That lets you use the extended gamut for SDR content without compromising sRGB accuracy. And in HDR mode, there’s a dimming feature in place that effectively doubles contrast.

Video processing equals the excellent motion quality I found in the Armada 25. Though the frame rate is lower at 165 Hz, it’s relatively smooth thanks to a well-engineered overdrive and Adaptive-Sync. The Armada 27 is G-Sync certified by Nvidia and FreeSync compatible from 48 to 165 Hz. You also get a backlight strobe if you prefer that feature.

With so much extra included for just $50 more, it’s hard to choose between the 25- or 27-inch models. Speed will be the deciding factor for most users. 240 Hz is compelling, but the Armada 27’s 165 Hz and QHD are too.

Assembly and Accessories of HyperX Armada 27

HyperX packs the Armada 27 in a fully recyclable carton with engineered cardboard to secure the contents. The arm and column are easy to assemble without tools; then, the panel snaps in place. I simply replaced the Armada 25 with the 27 using the same mounting bits for my purposes. Each arm is rated for 20 pounds, so you can easily attach two monitors to a single column. HyperX sells the extra arms for $80 each. There are two clamps in the box, one for table/desk edges and one for pre-drilled holes. Extra-long DisplayPort and HDMI cables are included, along with an IEC cord for the internal power supply. The DP cable is red, which is a nice touch.

Product 360: HyperX Armada 27 

Aside from its extra size, the Armada 27 looks exactly like the Armada 25. The bezel is very narrow at 8mm on the top and sides and 19mm across the bottom, where you’ll see a tiny HyperX logo. A larger graphic appears on the back, which is also set off by a large X finished in polished black. Also in back is a power toggle key and a tiny joystick that controls all monitor functions.

The arm allows for a huge range of movement and positioning. Each joint is firm and smooth, with no play whatsoever. The arm slips over the column and is retained by a quick-release ring that can be raised and lowered. The panel fulcrum can be tilted from -20 to +60 degrees, rotated 90 degrees for portrait mode, and swiveled 90 degrees to either side. The arm can swivel 180 degrees as well. The lift range is 12.5 inches, and the arm can sit in a 10-inch window on the column. Each arm can hold up to 20 pounds and works with 100mm and 75mm VESA bolt patterns. The desk needs to be between 0.6 and 2 inches thick for edge mounting. A hole mount should be between 0.6 and 2.4 inches. The column and single arm weight is just over 10 pounds. It is clearly well-built and extremely flexible. You can position the panel just about anywhere you like.

The input panel just includes video access, two HDMI 2.0 and one DisplayPort 1.4. There is no audio jack, nor is there USB. While these omissions are not grave, they force the user to use the connected system for peripheral support. Also missing are internal speakers.

OSD Features: HyperX Armada 27

The Armada 27’s OSD is nearly identical to the one I explored in the Armada 25 but with one important difference, a wide gamut color mode. You also get the ability to create separate calibrations for each picture preset, something which very few monitors can do.

Gaming options include a five-level overdrive. Level 3 provides smooth motion with no ghosting. Higher settings create white trails behind moving objects. If you prefer a backlight strobe instead of Adaptive-Sync, turn on MPRT. It has five options that get progressively dimmer as you go up in value. Level 3 is the sweet spot. It’ll cost you about 25% brightness, but it delivers smooth operation with no visible phasing. Also in this sub-menu is a frame counter and a slick crosshair editor that lets you build your own aiming point from the four available shapes. You can pick one of eight colors and place it anywhere you like on the screen.

The picture modes are different from what I saw in the Armada 25. The Armada 27 lets you tweak the RGB Gains independently for each preset. Standard uses the sRGB gamut while Native is the wide gamut option. Not only are the RGB values mode-specific, but brightness is too. That way, you can have two calibrated picture modes that differ only in gamut volume, very cool.

In the Menu section, you get the ability to program the joystick directions for quick access to four different functions. This makes it easy to change picture modes or adjust brightness for example.

HyperX Armada 27 Calibration Settings

The Armada 27 looks great right out of the box with no need for calibration in its Standard mode. But if you make a few adjustments, it’s possible to not only achieve a better image, but to calibrate two different color gamut modes. This is something only a tiny handful of monitors can do. 

In Standard, the gamut is sRGB which is appropriate for SDR content. Use the values left of the slash from the table below. The Native mode uses the full gamut which covers 91.5% of DCI-P3. There, use the settings right of the slash. You can then switch freely between them without changing any values. They are remembered for each picture mode. HDR has no image options but is accurate enough to not require them.

Gaming and Hands-on with HyperX Armada 27

As with the Armada 25, I loved using the mounting arm that comes with the Armada 27. Okay, I used the same arm, but both monitors ship with the same parts. It truly is the best arm I’ve tried, bar none. It holds position without play or wobble and moves with a sureness that inspires confidence. Once clamped in place, the Armada 27 becomes part of your desk.

For workday tasks, it excels. Pixel density is quite high (109ppi), so I couldn’t see any pixel structure unless I got uncomfortably close to the screen. I had no trouble reading tiny text on web pages or seeing the fine details in photos and graphics. Color was exemplary, and I enjoyed switching between the Standard and Native modes for different applications. Most users will likely prefer the extra saturation of Native, but I am a stickler for accuracy, so I used Standard for most things.

With work complete, it was time for a few rounds of Doom Eternal’s Horde mode. I could switch freely between SDR and HDR, and the difference was noticeable. SDR looked washed out by comparison, and that doesn’t mean it looked bad. It popped nicely in the Native picture mode, which bumped up the color saturation. But HDR clearly had better contrast and depth. It was easier to see distant enemies against the background and color was more vivid.

Game performance was top-notch, easily equal to what I experienced with the Armada 25. The difference in frame rates wasn’t as apparent, thanks to the Armada 27’s superb video processing. G-Sync worked without a hitch and the overdrive kept motion smooth with no artifacts in evidence. In Tomb Raider, I spent some time comparing Adaptive-Sync to MPRT and found the backlight strobe to be one of the best I’ve tried.

Many monitors show a phasing artifact when using this feature that reduces motion resolution, but the Armada 27 didn’t have this issue. I was drawn to the hair detail in Lara’s on-screen avatar. You could see individual hairs blowing in the wind and varying in sheen as she moved. This effect remained clear even when I moved the mouse quickly. And it wasn’t reduced when using dynamic contrast in SDR mode. The picture was a little more three-dimensional and retained its full detail.

After several hours of gaming, I was nothing but impressed with the Armada 27’s performance. It delivers a premium experience and punches well above its price point.

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To compare the Armada 27’s performance, I’ve included Cooler Master’s GM27-FQS, BenQ’s EX2710R & EX2710Q, NZXT’s Canvas 32Q and the Monoprice 43548. The Canvas 32Q and EX2710R are VA, while the rest use IPS panels. All run QHD resolution at 165 Hz.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

Most 165 Hz monitors fill the screen in 6ms but some need 7ms. The difference is small but visible. The Armada 27 is in the faster category and is as smooth as the best 165 Hz monitor can be. 

An excellent overdrive adds to that quality with a better implementation than the others. Input lag is also lower than the rest with 27ms total control latency. That’s not far behind the 240 Hz crowd. While 240 Hz will retain motion resolution a little better, the gaming feel won’t be much different. The Armada 27 is one of the better QHD/165 Hz screens I’ve used.

Viewing Angles

HyperX uses a similarly high-quality panel in the Armada 27 as it does in the Armada 25. The color shifts slightly blue at 45 degrees to the side, and light is reduced by around 20%. Detail stays clear in the darkest steps, which means it retains shadow detail. From the top, you get a green tint, 40% light reduction and less definition due to the drop in gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

My Armada 27 sample exhibited excellent screen uniformity with no visible variation in a black field pattern. I couldn’t see any bleed or glow when viewing in a darkened room. Color fields were equally smooth and free of aberration. There is no question that quality parts are in use here.

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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The Armada 27 is rated for 400 nits, but when I measured Standard mode at the default settings with the brightness maxed, I got only 360 nits. It turns out the Native mode is where the light is. It measures over 422 nits peak and boasts a wider color gamut too.

The Armada 27 finishes last in the black level comparison because it’s the brightest panel of the bunch. Its contrast ratio is a respectable 1047.3:1. The Armada 25 has a slightly greater dynamic range but less light output and a smaller gamut. In this group, the VA panels easily win the contrast contest with over 3,000:1.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration cost me a bit of dynamic range, which put the Armada 27 equal to average IPS panels. Again, the Armada 25 will deliver a slightly deeper image if you’re willing to accept its sRGB-only color gamut. You can increase contrast to around 2,000:1 by turning on Dynamic Contrast in the OSD. It works reasonably well without clipping detail, but then you can’t adjust the brightness control. User preference will be the decider on that score.

Thanks to good components and quality control, the ANSI contrast value is slightly higher than the static. The Armada 27 remains at the average level, but that’s not a deal-breaker. The picture is nicely saturated and if you want more color, just change to the Native mode. Overall, this is very good performance.

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The Armada 27 has solid out-of-box color accuracy. Calibration is not required but the effort pays off in multiple ways. Not only can one improve picture quality, but it’s also possible to independently calibrate multiple image modes. Only a few monitors have this ability.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

Starting with Standard mode, you can see that grayscale tracking is quite good with only the 90 and 100% steps cracking the 3dE line. That’s the point where errors become visible to the naked eye. In actual content, few users would see a problem. Gamma also tracks to near perfection at the reference line.

Native mode is a bit cool before calibration with more visible errors above the 60% brightness point. If you want the wide gamut it offers, calibration should be performed. Or you can use the settings I detailed earlier.

With adjustments in place, both Standard and Native show reference-level grayscale and gamma tracking. Only Native mode shows a slightly lighter gamma. But the values are still within a tight range, which means it’ll be hard to see any issues. Note that you’ll need different RGB and brightness values to achieve the same result. It’s all in the table I put on page two. This is excellent performance.

Comparisons

For the comparison, I’ve charted the Armada 27’s Standard mode. The values aren’t vastly different in Native, but Standard produces the lowest error levels. 2.40dE out of the box means you don’t need to calibrate. But adjustment brings that number down to 1.20dE, which is a visible improvement.

In every case, gamma tracking is exemplary, with only a 0.07 range of values and little deviation from the 2.2 reference. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

As stated, Standard mode uses the sRGB gamut while Native expands to DCI-P3. Before calibration, the errors are minuscule, with no visible issues. Saturation and hue points are all on target, with only a slight hue deviation in the cyan secondary. RGB adjustments fix that neatly and take the average error to an extremely low level. This is pro-monitor territory.

The Native mode is much the same, with no visible errors before or after calibration. Like most wide gamut screens, the Armada 27 is a bit under-saturated in the green primary. And it backs off in red to create a usable compromise when viewing SDR content in the extended gamut. Though Standard (sRGB) is the more accurate mode for SDR, most users will likely prefer the extra color offered by Native (DCI-P3). By under-saturating red, it avoids looking overblown or cartoonish.

Comparisons

Again, I have charted the Standard mode for the comparison. The Armada 27 delivers reference quality performance with a tiny average error of 0.87dE. The value for Native mode is slightly higher at 1.61dE. Neither mode will have visible issues. It truly doesn’t get better than this, especially for $500.

The Armada 27 doesn’t have the largest color gamut of the bunch but it’s pretty close to the top. I’ve measured a few screens that crack 100% of DCI-P3 but most are at the same level or below. With near total coverage of both sRGB and DCI-P3, the Armada 27 can be used for critical apps since its errors are so low.

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The Armada 27 supports HDR10 signals by switching automatically to HDR mode. There are no picture options available, but I found decent contrast thanks to a dimming feature and solid color accuracy, enough to say its HDR image looks better than the SDR version.

HDR Brightness & Contrast

The Armada 27 is certified for DisplayHDR 400, and it is indeed the brightest screen here with over 487 nits peak. That ensures that highlights will pop against mid-toned and dark backgrounds which enhances the perception of dynamic range. 

Black levels are respectable enough to double the effective contrast to 2,164.7:1. While that isn’t quite in the NZXT’s territory, it’s a little better than the VA-based BenQ which only manages 2009.9:1. This is very good performance and puts the Armada 27 above the many monitors which have no extra contrast available for HDR content.

Grayscale, EOTF & Color

Aside from a slight warm tone, the Armada 27’s HDR grayscale tracking is solid. The error is barely visible and, in my experience, did not detract from the HDR effect. The EOTF tracks almost perfectly, with only tiny variations from the reference line. The tone-map transition point is at 65% which is a good thing. Though there are no picture adjustments available, HyperX has clearly set up the monitor correctly.

Color tracking shows a bit of over-saturation in red and blue, which is not unusual in the HDR monitors I’ve tested. This helps pump up the presentation without masking fine detail in the mid-tones. Hues are on target, so HDR color looks natural and correct. For Rec.2020-mastered content, the Armada 27 slightly exceeds the saturation targets until it runs out of color at around 90% saturation. This is the right way for an HDR monitor to present as much of the gamut as possible.

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When exploring the extremes of gaming monitor performance, there is always a compromise. High resolution means a lower frame rate. High frame rates mean lower resolution. High frame rates and high resolution mean a higher price. The QHD/165 Hz category is still the balance point where you can get sharp imagery and excellent motion resolution for a reasonable sum. The deciding factor then becomes video processing quality, and, in that area, the HyperX Armada 27 excels.

It has one of the best overdrive implementations I’ve seen with a high degree of blur reduction and no ghosting. It has a useful backlight strobe that reduces blur to nothing while avoiding the phasing artifacts often seen in lesser displays. And it has very low input lag putting it on par with many faster screens.

There is plenty to like about its image quality too. Contrast is about average, but a dimming feature effectively doubles the dynamic range with no downside. And HDR contrast is better than many inexpensive IPS panels can boast.

The best bit, though, is the Armada 27’s ability to save calibration settings in multiple picture modes. That means you can use either sRGB or DCI-P3 color for SDR content with equalized brightness, identical white points and consistent gamma. This is something rarely seen in any monitor, including the professional genre, where you often get just one user-configurable preset.

I also must give kudos to the mounting arm. Though it’s unusual for a monitor to come without a stand, the arm is of such high quality you’ll want to use it. And the ability to attach two panels to a single column is cool. The HyperX Armada 27, like its 25-inch stablemate, sets itself apart from the crowd. If you’re looking for high performance, premium image quality and good value, you should definitely check it out.

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The gaming monitor category is highly competitive, and there is an incredible variety of shapes and sizes to choose from to suit your personal needs. HyperX is the latest to enter the field with the Armada 25 and the Armada 27 for eSports gamers, which could have a shot at our best gaming monitors list.

The Armada 25 kicks things off with a 24.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS panel with a 1 ms response time and 240 Hz refresh rate. The Armada 27 is slightly larger with a 27-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS panel with a 1 ms response time and 165 Hz refresh rate. 

With a few exceptions (which we’ll note), the new monitors share specs. The Armada 25 and Armada 27 are rated for 400 nits brightness (the latter is VESA Display HDR 400 certified), are Nvidia G-Sync Compatible, feature a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and are outfitted with 8-bit panels. HyperX claims 99 percent sRGB coverage for the Armada 25, while the Armada 27 hits 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. As for connectivity, you’ll find one DisplayPort 1.4 connection and two HDMI 2.0 ports. Neither monitor has speakers, and both have matte-finish displays. 

What’s interesting is that HyperX sells both monitors in an all-in-one package that includes an Armada Single Gaming Mount for attaching to your desk. The mount is VESA 75mm and 100mm compatible and supports monitors up to 32 inches and weighing up to 20 pounds. The mount can attach with a C-clamp or grommet, and the monitors connect to the arm with a quick-release system. The Armada Single Gaming Mount is also available as a separate purchase for $109.99; there's also a $79.99 Armada Gaming Mount Addon that allows you to mount up to four 25-inch monitors or two 27-inch monitors simultaneously to your desk. 

According to HyperX, the Armada 25 and Armada 27 will launch next month for $449.99 and $499.99, respectively. The Armada Single Gaming Mount and Armada Gaming Mount Addon will also be available in September.

It feels like HyperX took a look at its microphone lineup and thought it might be able to carve out a mid-range niche with its new HyperX DuoCast.

The $99 DuoCast sits right in the middle of HyperX’s existing mic lineup: It’s a step (or three) up from the brand’s basic, budget-friendly SoloCast — and a half-step down from the flashy, high-end QuadCast/QuadCast S (which remains one of best gaming microphones we’ve tested).

Like the SoloCast and QuadCast, the DuoCast is named for the number of selectable polar patterns it features (two, in this case — cardioid and omnidirectional). The DuoCast also supports 96kHz/24-bit recording, and has a built-in pop filter, user-friendly controls, and comes with a low-profile shock mount. The DuoCast sports a slim RGB strip that will satisfy your craving for pretty lights, without shoving a blinding neon festival in front of your face.

The DuoCast might be the perfect compromise for gamers, streamers, and podcasters who want QuadCast-quality at a slightly lower price. But its $99 price might’ve felt more mid-range if the QuadCast wasn’t already a few years old (the QuadCast S was mostly an aesthetic upgrade). A $99 DuoCast isn’t quite as enticing when the company’s premium flagship product is often on sale for $20 more (or even $10 less).

HyperX DuoCast Specifications

Design of the HyperX DuoCast

The HyperX DuoCast lands squarely in the middle of HyperX’s product lineup,in both function and form. It’s even medium-sized, measuring 8 inches (203mm) tall (including the stand) — larger than the 7.1-inch SoloCast and smaller than the 9.5-inch QuadCast.

Design-wise, the DuoCast looks like a smaller, less flashy, slightly-cheaper version of the QuadCast. It sports the same honeycomb-perforated capsule-shaped body (in matte black plastic, rather than the QuadCast’s more-premium aluminum), and comes with a low-profile version of the QuadCast’s shock mount.

The DuoCast is all-black, minus the slim RGB lightstrip wrapped around its middle — a toned-down version of the QuadCast’s full-body pop filter light show.

The top of the DuoCast features a touch-sensitive tap-to-mute button — one of HyperX’s best design features. Tapping this button mutes and unmutes the microphone flawlessly — with none of the audible popping and shuffling that often accompanies a physical mute button/switch. Muting the microphone also shuts off the RGB lightstrip for easy visual confirmation.

The DuoCast also has a gain control adjustment knob, which, when pressed, doubles as a multi-function button for switching between the mic’s two polar patterns. This knob is located on the back of the mic, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB-C port. The DuoCast comes packaged with a mount adapter that supports both 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch thread sizes, and a 6.5-foot USB-C to USB-A cable.

Performance and Sound Quality on the HyperX DuoCast

When it comes to sound quality, the DuoCast doesn’t disappoint — it does an excellent job of capturing clean, crisp audio (vocal or otherwise). I tested the DuoCast alongside the QuadCast. Most of the people I spoke to couldn’t tell I was switching between two mics, and my husband — who has probably written sonnets to the original QuadCast — thought I sounded better with the DuoCast.

The DuoCast is built around dual electret condenser capsules and features a built-in pop filter, a 20Hz - 20kHz frequency response, and two polar patterns — cardioid and omnidirectional.

Cardioid, or unidirectional, is best for picking up sound from one direction — directly in front of the microphone. You’ll use this polar pattern if you’re alone and talking directly into the mic (podcasting, singing, intimate heart-to-hearts over video chat). Omnidirectional, on the other hand, picks up sound from all directions. You’ll use this polar pattern if you’ve got sound coming from multiple sources — a multi-person podcast/stream, multiple musical instruments, etc.

You can switch between the DuoCast’s polar patterns by pressing and holding the multi-function dial on the back of the mic. The RGB light strip will light up briefly to indicate the current polar pattern — a full circle of light to indicate omnidirectional, or a single light at the front to indicate cardioid.

The DuoCast supports 96kHz/24-bit hi-res recording, which will provide “high quality” and “crystal-clear voice capturing” and “capture accurate, low-noise recordings,” according to HyperX. It’s a step up from the QuadCast, which is now the only microphone in the lineup limited to 48kHz/16-bit recording (a recently-released firmware update also upgraded the SoloCast to 96kHz/24-bit hi-res recording).

Software on the HyperX DuoCast

The DuoCast pairs with HyperX’s NGENUITY software suite, where you can configure audio options and customize the DuoCast’s RGB lightstrip. You only need to download NGENUITY if you want custom RGB colors and effects; you can configure the DuoCast’s audio options using the mic’s physical controls (which are easier to use and more intuitive to navigate than the NGENUITY software, anyway). NGENUITY isn’t terrible, as far as companion software goes — the lighting section lets you pick custom colors, adjust opacity, and add and layer effects, which is fun to play with but not exactly functionally essential.

Bottom Line

The HyperX DuoCast checks all the boxes: It’s sturdy, well-built, delivers excellent sound quality, has intuitive controls, dual polar pattern versatility, hi-res 24-bit bit-depth, etc. It’s even pretty attractive — sleek, black, minimalist — but I’m just not sure it’s a necessary product. It doesn’t stand out (probably because it’s designed to fit in). 

It’s an excellent microphone, but its $99 price tag feels a little too high when you can pick up a higher-end, more feature-rich microphone for $10 - $20 more. The broadcast-friendly MSI Immerse GV60, for example, features four polar patterns, a hi-res 24-bit/96kHz sample rate, and frequently goes on sale for less than $120.

The 65-percent form factor keyboard has been gaining popularity with gamers thanks to its small footprint and greater portability. But what you gain in space you lose in functionality: While most of the familiar functions of a full-size keyboard are usually present, you’ll need to use the Fn key to access them.

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 joins HyperX’s Alloy Origins lineup as the slight step-up, size-wise, from the year-old HyperX Alloy Origins 60. The 65-percent Alloy Origins 65 is still ultra-compact, but — unlike its 60-percent sibling — sports arrow keys as well as a handful of navigation keys.

Like its competitors on our list of best gaming keyboards, the HyperX Alloy Origins 65 is first and foremost a keyboard for gamers, and it’s wonderfully suited to the task. There are nods to its non-gaming use — the Fn keybinds are printed on the keycaps and easy to see — but the limitations of the 65-percent layout might be a turn-off for those prioritizing productivity.

This sturdy little keyboard is portable, saves space, and feels great. It’s designed for a niche audience, but the Alloy Origins 65 feels good enough that you might consider it worth the limitations.

HyperX Alloy Origins 65 Specs

Design of the HyperX Alloy Origins 65

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 is a compact, tenkeyless (TKL), 65-percent keyboard that is as solidly constructed as it is space-saving.  The diminutive body is made from solid aluminum and weighs roughly two pounds despite its very small footprint. There is zero flex present in the body – this is one solid chunk of metal.  On the underside of the keyboard, there are flip-out feet that allow for two additional angles other than simply laying the board flat. The shorter feet lift the back of the keyboard 1.75 inches (44.45mm) off of the desk surface and the longer feet lift the back of the board 2.25 inches (57.15mm).   

F Key and Media Control functions are available via Fn and are clearly etched on the side of the keys facing the user.  HyperX also includes alternate ESC and Spacebar keycaps along with a keycap puller for those who want to further customize the look of their keyboard.  HyperX’s own switches are similar in design to Cherry MX and Kailh switches, so they’ll be compatible with any keycaps designed for a Cherry MX style stem.

The Alloy Origins 65 is wired, and connects to your PC via a detachable 6-foot (3m) braided USB-C to USB-A cable, which enhances the keyboard’s portability by eliminating the possibility of cable snarls.

The Alloy Origins 65 is sleek, small, and attractive, with vibrant per-key RGB lighting accenting its minimalist design. The switch stems are exposed and allow the RGB lighting to spill out from under the keycaps, which makes the Alloy Origins 65 a great choice for low light environments.  The entire keyboard is finished in a matte black, including the plate covering the PCB where the switches are mounted.  This creates a sleek, uniform look and helps reduce glare from the RGB lighting.  It’s a great-looking keyboard that will mesh well with a variety of different setups.

Typing Experience on the HyperX Alloy Origins 65

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 ships with either HyperX Red or Aqua switches, which are very similar to Cherry MX’s linear Red and tactile Brown switches, respectively. Our review unit shipped with HyperX Red switches. The main difference between HyperX’s switches and Cherry MX’s switches is that the former have a slightly shorter actuation distance of 1.8mm (versus the Cherry MX’s 2mm) and have a longer rated lifespan of 80 million keystrokes (versus the Cherry MX’s 60 million).

We can’t really offer concrete proof of HyperX’s claims of superior durability because there’s no way we could hit a key 80 million times and review it anytime soon, but we can say that the HyperX Red switches feel as sturdy as their Cherry MX counterparts. Likewise, the slightly shorter actuation travel isn’t something that felt or performed noticeably different. This difference may be more noticeable in a tactile switch but with a linear switch type like reds where you are more likely to be bottoming out your keys while typing, it’s hard to tell. 

In a side by side comparison using the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I scored between 70 and 75 WPM on both HyperX and Cherry Reds, down from my usual score of between 80 and 85 WPM using tactile switches. This probably says more about my preference for tactile over linear switches for typing, but as for the performance of HyperX Red switches versus Cherry MX Red switches: The difference, if any, is negligible.

Gaming Experience on the HyperX Alloy Origins 65

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 performs admirably in gaming, along the lines of what you’d expect from a high performance keyboard sporting linear switches. Similar to Cherry MX Reds, the HyperX Reds enable fast gameplay response and “double tapping” due to the mechanism not needing to reset with each actuation like a tactile switch does. The 0.2mm shorter travel distance to the HyperX Red switch’s actuation point did not produce radically different results in gameplay than I have experienced with Cherry MX Reds.

I tested the HyperX Alloy Origins 65 in DOTA2 and Counterstrike:GO and I was very happy with how responsive it was, though I am admittedly firmly in the tactile switch camp when it comes to both typing and gaming. The HyperX Red switches are extremely fast, though I can’t say they are any faster than the more-established Cherry MX Reds — but I also can’t say they’re any slower. As far as I’m concerned, HyperX Red switches are essentially identical to the industry standard Cherry MX Red switches, performance-wise.

Software on the HyperX Alloy Origins 65

HyperX’s NGENUITY Software remains a very no-frills affair. From within NGENUITY, you can choose between seven different lighting effects ( Breathing, Confetti, Swipe, Solid, Twilight, Wave, and Sun ) and tweak several parameters, including opacity (brightness ), speed, and whether to assign the lighting to all keys or to specific keys of your choice. Effects can be mixed and matched and “triggered” effects ( Flame, Explosion, Fade — activated by typing ) can be combined with your preferred lighting profile for added flair.

Each individual key is remappable and can be assigned macros. This is all very simple to achieve with NGENUITY’s intuitive and uncluttered interface. Pre-fabbed profiles can also be downloaded from HyperX’s website for import into your saved profiles if you’d rather not spend too much time messing around with settings on your own. These often correspond to a popular title or eSports organization.

NGENUITY has come quite a long way since I last worked with it in a professional capacity, with quality-of-life improvements centered around how profiles are saved (this used to be buggy, unintuitive, and inconsistent). However, despite how well things work now, I did find myself wishing there were more options to work with in terms of lighting effects. While you can certainly achieve some impressive displays with the vibrant effects on offer, nothing here rivals the flexible customization options you’ll find in Corsair’s iCUE or Razer’s Chroma.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Alloy Origins 65 gaming keyboard offers everything a competitive gamer could want in a small, convenient package that doesn’t skimp on build quality. There are nice, thoughtful design touches, such as etched Fn-enabled functions facing you and a set of two feet under the keyboard body for tilting the keyboard at two (three if you include the default) different angles. The PBT keycaps have a great, smooth feel to them and the RGB lighting is bright and striking without being seizure-inducing.

HyperX has made a lot of noise about their proprietary switches and while they are certainly comparable in feel to the more well-known Cherry MX switches, the slightly shorter travel distance to actuation didn’t produce meaningfully improved results in typing or gaming over their established competition. We also couldn’t verify the additional 20 million keystroke lifespan within the time allotted to provide this review to the public (but the switches did have a solid feel).

NGENUITY is a much improved software package after having had more time to develop but it is still a little bare bones compared to Corsair’s iCUE and Razer’s Chroma and Synapse packages. Being able to tell when you’ve saved your changes to a set of lighting effects is something that should have been present from NGENUITY’s release; it’s nice to see that HyperX is committed to improving the software.

HyperX’s Alloy Origins 65 has very few flaws, apart from the fact that it’s built for a relatively niche audience. Compact, 65-percent keyboards are built primarily for competitive gamers (and also appeal to people with limited desk space), but many will find that the compromises inherent to the layout to be a hindrance when it comes to productivity tasks. The keyboard is certainly comfortable to type on and amazing in terms of space-saving, but I can’t see myself using this as my daily driver to perform data entry tasks.

Some may feel that, at $99.99, the Alloy Origins 65 is not a lot of keyboard for their money, but if you’re looking for a compact keyboard this is a well-built, stripped-down gaming board that punches above its weight class. If you’re looking for a compact, portable keyboard that’s more productivity-oriented, the $149 Logitech MX Mechanical Mini is slim, wireless, and has productivity features through Logitech’s Logi Options+ software. If you’d rather get more keyboard for your buck, check out our sub-$80 list of best budget mechanical keyboards.

There’s nothing quite as freeing as a pair of wireless headphones — or, that’s what I used to think, until I tried a pair of true wireless earbuds. 

I’m not kidding — there are a lot of situations where cutting that last wire has had a surprisingly significant effect. I no longer get wires caught under the barbell when I’m doing squats at the gym, for example. I also don’t have to worry about getting tangled up when I’m putting on/taking off outerwear or bags. (That’s not to say they don’t present new problems — my Airpods fly out of my ears and ping pong across the floor every single time I remove a mask, no matter how cautious I am.)

True wireless earbuds are much more convenient than I expected they would be, but there are still a handful of situations in which I’m not convinced they’re necessary (or even useful). Gaming, for example — and not just because of reliability and latency concerns often associated with wireless peripherals, but because gaming isn’t an activity where you’d normally reap much benefit from the flexibility and freedom of movement true wireless earbuds offer. 

But this hasn’t stopped companies such as Razer and EPOS from coming out with gaming-oriented true wireless earbuds. And now HyperX has dropped its first pair of true wireless earbuds aimed at gamers (and also everyone), the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds. 

The HyperX Cloud MIX Buds have dual-mode wireless connectivity for all of your gaming and non-gaming needs. The Cloud MIX Buds offer a low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless connection (via included USB-C  dongle) for gaming on PC, PlayStation, and Switch, as well as built-in Bluetooth 5.2 for mobile devices and multimedia. Unlike some higher-end headsets, these earbuds can’t use both connections simultaneously, but the 2.4 GHz wireless dongle does have a dedicated button for quickly switching between modes. 

Oh – but if you’re thinking, no wires, no problems, think again. True wireless earbuds should make your life easier and more convenient, but I’d happily take a wired headset with extra wires after all of the connection issues I faced while testing these. The HyperX Cloud MIX Buds are on sale now for $149.99, and they might be worth a look in the future, but only if the company fixes these problems with a firmware update.

Specs for HyperX Cloud MIX Buds

Design and Comfort of the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds

HyperX’s Cloud MIX buds will look familiar to anyone who’s seen a pair of true wireless earbuds — there’s nothing particularly unique or noteworthy about the design. The earbuds themselves are stemmed, and have a curvy, angled shape that fits snugly in your ear canal and offers decent passive noise cancellation. Each earbud has a small touch sensor on the stem (above the HyperX logo), which can be configured using HyperX’s NGENUITY app/software.

In the box, you’ll find the earbuds in a wireless charging case, which has a magnetic snap closure and comes cradled in a protective — but somewhat bulky — silicone sleeve. You’ll also find a 2.4 GHz wireless USB-C dongle, a USB-C to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, and two additional sizes of silicone eartips.

The silicone sleeve is designed to give you a spot to store the wireless dongle when you’re not using it — the USB-C port on the bottom of the charging case, which might be handy for traveling.

But it does add a lot of extra heft to the charging case, and it’s not particularly attractive (in my opinion). Plus, you can always store the wireless dongle in the desktop adapter, which looks like a docking port for the dongle anyway (albeit a tiny one, so this might not be too practical if your goal is to not have to keep track of a bunch of small pieces).

As far as we know, the Cloud MIX Buds will only come in one colorway, which is black. If you look closely at the pictures, you’ll notice the earbuds, charging case, and wireless dongle all feature a subtle glitter effect. (It’s much more subtle in person, though — trust me, these are just black.)

The Cloud MIX Buds have a lot of buttons and controls for how generic they otherwise look. The charging case has a single multi-purpose button on the back, which is used for Bluetooth pairing and checking the case’s battery level. The wireless dongle has a dedicated mode button, which you can use to switch between wireless and Bluetooth connections (the earbuds prioritize 2.4 GHz wireless mode when it’s in range, but you can use this button to force switch to Bluetooth).

The earbuds don’t have buttons, but they do have touch sensors for easy multimedia control. The default settings are similar to what you’d expect (tap once to play/pause, tap twice to skip a track, etc), and can be customized using the HyperX’s companion app, NGENUITY.

These are in-ear earbuds with silicone tips. My ears aren’t particularly small — they’re solidly medium-sized — and these earbuds were just a little too large to feel comfortable right away. They didn’t hurt, and they weren’t falling out, but they felt overwhelming in my ears. I grew more accustomed to them after a couple of days, but even now they’re still slightly-too-big-to-be-comfortable. Largeness aside, the earbuds fit my ears pretty well, creating a decent seal that offered good passive noise cancellation.

Audio and Mic Quality on the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds

Before I get into audio quality, let me mention what a difficult process it was to even get to a point where I was able to assess audio quality.

There are two ways to connect the Cloud MIX Buds to a device: 2.4 -GHz wireless and Bluetooth. Both are fairly straightforward — the wireless dongle is already paired to the earbuds, so all you should have to do is plug the dongle in and the earbuds will automatically connect when you remove them from the charging case.

For Bluetooth, you’ll need to long-press the button on the charging case while the earbuds are in the case and the case is open. The LED on the charging case will flash blue when you’re in pairing mode, and then all you have to do is pair the earbuds to your device. This probably seems pretty simple and straightforward, especially if you have any experience with wireless earbuds/headphones/anything.

I started with the 2.4-GHz wireless dongle, which I plugged into my PC using the adapter (the dongle plugs into the adapter, and the USB-C to USB-A charging cable plugs into a USB port on your PC). I opened the Cloud MIX Buds, and they successfully paired to the dongle — or so I thought. I then had an online meeting to attend, and it was at that point I discovered that the microphone wasn’t working.

I went into my audio settings and everything seemed fine — I could see the earbuds in both output and input — so I did some troubleshooting but nothing seemed to work. (At that point I just swapped headsets to take the meeting, but I came back later and tried everything: Uninstalling all connected devices, unplugging everything, updating Windows, updating all drivers, updating the BIOS…)

I decided to table the 2.4-GHz connection for the moment and try connecting to my iPhone 13 Pro using Bluetooth. I put the Cloud MIX Buds in pairing mode and they popped up on my iPhone — I tapped, and they paired instantly! I pulled up my test playlist on Spotify and took my dogs on a 15-minute walk. When I got back, I took the earbuds out of my ears and set them down for about five minutes. When I picked them up they had unpaired from my phone, so I found the case to re-pair them, only to get an error message seven times in a row.

I’m pretty sure I experienced every connection issue that exists during my testing period. At one point, I connected to a laptop using Bluetooth and the laptop only seemed to recognize the Cloud MIX Buds’ microphone — but I could hear music through the earbuds, only it sounded extremely compressed. I also tried to switch from 2.4-GHz mode to Bluetooth mode using the mode button on the wireless dongle, and ended up with just static in one ear.

I know how this sounds, but it wasn’t all bad — the earbuds did work as intended some of the time, and when they did the audio quality was pretty good. I was especially impressed with how well they reproduced spatial audio in games (I’ve been playing the new chapter drop in Elder Scrolls Online, so I’ve had plenty of time to walk around cities and consider whether I really feel the atmosphere). They do a very good job with multi-layered sound — for earbuds, and in general.

Music also sounds decent on the Cloud MIX Buds, though earbuds aren’t ever my first choice for music. These earbuds have 12mm drivers — a good size for earbuds — and did a pretty good job of separating mid-range tones while maintaining fullness and warmth. I actually thought these earbuds were a little too warm overall, but at least the bass didn’t end up too muddy or distorted. Audio on the Cloud MIX Buds is pretty good, especially for earbuds — when they’re connected.

The Cloud MIX Buds have omni-directional mics, which are…okay. People were able to hear my voice clearly over video and voice calls, but I’m very loud and my friends pointed out that it didn’t sound nearly as good as when I use a headset with a boom mic. I was also able to take calls on the street without issue, but the mics don’t have any built-in active noise canceling and the people on the other end of the line could definitely hear what was going on around me.

Software for the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds

HyperX’s NGENUITY has been — will be? — updated for the Cloud MIX Buds. The iOS app is available now but I wasn’t able to get the Windows app to update and/or recognize the earbuds. The software isn’t amazing, but it does offer a couple of useful settings and features.

You can customize the Cloud MIX Buds’ touch controls in the NGENUITY app, and set different controls for each earbud. There are maybe too many tap variations — eight variations for each earbud (four general, two for incoming calls, and two for during calls), especially considering that you only get to pick from a small list of multimedia controls. The app also has an equalizer, which is not particularly detailed or robust, and was a little laggy when I used it.

Battery Life on the HyperX Cloud MIX Buds

HyperX claims up to 33 hours of battery life for the Cloud MIX Buds; this is slightly misleading in the way all companies are slightly misleading about the battery life of true wireless earbuds, because it includes the charging case.

The earbuds themselves have a battery life of between six and 10 hours (six hours using the 2.4-GHz wireless connection, 10 hours using Bluetooth), and the charging case adds an extra 15 (2.4-GHz wireless) to 23 (Bluetooth) hours. The earbuds take about two hours to fully charge (the case takes approximately 1.5 hours, and the earbuds and case combined take about four hours).

For true wireless earbuds, 10 hours of battery life is pretty good — it’s not exceptional, but it’s on the better side of average. For a gaming headset, six hours using low-latency mode is just so-so. If you’re looking for gaming audio first and headphones/earbuds you can wear on the street second, you may want to consider a headset you can at least use while charging, such as one of the picks on our list of best wireless headsets.

The Bottom Line

The HyperX Cloud MIX Buds have decent battery life for true wireless earbuds, do a good job with multi-layered, spatial audio, and might theoretically make a good pair of dual-use earbuds for gamers on the go. But as of right now, I can’t recommend these given the many, many connection issues I faced. The good news is that most of the connection issues I experienced seem like they could be fixed with a firmware update — but until that happens, I suggest skipping these and picking up one of the best wireless gaming headsets instead.

The best wireless gaming headsets provide all the audio quality you get from their wired counterparts without the hassle of being tethered to your PC or getting cables caught under the wheels of your chair. However, most models max out at 30 hours of endurance, which means that you need to remember to charge them regularly.

HyperX's Cloud Alpha Wireless breaks the mold, by combining excellent audio output, strong build quality and a rated 300 hours of battery life. That's ten times what competitors such as the Razer Kraken Pro and HyperX's own Cloud Flight Wireless offer. And indeed, in our use, the headset lasted through more than two weeks of regular use, without even coming close to needing a charge. 

While the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless offers great sound and long battery life, it's not without trade-offs. For the premium price of $199, you don't get RGB lighting, haptic feedback or any other way  to connect except for 2.4 GHz wireless. However, if you don't need these extras, the Cloud Alpha Wireless is hard to beat.

Specifications - HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

Design and Comfort of HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless retains the same design and classic red/black color scheme as the wired Cloud Alpha. The headset utilizes a soft pebblestone leatherette headband with red stitching, threaded wiring, and a red aluminum frame instead of plastic, unlike the budget HyperX Flight Wireless. As such, the headset feels durable and premium at the same time. Thanks to the high-end materials, the Alpha Wireless looks pretty and can survive several falls off a table without a scratch. It does attract dust and fingerprints, but those can easily be wiped off.

The right earcup features an LED light next to the power button to indicate when the device is on. Next to that is a raised mute button, a USB-C port for charging, and a 3.5mm port for the detachable mic. The left earcup has a volume wheel. On either side of the earcups is the HyperX logo, which is not illuminated (if it were, the headset would likely not reach that “300-hour battery life” threshold). The cups can adjust vertically, as they’re held on by a swivel connected to the aluminum frame. The headband can also extend in about 8 increments, measured by the indents inside the frame’s band.

As with many HyperX products, the manufacturer retains its “signature comfort” with memory foam cushions. It felt like my head was in between two clouds. The Alpha Wireless is also surprisingly light at 0.74 pounds (336g), which is only 0.04 pounds heavier than its wired predecessor. It has a slimmer form factor than the wired Cloud Alpha as well. My head didn’t get tired during prolonged use and my ears didn’t get sore either.

Audio Performance of HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless supports virtual 7.1 surround sound out of the box, making sounds more immersive on consoles that support the output. When I was playing Persona 5 Royale on PlayStation 4, background noises were so slight that sometimes I thought audio from my smartphone was leaking into my headset. Although the Alpha doesn’t use spatial audio outside of NGenuity, playback with the PlayStation sounds surprisingly good.

In-game music over the PS4 sounds pristine and crisp while maintaining heavy bass and audible kicks. Thanks to the Alpha Wireless’ neodymium dual-chamber drivers and 15Hz - 21,000 kHz frequency response, highs, mids, and lows sound appropriately spaced out and robust. 

I heard “No More What Ifs” for the first time while playing Persona using this headset and it quickly became my favorite song in the game after accumulating 135 hours throughout the years I’ve been playing. It’s such a clean track elevated even more so thanks to the headset’s range of high and mids.

I originally used the Cloud Alpha fresh out of the box, without installing updates from the NGenuity software. Since the quality of sound was great with the PS4, I figured it would sound the same over PC, but I was wrong. Everything sounds flat without any software being used. Music lacked dynamics and the maximum volume didn’t go beyond a satisfactory threshold. Some of the tunes that I created in FL Studio lacked a certain pop I’m used to hearing from my TV speakers, Razer Kraken Pro headset, and my personal Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 2 earbuds when exported into a .wav file.

I used software release version 2.7.1.0 before it was released to the Microsoft Store. When I connected the Alpha Wireless while using NGenuity, I got a notification with a spelling error, asking if we want “to to level up” our audio experience by downloading new drivers that’ll enable DTSX spatial sound and an EQ. The download also updated the firmware of the Alpha Wireless to v4.1.0.2, which permanently improved the audio threshold. I immediately went back to FL Studio and heard the dynamic sound I was missing before the update, without any of the new features enabled. The maximum volume got louder and the range of sounds was immediately improved. 

The EQ comes with presets mostly geared toward music that boosts or cuts bass and treble. There are also presets for clarity and optimization, as well as one strictly focused on First-Person Shooters. The optimizer preset provides the best balance when listening to music, otherwise, every preset does what it claims to do.

DTSX spatial sound is not great for music, as it instantly muddies the quality with booming bass. Instead, we used DTSX during my playthrough of Devil May Cry V, and it was apparent the setting is best used for gaming. Sounds elevated the game for me during my combat as V. I could hear the bike chain on his belt loops rattle with each step of his hard bottom sandals. 

When I called upon Nico to upgrade my move pool, her exaggerated entrance saw her crashing the van at my location. The sounds of gravel moving as she approached, as well as the ensuing crash landing she made, had a cinematic quality akin to an action film. This appreciation of sounds carried over in combat when I was able to discern an oncoming enemy from its scythe scraping the concrete as it approached. This is all possible due to the spatial audio feature. Although it's not a great feature for standalone music, the music quality wasn’t muddy like it was during regular music playback. Although, sometimes the bass got a little louder than normal when songs bombastically conclude after fights, as they do in DMCV.

If a long-lasting battery is your priority, then the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is peerless. I tested the headset for more than two weeks and barely depleted half the battery. However, I found the battery drained a bit faster after the software and firmware were installed. Despite this, the Alpha Wireless powers off after a few minutes of nonuse. I believe this is one reason HyperX’s headset can live for so long without charging. I appreciate the large capacity battery, as well as the conscious steps made in order to preserve life.

Compatibility of HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless utilizes a 2.4 GHz USB Type-A dongle that’s compatible with PlayStation consoles, PC, and a docked Nintendo Switch. About half the size of the Flight Wireless’ dongle, the Alis good. It’s see-through and has a LED light that shines red when active. 

I attempted to use the 3.5mm headphone jack used to plug in the detachable microphone on the PS4 controller, the undocked Nintendo Switch, and my Xbox One X controller to see if playback was possible, but it wasn’t. There also isn’t a way to connect wirelessly over Bluetooth. This isn’t a big deal, but for a premium $200 headset, it would be nice.

I found compatibility to be limiting without a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s a bit of an old-school way to connect, but it’s surefire. With it, there’s no need to wonder if the headset is compatible with the dongle. As a result, the Alpha Wireless is best suited for PC use, especially given the software features.

Microphone on HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless

I was surprised by the great quality of the poseable, detachable microphone. My voice came through crystal clear when I heard the playback of myself on the Audacity app. Although there was slight feedback whenever I spoke, it was hardly noticeable in the background. There wasn't as much feedback as we experienced when we used the microphone that comes with the HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless. The bi-directional microphone was even strong enough to pick up the snapping of my fingers a ways away from the receiver. 

Though the microphone is better suited for gaming chats, it can be useful for a quick conference call or a game stream if you’ve got nothing else. But naturally, the quality of this detachable microphone is nowhere near as good as one of the best gaming microphones.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless vs the Competition

 For $200, folks may want more connectivity options and other bells and whistles not included with the Cloud Alpha Wireless. For instance, Razer’s Kraken Pro can be used via its proprietary dongle and headphone jack (wire included), features built-in haptic feedback and has RGB lighting that can be turned on or off. 

The Kraken Pro has comparable sound quality when gaming but handles music better than the Cloud Alpha Wireless, all for the same price. However, the Kraken’s battery life will be regulated to the industry standard of about 30 hours. There’s a trade-off with either option, but ultimately, the best choice depends entirely on if you prioritize battery life over contemporary frills.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless retains the tough build, design, and comfort of the Cloud Flight, but in a slimmer form factor and with a massive 300-hour battery life. Its neodymium dual-chamber drivers, as well as its additional NGenuity EQ and DTSX software make it a great gaming headset in terms of performance too.

However, because there's no Bluetooth or 3.5mm wired options, compatibility is limited. Don't expect to use the Cloud Alpha Wireless with your phone or tablet, not that you'd want to wear such a massive headset as you walk around town or exercise. 

If endurance isn't as important to you, consider the Razer Kraken Pro, which costs the same price but has more connectivity options, as well as built-in haptic feedback, and RGB. Plus, the Kraken Pro sounds better in some instances, like when playing music. 

But if you need a wireless headset that can survive for the long haul, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless can't be beaten. During my time reviewing the product, the headset never died and, after two weeks, had just gotten down to about 50% capacity. That makes it much less likely you'll have your gaming experience interrupted by a low-battery warning or the loss of audio.

HyperX returns with a new update to the wireless edition to the Cloud Flight family, that promises enhanced Playstation support and over 30 hours of battery life. This comes after the Cloud Flight S, which saw the product line go wireless and introduce QI charging for the first time. We could not justify its initial price of $160 just for those two new inclusions, but this version of the Cloud Flight Wireless is more competitive at $120.

True, you’ll lose the gimmicky QI charging and NGenuity software support here, but you will get some classy RGB lighting in the earcups. 

PC and PlayStation (and Switch, kind of) compatibility are along for the ride. This, plus its lowkey design, make the Cloud Flight Wireless a solid buy for gaming and office use. However, we have a few gripes with it, such as a lack of dynamic sound across platforms, that keeps the headset from making our best wireless headsets list.

Specifications - HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless

Audio Performance

The HyperX Cloud Flight keeps it pretty simple with its 20 Hz - 20 kHz frequency response. But its 50mm Neodymium drivers are what makes the headset special for console gaming, since the drivers are known for delivering pleasing and immersive audio experiences. 

I played a few games on PC first to cover my bases, like Grand Theft Auto V and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The sound effect quality was so immersive that I forgot it was 15 minutes before quitting time at the office, which is a feat, to say the least. I was sucked into my gaming session the way people get sucked into a movie, a testament to the near-cinematic quality of the sound. In particular, I was really drawn into the opening of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which has Lara Croft escaping from a collapsing tomb. The thought of being buried alive (a very real fear of mine), coupled with the crunches of rock in my ears, made me repeatedly whisper “nope” under my breath. 

When I first used the Cloud Flight for music, I noticed how loud, clean, and isolated the sound was thanks to the headset’s 50mm driver and the memory foam ear cushions. Unfortunately, the cans produce little to no bass and songs lack dynamic sound as a result. I listened to “Deep Down” by Winter Kills and sure, it was loud, but the song lacked thump from the rhythmic kicks and deep bass. From the sound of it, it feels like the headset could produce some range in mids and lows if it had software EQ to toy around with. But unlike the headsets before it, this iteration of the HyperX Cloud Flight does not. 

I took time to use the headset while I played Persona 5 Royal on PlayStation 4 to listen for any sound quality differences, and surprisingly I did. When I connected the dongle to the front of the PS4, the headset connected instantly. Other headsets like the Razer Kraken V3 Pro had me shuffling around the settings menu before connecting on its own. 

Once I was connected, I noticed how crisp the clicks sounded as I navigated through the PS4 UI. After the opening cinematics for Persona fired up, I also realized how dynamic the music was. All the kicks had thumps that made the headset rumble on my head. That was a clear difference from when I was listening to music on PC. Even in comparison to when I used it to game on PC, although the sound was refined and immersive, sounds were more dynamic when using the headset on the PS4. 

I asked HyperX to explain the difference between audio quality and the company told me the following: “From the hardware side, there isn’t any system-specific EQ for Flight, [so] any differences in audio would be caused on PlayStation.” I take that to mean the headset has been developed specifically with PlayStation consoles in mind first, and so it sounds a little better on those platforms as a result.

I tried to turn the music up but got some beeps inside the cans from the PS4 indicating the volume could go up no further. This is disappointing, especially since the headset gets louder when connected to other devices. When gaming on the PS4, I realized just how long the USB dongle is. It’s the size of a flash drive, which doesn’t bother me when on PC, but was rather intrusive on the console. I always had a fear I’d bump into it while moving back and forth from my gaming area.

Design and Comfort of HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless

The design of the HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless doesn’t stray too far from previous iterations, and that’s mostly a good thing. The headset is black and the microphone is detachable, which is good if you decide to also use it on mobile devices via its 3.5mm headphone jack. Regrettably, a cord to use the jack is not included in the packaging. When used through the wireless adapter, both logos on either side of the earcups strobe with a blue hue by default. But the lighting can be turned off to help battery life. 

The light meshes well with the blue wiring that connects from the cans into the headband. But it would be great to be able to customize the color at your discretion. There’s a blue light in the wireless adapter that will also strobe to indicate the headset’s low battery. When you push in on the left earcup, you can mute the microphone, which will then produce a red ring around the mouthpiece. 

The headset itself feels pleasant on the head and around the ears thanks to the plush leatherette and memory foam cups. The earcups can also rotate 90 degrees to the left or right to give your ears a break or to help you listen to your surroundings, which comes in handy. But during my time with this headset, I never felt the need to give my ears a break during extended use, because the earcups were so light and comfortable. Despite the comfort, the Cloud Flight Wireless utilizes a metal frame, which exposes itself when adjusting the headband. It’s reminiscent of those retro headphone bands that would get caught in your hair. Thankfully though, that didn't happen with these headphones.

However, the plastic used for most of the shell of the headset feels hollow and cheap, like it wouldn't stand up well to repeated drops without cracking or snapping. The quality issue was made even more apparent when I got my hands on the more expensive HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless ($199.99), which utilizes a pebblestone leatherette, threaded wiring, and steel material instead of plastic. But of course that headset costs substantially more.      

Comfort is a necessity in order to enjoy up to 30-hours of battery life, and that longevity is one of my favorite things about this headset. Fresh out of the box, without a charger, the Cloud Flight Wireless lasted over four full workdays before I had to charge it. As of this writing, I go into the office twice a week, so I had roughly 32 hours of power before the headset died. I didn’t even have the RGB turned off in order to preserve energy, which is impressive. I wanted to drain the battery again in order to see how long a full battery would last, but after a few days, I was convinced I’d finish my review before it ever died. After two weeks and four office days, the headset finally started beeping, signifying its approaching demise. But the cans didn’t officially kick the bucket until the end of the day. The headset automatically turns off after a few minutes of inactivity, and I’m sure that helped in keeping the headset alive for so long.

Compatibility

The HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless utilizes a 2.4Ghz USB dongle for wireless connectivity. This USB dongle can be attached to PCs, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 without a hitch. You can also use the dongle on a docked Switch to play wirelessly. However, folks will have to utilize a 3.5mm headphone connection when playing in handheld mode. The analog wire is mostly needed to use this headset with mobile devices, as there are no Bluetooth options available. 

I wish compatibility weren't as scattered across the range as it is. The HyperX Cloud Flight range has three iterations, not including the Cloud Flight Wireless. All three have varying compatibility between consoles. The original Cloud Flight can be used for PC and PS4, while the CloudX Flight can only be used for the Xbox One. The previous Cloud Flight S is compatible with PC, PS4, and PS4 Pro. It’s a hassle to find out which headset is the correct one for your system because of this. I hope HyperX does better consolidating compatibility in its next range of headsets.

Microphone

I hopped on a call with a colleague with the microphone attached to the headset. I was told that the quality was very average from the other end. It didn’t sound like anything special, and if I hadn’t told them I was testing a product, he would have thought it was a standard laptop mic. 

The detachable bi-directional microphone has a built-in noise-canceling function, so I tested it in the office. In playing the recording back, I couldn’t hear a thing from the folks around me talking. I was rather impressed by this, as the conversation was taking place directly behind me. The mic was able to pick up my whispered voice very well during the convo, even with my face mask off. Unfortunately, there was static behind my voice when I listened to the playback. Although the mic quality is nowhere near close to what the best desktop microphones can produce, it’s a solid option for voice meetings and chatting over PS4.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless is a great mid-range option for gaming,  especially as a PlayStation alternative to SteelSeries’ Arctis 7P+. The Flight Wireless has a similar PlayStation aesthetic thanks to its black and blue colorway, but can also blend into an office environment more than the Arctis’ color scheme. Its bi-directional microphone also makes HyperX’s Cloud Flight a more than a serviceable option to use during work. And thanks to its long-lasting battery life, gamers and office workers alike won’t have to worry about charging it until the end of the week in most cases.

The HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless brings gaming to life, but is optimized to sound better on PlayStation consoles. The range of sound the cans delivered during my time with the music-heavy Persona far exceeded the dynamics I heard when listening to regular playback over PC. The inclusion of software could possibly make this a non-issue. But alas, HyperX NGenuity support is not compatible with this device. 

Although I've got gripes over the different qualities of sound across platforms, the headset’s 50 mm Neodymium drivers keep audio refined nonetheless. And despite its cheap plastic and lack of software, the HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless is competitively priced, making it a decent mid-range option.

If you're a serious marathon gamer or you just don't like having to plug your headset in every week, HyperX's latest Cloud Alpha might just be the best gaming headset for you. The company, now owned by HP, says its latest headset will last up to 300 hours (at 50% volume) between charges. That's nearly two full weeks of constant gaming before you need to reach for the USB cable. Or, more realistically it probably means you'll only need to charge your headset once a month or so.

Longevity aside, the new Cloud Alpha Wireless supports DTS Headphone X surround, sports custom dual-chamber 50 mm drivers, and has an aluminum frame, a removable noise-canceling mic and ear cup-mounted audio controls.

Alongside the Cloud Alpha Wireless headset at CES 2022, HyperX is also launching a new Pulsefire Haste Wireless gaming mouse with a honeycomb shell that keeps the weight down to just 61 grams (or 62 grams for the white model, HyperX says) while also delivering a rated 100-hour battery life.

A new Cloud II wired gaming headset has an external control box to deliver 7.1 virtual surround, and brings larger 53 mm drivers, plus many of the same design features as its wireless counterpart. The Cloud II, though, will be offered in black, pink and white. 

On the keyboard front, the new HyperX Alloy Origins 65 is, as you might guess, a compact 65 percent variation on the company's other Alloy Origins keyboards that we've generally found quite nice. The Alloy Origins 65 keeps its dedicated arrow keys (a must for me), uses HyperX's own switches (linear Reds or Aqua tactile), has RGB backlighting (natch) with exposed LEDs, double shot PBT keycaps and three profiles in the on-board memory for store macro settings.

HyperX says the Cloud Alpha Wireless headset and Pulsefire Haste mouse will be available in February for $199, and $79, respectively. The Alloy Origins 65 mechanical keyboard will also arrive in February for $99. And the Cloud II wireless headset is expected in March, for $99.

Other new HyperX peripherals include a lower-end Cloud Core headset (available in January for $69) and a Clutch controller aimed at Android devices (March, $49). 

Like the best mechanical keyboards, large mouse mats that stretch far enough to put even a keyboard on can be expensive and an easy-to-ignore accessory that nonetheless greatly increases comfort when either gaming or working. The larger your mat, the less frequently you’ll need to lift your mouse up to reposition it, after all. That, or you can go without a mouse mat and let your desk wear down your mouse’s feet. But when faced with inducing wear and tear on precious peripherals, many gamers instead choose to lean into the mouse mat lifestyle and go for premium options like the best RGB mouse pads. That’s where you get accessories like the HyperX Pulsefire Mat, a massive rodent rug with two RGB modes that’s both grippy and feels comfortable on your wrists. But this model might be a little too large for some desks. 

The Pulsefire isn’t HyperX’s first foray into mouse pads or mouse mats, but it is the company’s first RGB mouse mat that’s available in HyperX’s XL size. Previously, you were limited to the mostly square-ish shaped Fury Ultra mouse mat, which is 14.15 x 11.79 inches (359.4 x 299.4mm), if you wanted RGB.

While a square-ish shape isn’t for everyone, HyperX’s XL sized mouse mats aren’t without their own requirements. At 35.43 x 16.54 inches (900 x 420mm), I couldn’t quite fit this big boy on my 47.5 x 23.75 inch (1,206.5 x 603.25mm) desk without leaving some of it hanging over the edge. Yes, it technically fits, but it’s just too long to leave me any space for my monitor stand. To be fair to HyperX, this mouse mat does say XL right on the box, but since it doesn’t seem to be available in any other sizes quite yet, you’ll want to make sure that it will fit in your setup before considering it. Hopefully HyperX will offer up a somewhat smaller option that keeps the same or similar dimensions. Because I do prefer wider, more rectangular, mats.

That said, all the space afforded by the Pulsefire did mean I never felt cramped when either working or gaming. While my daily driver before getting the Pulsefire was an already large 29.75 x 11.25 inch (755.65 x 285.75mm) Pecham mouse mat, I found myself lifting my mouse off the mat much less frequently with the Pulsefire. Aside from being more comfortable ergonomically, this also made arm aiming in shooters easier, allowing me to play with lower sensitivities and therefore make precise shots more easily.

The Pulsefire mat also felt more comfortable on my wrists than my relatively thin and light Pecham mat. Its rubber base has a series of dots for enhanced grip, which definitely did the job, as I couldn’t adjust the mouse mat without either applying a lot of force or lifting it off my desk almost entirely. The mouse mat’s top surface is made of familiar “densely woven cloth,” which when combined with the rubber bottom, gives you a decent amount of cushioning when placing your wrists or even your entire forearms on it. It’s not a replacement for a full wrist rest, but it does beat my desk’s hard metal surface. This cloth also has a slightly bumpy texturing on it, which seemed like it would be rough and uncomfortable at first but instead simply helped give me extra feedback for large mouse movements.The bumpy surface also helped keep my peripherals in place.

This mouse mat’s edges lie flat with the rest of the Pulsefire’s surface and aren’t likely to fray easily, thanks to the silicone housing the RGB strips lining the mouse mat’s entire perimeter. This was a major improvement over my Pecham mouse mat, which has edges that sit slightly taller than the rest of the mat fabric in places, and it’s already starting to fray after a few years of use.

I also found myself appreciating the two-zone RGB around the mouse mat’s edges a lot more than I thought I would. I usually don’t like RGB peripherals, since I feel like they tend to make my desk feel more cluttered, but the lighting here made it easy to tell at a glance when I was about to hit the mouse mat’s edge during a sweeping mouse movement. That’s not likely to happen much with a mat this large, but it helped put my mind at ease regardless.

Despite the clear quality of this mouse mat’s materials, much of its $50 price tag probably stems from its RGB functionality. For instance, HyperX’s XL sized Fury S mouse mat is largely identical to the Pulsefire, but is $30.00 without RGB. For your extra $20, you’ll get two zones of RGB control plus a touch-based sensor on the top left side of the mat for swapping between three profiles. By default, these profiles simply set the mouse mat to use one of three wave patterns composed of different colors, but you can further customize your RGB in the HyperX Ngenuity app. You can also long press the touch sensor to toggle the RGB off.

The Ngenuity app has access to the full RGB spectrum, plus controls for opacity and speed when applicable. Supported effects include cycling, breathing, a wave pattern and just putting out a solid color. You can apply different colors and effects individually across two different zones, with one zone comprising the mouse mat’s top and right sides and the other lighting up its left and bottom sides.

The Pulsefire’s RGB touch sensor did present a small annoyance in my time with the mat, since it’s thicker than the mouse mat itself. This meant it lifted up the top left corner of the mat surrounding it. Still, I could fix this issue by simply placing a heavy object on top of the lifted portion of the mat, and it’s likely that doing so over time would fix this problem entirely.

When compared to other RGB mouse mats from premium peripheral manufacturers, the HyperX Pulsefire is an affordable and large option with a comfortable surface and plenty of customizability. It’s a shame, though, that it doesn’t come in other sizes, since its 35.43 x 16.54 inch (900 x 420mm) dimensions leave me with little room on my desk for much else.

HyperX makes some of the best gaming keyboards you can buy, with slick looks and plenty of functionality. But this latest discount, which cuts half-off one of the company's best keyboards, only makes buying HyperX more appealing.

At Amazon, the HyperX Alloy FPS gaming keyboard is currently half price — taking it down to just $54.99!

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While we haven’t gone hands-on with this model specifically, we’re confident in recommending it based on our great experience with the similar HyperX Alloy Origins keyboard is.

The design is attractive and compact, built around a premium steel frame. On top of this, HyperX has opted for Kailh Silver Speed key switches for durability and low actuation force. Pair these with some pudding keycaps for the best possible gaming experience with this keyboard.

And thanks to the software and on-board storage, you can both create custom RGB profiles and save three profiles of custom key macros, to give you a competitive edge in all your favorite games.

It’s the full package at half the price — a great upgrade with awesome value for money. 

We often complain here at Tom’s Hardware about the lack of color selection in today’s tech. Well, HyperX just threw us a bone. The company originally released its Cloud Stinger in 2016, draped in black. Nearly five years later, HyperX has upped the ante, making the Cloud Stinger, one of the PC-focused headsets in the brand’s extensive Stinger lineup, also available in pink. It comes with what you might call a pink tax though: The pink version currently has a $50 MSRP, while the black version is $35 as of writing.

Beyond that, you get all the features you could expect from a gaming headset and even quality, noise-canceling microphone, and virtual 7.1 surround sound. But despite its lightweight, this is a bulky set of cans. The Cloud Stinger can’t quite compete with the best gaming headsets on the market, but what it lacks in flash, it makes up for with affordability. This is a solid entry-level option.

 HyperX Cloud Stinger Specs

Design and Comfort of HyperX Cloud Stinger

The HyperX Cloud Stinger has a chunkier look to them, and although they lack RGB lighting, the new baby pink color adds some pizazz. The new, glossy pink Cloud Stingers will make its sibling the HyperX Cloud Alpha, very jealous. The Cloud Stinger’s mostly pink plastic with grey earcups and grey HyperX logo ensure these entry-level cans are able to stand out in a crowd. And I love that.

Despite a more bulky look, it weighs only 0.6 pound, which puts it on par with the Razer Kraken V3 X and lighter than the slightly pricer Razer Kraken (0.7 pound), which also comes in pink. The Cloud Stinger is somewhat easy to store away, thanks to earcups that can rotate 90 degrees, allowing the headset to lay flat. The earcups themselves feel solid, but the hinges feel a bit flimsy. Those earcups are comprised of HyperX’s homebrewed memory foam and topped off with luscious leatherette. The memory foam padding is quite comfortable, however, they’re not as soft or plush as those on some higher-end gaming headphones, such as the Asus ROG Delta S and the Epos H3. Still, I gamed for 5 hours at a time without my ears getting hot or experiencing any discomfort.

On the right earcup, you find the volume wheel, while the left earcup holds the microphone (more on that in the dedicated section below), as well the headset’s 4.2-foot-long 3.5mm cable, which is shorter than the average 6 feet we’re used to but wasn’t an issue for me. Thankfully, the earcups are far enough apart for most gamers, so there was no added pressure there.

Overall, the Cloud Stinger shows decent build quality; however, the plastic frame feels a little cheap, despite the headband being reinforced with a strip of metal. Remember, this is a rubber audio cable. And although it seems durable enough for its type, it doesn’t compare to the more premium braided cables many pricier cans come with.

Audio Performance of HyperX Cloud Stinger Pink

The HyperX Cloud Stinger uses a pair of 50mm neodymium drivers with a frequency response of 18 - 23,000 Hz, a bit wider than the 20-20,000 Hz many gaming headsets, especially in this price range, carry. They don’t have the most thump to them, meaning bass isn’t very powerful. But overall, the Cloud Stinger is a very clear and loud headset without any detectable distortion.

While playing Borderlands 2, the unit’s bass performance was solid enough and gave the sounds of varying guns a nice amount of pop. I wouldn’t call the audio immersive, but it does come through clearly enough that you’ll have the awareness to avoid getting blown up. For example, when I shot out a barrel filled with explosives, I enjoyed a nice, mid-to-low rumble.

When I  tried the Cloud Stinger with Batman: Arkham Knight. It was easy to hear the nuanced sounds that characterize the game and make it more enjoyable, like bone-crunching punches, and then my favorite sound, the firing of the Batmobile’s rocket thruster. The latter was bombastically reproduced with a rich explosive sound, as it launched me through streets at blazing speeds. The unit provides loud, clear audio but I wouldn’t refer to them as thumpy or having powerful deep bass.

I also did some jamming out on the Cloud Stinger, turning to a bass-heavy mix of Busta Rhymes, starting with "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See." The bold basslines were reproduced clearly but weren’t as powerful as what you get with other headsets, like the Razer Kraken X3 X. 

On the other hand, the Cloud Stinger is a very fine headset for watching movies or TV shows. I used it to finally finish Avengers: Endgame. I had left off right when the heroes were about to enter their final battle, accompanied by triumphant horns blaring for extra effect. Rubble crumbling around Ant-Man, War Machine, and the Hulk came through crisp and clear through all the madness. The headset’s loud volume and ability to pick up the different layers of sound going on during intense action scenes with a lot going on made for a solid experience.

Microphone on HyperX Cloud Stinger Pink

The HyperX Cloud Stinger features an electret condenser microphone that’s unidirectional and has noise cancellation. HyperX specs it with a frequency response of about 50-18,000 Hz. For comparison, the Kraken V3 X’s mic is specced for 100-10,000 Hz, so the Cloud Stinger’s mic has a broader range, despite its cheaper price.

During videoconferences, all of my colleagues confirmed that my voice was coming in loud and clear. The mic also picked up my voice’s deep timbre. I also used the Cloud Stinger for a radio appearance, and the producer told me that I sounded like I was actually in the studio.

The mic’s noise-canceling feature is solid and better than not having it all but not perfect. During some test recordings, the microphone still picked up some background sounds, like my girlfriend reorganizing our cast iron pans while listening to Sade. However, the noise picked up was very faint, and when you take into consideration the entry-level price, it’s a win.

While the Cloud Stinger’s microphone isn’t detachable, it is easy enough to get it out of the way, thanks to its swivel-to-mute feature. Just flip the mic up, and it won’t only be out of your face, but you’ll be silenced too. In a world where virtual calls are becoming more common, knowing for sure that you won’t be heard when you don’t want to is a nice feature to have.

Features and Software of HyperX Cloud Stinger Pink

The HyperX Cloud Stinger gaming headset does not come with any software, and it’s not compatible with HyperX’s Ngenuity software. But to be honest, it doesn’t really need to be. For one, many gamers seeking a $50 or cheaper headset are likely fine without doing extensive tweaking to their audio. Additionally, the sound that comes from the headset out of the box is really good. Bass is decent, and mid-tones and highs come through appropriately as well. Indeed, this is a plug-and-play headset.

Bottom Line

The new pink shade available with the HyperX Cloud Stinger turns a fine pair of entry-level cans into something that can steal the show on your next Twitch stream. More importantly, although they look a little bulky, the HyperX Cloud Stinger is lightweight and comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

The swivel-to-mute microphone is a standout here, with a swivel-to-mute function and decent noise cancellation, especially for the price. And if you want a pair of cans in pink, you now have another quality option at an attainable price. The Razer Kraken also comes in pink, but is a bit bass-heavy for our liking and $30 more than our review focus.

If you’re not committed to pink and want something similar and in the same price range as the Cloud Stinger but with more bass, take a look at the Razer Kraken V3 X. And if you’re okay spending a bit more money and still want a headset with a 3.5mm jack, consider the HyperX Cloud Alpha, which features a removable mic and cable.

However, if you want a solid, entry-level and affordable gaming headset, the HyperX Cloud Stinger is a good buy, whether in black or pink. But if you want that extra flair, pink is the way to go.

There’s nothing like treating yourself to a premium mechanical gaming keyboard. The RGB, the sounds of the switches (if that’s your style) and the programmability make for luxury you may not have known you needed with your gaming (or typing) experience. The problem is that the best gaming keyboards can get expensive. That’s why we’re so excited to see one of our favorite gaming clackers on sale for its lowest price ever: $76. 

If you want a gaming keyboard that has the features of pricier competitors but without looking like a spaceship console, this keyboard is for you. In our HyperX Alloy Origins review, we praised its streamlined, compact design. We loved that it skips any unnecessary bells and whistles so you can get right to gaming. With this price drop, the Alloy Origins is currently one of the best budget mechanical keyboards you can get. 

Of course, if you do want extras like media controls or macro keys, the Alloy Origins won’t do. Also note that you have to opt for the version with HyperX’s homegrown, linear Red switches (1.8mm actuation points and 3.8mm travel versus Cherry MX Red’s 2mm and 4mm) to get the cheapest price ever. There’s a $5 premium for tactile HyperX Aqua switches, and the version with clicky Blue switches isn’t on sale.

For more Prime Day savings, check out our Prime Day live blog and lists of the best Prime Day gaming PC and laptop deals, best Prime Day SSD deals, best Prime Day Monitor Deals, Best Prime Day Dell Gaming deals and the best Prime Day hardware deals overall. Our sister site, TechRadar, has a broader list of Amazon Prime Day deals that includes product categories we don't typically cover, such as smart home devices, TVs and phones.

Memory specialist HyperX has expanded its Predator DDR4 family with fresh offerings up to DDR4-5333. The new memory kits are tailored towards Intel's and AMD's latest platforms, but it remains to be seen whether they have what it takes to disrupt the best RAM kits on the market.

The memory kits are available in DDR4-5000, DDR4-5133 and DDR4-5333 flavors. Given the difficulties to bin for these frequencies, the memory kits only come in dual-channel 16GB packages comprised of two 8GB memory modules. Taking into consideration the density, the memory modules adhere to a single-rank design. We suspect that HyperX's latest memory modules are leveraging Hynix D-die integrated circuits (ICs) to hit these top speeds.

The DDR4-5333 memory is the current flagship part for the Predator DDR4 lineup. With 20-30-30 timings and requiring 1.6V to operate the memory kit retails at an eye-watering $1,245 price tag.

If you don't need the fastest memory kit, HyperX also offers the Predator DDR4 in slightly slower DDR4-5133 and DDR4-5000 configurations. The first has its timings set to 20-28-28, while the latter comes with 19-28-28 timings. Regardless of the frequency, both command a 1.55V DRAM voltage. The DDR4-5133 and DDR4-5000 memory kits certainly won't be easy on the pockets, either. They sell for $995 and $870, respectively.

Predator DDR4 memory kits are XMP-ready so setup should be a breeze, assuming that your processor is up to the task of taming these fast memory kits. Considering the frequency, a fair bit of manual tweaking is probably required. As always, HyperX backs its memory kits with a lifetime warranty.

The Predator DDR4-5333, DDR4-5133 and DDR4-5000 memory kits' availability will vary from region to region.

When it comes to the best gaming headsets and accessories for new gamers and enthusiasts alike, HyperX ranks highly thanks to its premium builds and quality materials.

Now, as a “thank you” to all of its fans (and as a moneymaking opportunity for itself), the gaming brand is having a weeklong sales event called HyperX Loot Drop. Throughout the week, HyperX will be dropping big daily discounts across everything it does, including its accessories and even components like its best RAM.

These discounts will be available across all the big online retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Fred Meyer, Microsoft and more. Here are the best HyperX deals we're seeing on this first day of the sale.

The Best HyperX Loot Drop Deals of the day

This event comes after recent news that HP is set to acquire HyperX for $425 million, so it's possible this deal is also acting as a sort of warehouse-clearing event before the brands get consolidated. We're not 100% sure how HP plans to split up its products' branding, though HP has said the HyperX will retain "DRAM, flash, and SSD products for gamers and enthusiasts."

To see the latest deals as the event goes on, keep checking this page throughout this week, as we will add new offers as they become available! And for more information about all the participating countries and retailers, HyperX has set up its own Loot Drop website.

In the upper echelons of streamer mic, it seems, there are two ways to play it. The first is to emulate the look and feature set of analog recording mics as closely as possible and rely on the convenience of that USB input as a selling point. The Beyerdynamic’s Fox is the gold standard for this approach, for example. The second approach is to go all-in on the gamer appeal. Guess which approach the HyperX QuadCast S ($160 as of writing) opts for? 

It only takes the time for the power to make its way along the USB cable and up to that huge RGB lighting zone to figure that one out. This refresh of the existing HyperX QuadCast, which had been one of the best gaming microphones, is meant to give the likes of Razer’s Seiren Emote a run for its money on pure streamer setup aesthetic appeal. But if you look beyond all the flashing color there’s actually plenty here in common with more studious studio mics too. A lot of it inherited from the original Quadcast, we hasten to add. Don’t lose sleep if you bought the original just before this S variant came out. You’re not missing out on anything other than potential migraines; the specs are nearly identical.

If you weren’t already a QuadCast owner though and are looking for a serious USB mic, there’s a lot to like in the QuadCast S.

HyperX Quadcast S Specs 

Design 

The QuadCast S is far from a drastic redesign of the original QuadCast, but there are differences. Small ones. The elasticated cord around the QuadCast S’ shock mount is now gray instead of the original red, for example, and the USB input connection is now USB Type-C instead of USB Type-A. We did say they were small differences.

Otherwise, you’re looking at the same unit. You get a large capsule housing three separate diaphragms to offer four polar patterns and a dial to switch between them at the back, a headphone monitoring input below that, a touch-sensitive mute at the top and a smooth and satisfying gain control dial at the base of the mic. 

We’ll tackle the different patterns and the sounds they create below in the sound quality section, but let’s cover those other design features. The QuadCast S’ headphone monitoring is clear and doesn’t run too hot for higher gain settings, so there’s very little breakup until you start shouting or getting close to the capsule. 

As with the QuadCast and HyperX SoloCast, the QuadCast S’ mute touch button is a nice design that alleviates that audible popping sound you sometimes get from depressing a physical mute switch on other mics. Meanwhile, the mute button’s lighting leaves you in no uncertainty as to whether you’re muted or not. 

The gain control feels really well built, but its travel considerably exceeds the visual indicators on each side. So unless you like your output set at between 30%-70%, you won’t be able to get a visual on your preferred setting.

Sound Quality 

The QuadCast S is a refresh of an existing mic, so you know what’s coming: The sound characteristics are unchanged, as far as these ears can discern. 

And they didn’t need to change. Boasting four polar patterns and three separate mic membranes was something of a party trick for the original QuadCast, so much so that it obviously informed the product name. And while the Blue Yeti X can tick those same polar pattern boxes, there was a gulf in sound quality between the two. So it goes with the QuadCast S we’re reviewing. 

There are a couple of provisos, though. Our first is that the QuadCast S comes frustratingly close to being a good low-budget studio mic with all those polar patterns, but since it’s limited to 48K Hz/16-bit recording, it doesn’t quite spread its wings and get there. 48KHz/16-bit is ample for a streamer mic’s intended usage, of course, where the audio will either be heavily compressed at the source or by the platform. But if you have a stereo / omnidirectional / cardioid / bidirectional mic available to you, perhaps you’d be tempted to use it for some home recording and music production. In those situations, it’s nice -- not essential, but nice -- to have a higher sample rate and bitrate to play with. 

Today’s high-end streamer mics all exist within a very narrow gamut with ready-to-go-audio, and the QuadCast S fits the profile. Like Razer, Elgato and cheaper Blue models, there’s definitely a slightly scooped EQ hat boosts low mids, suppresses mids and accentuates high-end frequencies for clarity of speech. That means your recordings sound professional, rather than natural; the mic is doing a bit of EQ and compression for you. 

Blue’s Yeti X still offers the happiest compromise between natural and broadcast-ready to our ears compared to the QuadCast S and other high-end mics, but these are fine margins between models we’re talking about.

Features and Software 

You know the drill by now with RGB devices. Cometh the lights, cometh the accompanying software app. In this case, it’s HyperX’s NGenuity software that acts as a gateway to customizing the QuadCast S’ two lighting zones (top and bottom), colors and behavior, and it makes doing so pretty simple. 

There’s not much tweaking to be had on the audio side though. Gain, mic monitoring and headphone volume are controllable via software, but there are no EQ presets or noise cancellation options. Small footprint software is a plus for some people, of course, but if you were looking to sculpt the mic’s sound without going into a DAW and applying plugins, you should look elsewhere. 

For anyone resistant to installing yet another peripheral manufacturer’s app onto their C:/ (this reviewer included), it’s worth noting that customizing RGB behavior is just about the only thing you can’t do without NGenuity installed. You can do everything else, from muting to choosing polar patterns, with physical dials on the unit. That may sound like a given, but with some  budget mics, like the Razer Seiren Mini, jettisoning all physical controls, perhaps it’s worth stating explicitly. That leaves the physical unit much more feature-rich than the software, which does its best to act useful when you load it up. But when part of the screen’s devoted to showing you which settings you’ve already selected using physical controls, (such as the polar pattern), you get a clear sense that this isn’t essential software.

Bottom Line 

The HyperX QuadCast S brings a gamer-fied aesthetic to the already great mix available in the HyperX QuadCast, with flexibility and out-of-the-box sound quality. There’s not much to complain about, but if you have the standard QuadCast there’s not much to get excited about either. 

If you’re specifically drawn to the QuadcCast S for its four polar patterns and the potential for home recording, consider an analog XLR mic or the Beyerdynamic Fox for its higher sample and bitrate. 

If you’re happy to keep things CD-quality when you’re recording however, the QuadCast S will see you right. 

HP today announced that it’s reached an agreement with Kingston Technologies to acquire HyperX in a deal worth approximately $425 million. The company said that, pending regulatory approval, it expects the deal to close sometime in 2Q21.

HP made it clear that it’s only acquiring HyperX for its portfolio of gaming peripherals. HyperX makes some of the best gaming headsets and best gaming keyboards, while also competing against the best gaming microphones and even offering some contenders for best gaming mouse. HP said Kingston will “retain the DRAM, flash, and SSD products for gamers and enthusiasts“ with the HyperX brand after the acquisition.

It seems like HP plans for HyperX and Omen to co-exist. The company said in the announcement that “adding HyperX to HP’s broader gaming ecosystem will deliver innovative new experiences across everything gamers see, hear, and touch.”

It’s not clear what HP plans to do with HyperX’s console gaming products. The brand offers a variety of headsets and charging accessories for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles as well as a microSD card marketed to Switch owners.

HyperX won’t be HP’s only gaming-focused brand. The company already offers a line of Omen products that includes laptops, pre-built desktops, monitors, keyboards, mice, headsets, and a few miscellanies bundled as “gear” on the brand website.

Kingston introduced the HyperX brand in 2002 with a line of high-performance (for the time) DDR1 memory. The brand has since expanded to a wide array of peripherals related to PC and console gaming as well as the core memory products.

HP said in the announcement that it expects the HyperX acquisition to “be accretive on a non-GAAP basis to HP in the first full year following closing.” Then the only question will be if the HyperX brand will be able to last longer than VoodooPC did.

HyperX entered the 60% form factor market with the almost scandalously named HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini in May 2020. The limited run keyboard sold out quickly, so HyperX released another model with a few cosmetic changes in November, and that version sold out as well. Now, the company has released the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 ($100) as its first solo entry in the 60% market. Hopefully, the first of its self-described “petite” keyboards to stay in stock for a while because if you’re looking for a small clacker, this is one of the best gaming keyboards you can get.

HyperX Alloy Origins 60 Specs

Design

There’s no denying the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini’s influence on the Alloy Origins 60. Aside from the lack of Ducky’s branding, the most immediate differentiator is this model’s monochromatic color scheme. HyperX’s first 60% keyboard complemented its predominantly black design with red accents; those accents disappear on the Alloy Origins 60. It’s like the company decided to channel The Rolling Stones by making sure every piece of red was painted black.

Otherwise, the Alloy Origins 60 seems awfully similar to its predecessor. Both were designed with one clear goal in mind: making the smallest keyboard the average gamer might accept. (There are smaller form factors, sure, but those are clearly intended for enthusiasts.) The number pad is gone. So too are the function row, arrow keys and the nine-key cluster that houses the likes of Insert and Delete. Everything has been pared down to bare essentials.

The result is an itty-bitty keyboard that we measured at 11.5 inches long, 4 inches wide and roughly 1.5 inches tall (292.1 x 101.6 x 38.1mm) with a weight of 1.6 pounds (738g) excluding the cable. For comparison, the Razer Huntsman Mini is about 11.6 x 4 x 1.3 inches. The Alloy Origins 60’s dimensions and 1.6-pound (738g) weight combined with the Alloy Origins 60’s aluminum construction, detachable cable, and collapsible feet should make the keyboard easy to travel with. They also mean there’s plenty of room on our desk for your relatively large and best RGB mouse pad, a headset stand and our other, as they say, #gaminggear.

HyperX ships the Alloy Origins 60 with a keycap puller, a replacement Esc key featuring the company’s logo and a unique spacebar that boasts a topographic design. That spacebar is the only key made from ABS plastic; the rest are doubleshot, ensuring the print won’t fade, and more premium type of plastic, PBT. That’s in order to get the unique design on the keyboard, which HyperX told us was selected among about 12 concepts from the design team. Although the dip in construction material is a drawback, we’d be happy to see this trend of highly decorative bonus keycaps take off.

Overall, the Alloy Origins 60’s use of that higher quality plastic, its sturdy aluminum frame and its braided USB cable all make it seem like a truly premium offering that doesn’t rely entirely on RGB lighting to justify its price tag.

Typing Experience

The Alloy Origins 60 ships with linear HyperX Red mechanical switches that feature a 1.8mm actuation point and 3.8mm total travel with 45g actuation force. HyperX offers the same switch, as well as other HyperX ones in the full-sized HyperX Alloy Origins, tenkeyless HyperX Alloy Origins Core and HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini. Upon release, the Alloy Origins 60 is only available with linear switches, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see HyperX eventually add its tactile Aqua and/or clicky Blue switches as options.

HyperX Red switches are intended for gaming, but it’s worth considering how they fare during everyday use, too. Most aren’t able to switch keyboards every time they move between work and play.

I used the 10fastfingers.com typing test to quantify my typing performance with the Alloy Origins 60 compared to other keyboards. The average results after three tests were 117 words per minute (wpm) with 97% accuracy. That compares well to my results with the Logitech G Pro, Razer BlackWidow V3 and Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. I was slightly faster on the Origins 60 than on the G Pro (116.3 wpm) but also slightly less accurate compared to the 97.5% accuracy there. 

From a qualitative perspective, however, I had a few problems with the Alloy Origins 60. It turns out that I tend to lightly rest a finger on the E key, and the switches are sensitive enough to register that not-quite-hovering. This resulted in long strings of letters that made it seem like I were typing in chat apps and disrupted my flow while writing. (There’s nothing like having an idea, going to type it and losing it because you have to delete “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”) Of course, your experience may vary. If you have lighter hands, you’ll be okay. For comparison, these switches require the same amount of force to actuate as Cherry MX Red switches, which also have 4mm total travel and actuate at 2.2mm.

It can also be hard to get used to the 60% form factor, especially when it comes to productivity. Having to hold down the Fn key on the bottom-right corner of the keyboard made it difficult to perform certain functions. That difficulty varied by function. Taking a screenshot was simply a matter of finding the PrtSc key, for example, while exiting an app using Alt+F4 was impossible without using both hands. Some might adapt quickly to this new approach; others might never get accustomed to it.

None of these trade-offs are a surprise in a 60% keyboard though. This small form factor is for a specific audience. And the overall experience of typing on the Alloy Origins 60 was pleasant. The flip-out feet prove useful here by offering three different angles (default, slightly propped up and fully propped) at which the keyboard can rest, which should make it easier to fine-tune the ergonomics. Once the keyboard was settled at just the right angle, the keys felt satisfying throughout the entire press.

Meanwhile, the doubleshot PBT keycaps were shaped well enough that we didn’t have to worry about our fingers slipping. HyperX nailed the keycaps’ texture, too, giving the keys just enough grip to ensure stability without feeling like sandpaper beneath our fingers. Bonus points for a lack of undue pinging, which has become an even greater concern throughout the course of the global work from home experiment that kicked off nearly a year ago.

Gaming Experience

This is where the Alloy Origins 60 shines. Linear switches like this are most useful in games where a few milliseconds mean the difference between success and failure. Need to crouch? Just brush your pinky against the “Ctrl” key. Time to reload? That key is “R”-eady to go as well. Those sensitive mechanical switches are supposed to respond as quickly as possible to your touch; who cares if they might lead to lines of “Es” appearing in the heavy-handed’s word processor of choice?

There are lighter mechanical switches though, even linear ones in the 60% form factor. Razer’s Huntsman Mini is available with Razer’s optical mechanical clicky or linear switches. The linear ones actuate with 40g of force compared the Alloy Origin 60 switches’ 45g. Razer’s linear optical switches also have shorter travel( 1.5mm actuation point, 3.5mm total travel) compared to HyperX Reds (1.8mm actuation and 3.8mm total travel).

We found HyperX Reds’ responsiveness particularly helpful in fast-paced games, like Call of Duty: Warzone. That game requires a lot of split-second decision making tied to a lot of inputs. Each fight can require you to walk, sprint and slide; use field upgrades, grenades and tactical equipment; slam open doors, jump through windows and deploy a parachute; and switch weapons or refill armor plates. (To say nothing of actually, you know, shooting at someone.)

It’s also the kind of game where sound matters quite a bit. How are you supposed to listen to your surroundings if every key you press clicks and clacks like a miniature cap gun? And how effectively will you be able to make call outs to your squad if they can barely hear you over the sound of you running, using all your equipment and frantically searching for an “I win” key? The Alloy Origins 60 isn’t silent, but it’s definitely quieter than a lot of other gaming keyboards.

Form factor also plays a role. The entire point of a 60% keyboard is maximizing the amount of desk space available to other peripherals, especially the mouse pad. Using a lower in-game sensitivity makes it easier to aim, generally speaking, and that also requires the use of a larger mousepad. In my experience it’s more comfortable to use a large mousepad with a smaller keyboard so my shoulders don’t have to be spread quite as far apart.

Suffice it to say the Alloy Origins 60 fits the bill. We’d just gotten used to clearing most of our desk to review the full-sized Razer BlackWidow V3 when we unboxed HyperX’s petite savior. The difference is striking. Besides having more desk space for other peripherals, this setup also feels more comfortable, especially during longer sessions. The difference from a tenkeyless keyboard is less pronounced but still noticeable. Ergonomically, 60% feels like the way to go.

Features and Software

HyperX offers a variety of customization features for the Alloy Origins 60 via its NGenuity software. The app launches right into controls that make it easy to apply new colors, one of seven built-in effects and various cycling speeds to the keyboard’s lighting on a per-key basis (with an “All Lights” button to simplify keyboard-wide changes, of course). You’ll see changes on the keyboard in real-time, but they aren’t saved until you press the “Save to Keyboard” button.

You also need NGenuity to assign new functions to any and all keys. There are a variety of available categories--Mouse Function, Multimedia, Macro and Windows Shortcut. The left Shift key could be used to launch the Task Manager, for example, while the Esc mutes audio. All of these assignments can be assigned to a key on the “Base Layer” or the “Fn Layer” as desired.

The app also offers easy access to brightness settings, preset configurations and a Game Mode that can be used to disable any combination of four different keyboard shortcuts that can ruin a gaming session. (There’s nothing like being in the middle of a match and hitting “Alt”+“Tab” at a critical moment.)

There are three different onboard profiles that can be switched to using NGenuity, via keyboard shortcut, or, if you have NGenuity downloaded, when a specific game is launched.

Bottom Line

As a 60% gaming keyboard, the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 is a niche product. Consumers have become more accustomed to tenkeyless keyboards, but removing even more keys can seem daunting. Living without a number pad is relatively easy compared to living without the function row, arrow keys and other essential keys. For many people the form factor’s trade-offs won’t be worth its benefits.

If you belong to that niche, however, the Alloy Origins 60 is easy to recommend. It has everything we look for in a premium keyboard. That includes a braided, detachable cable that should be easy to transport; a premium build quality resulting from doubleshot PBT keycaps, an aluminum top frame, seemingly reliable mechanical switches and RGB lighting that’s easy to configure. The included keycap puller and the custom spacebar make the keyboard even more appealing.

If you’re looking for something other than linear switches though, you’re currently out of luck. HyperX tends to add more switch options to its Alloy Origins lineup, but the Alloy Origins 60 only has one switch option right now. For an alternative, the Razer Huntsman Mini 60% keyboard offers Razer’s optical mechanical linear or clicky switches.

But if you want linear switches that are quick to respond in a keyboard built with quality in mind, the Alloy Origins 60 is a top contender.

Things are getting ultra-competitive at the budget end of the streamer mic market. Blue, Razer and HyperX all have some chips on the table here with small capsule, feature-light, low-cost spins on their higher-spec models, and all of them sound closer than you’d expect to the pricier version.

And if we’re playing our cards too, the differences between each manufacturer’s offerings are subtle. This isn’t 2012, and you won’t find noisy, scratchy devices that leave your Discord buddies wondering why you’re talking to them from inside a jet engine, not from any of the big players at least.

Instead, picking out a mic from the budget market is about your own specific setup scenario. The inexpensive and stylish Razer Seiren Mini, for example, sounds great but doesn’t feature a single knob or dial, leaving you handling levels and muting at the software level. Blue’s Snowball iCE has a choice of polar patterns, but is that what you really need?

If the HyperX SoloCast ($60 as of writing) has a unique selling proposition in the realm of such subtlety and specific catering for needs, it’s that it offers a relative sweet spot in compromise between sound, on-mic features and price. In other words: it’s tiny and sounds sweet as a nut, but it also has a mute button.

If we want to determine whether that’s enough to proclaim it the best gaming microphone in the budget category though, we’re going to have to delve a little deeper.

HyperX SoloCast Specs

Design

While other streamer mics could be accused of peacocking (Razer Seiren Emote, looking at you), HyperX takes a very different tack here. If you were being charitable, you’d call it a grown-up, professional look. If you were being less so, you’d say it looked a bit ‘Amazon Prime electronics department.’ Just a bit.

There’s just nothing to catch your eye and prompt you to notice the design. And this obviously isn’t a lapse on the industrial design team’s part. HyperX knows how to make products that look and feel great. This is obviously one of the trade-offs the SoloCast makes in order to hit its $60 price point.

Construction materials are dominated by utilitarian matte finish black plastic, and although aesthetic touches, like the gloss finish ring around the mic mute touch pad on the top of the mic capsule are present, they can’t hold a candle to Razer’s cheaper Seiren Mini and its glorious finish.

Like all USB streamer mics though, a stand is supplied with the mic capsule itself in the box. This one’s weighty enough at the base to keep it upright if you knock it during a particularly expansive hand gesture mid-stream. And, unlike its contemporaries, the SoloCast offers a variety of angles and positions, including a vertical tilt angle that lets you point the mic upward to your mouth if you’re using it on a desk. The cradle also rotates at 45-degree angles and offers 180 degrees of rotation in total, so it’s a much more lithe model than we’d expect for the money. Unfortunately, our review sample tends to droop downwards if it’s arranged horizontally and tilted upwards, but truthfully we’d never calibrate it in that way in the first place.

Due to the small size of the stand and the absence of a shock mount, we’d say fitting it to a boom arm instead is borderline essential to get the best sound out of it. The SoloCast’s small stature is good news for anyone who wants to use it with a low-cost boom arm. You know, the ones that tend to droop back down into your face if you overload them with weight. You’ll have no such trouble with the SoloCast, and with threads for both 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch boom mounts, you’ll have no drama getting it onto a boom. The SoloCast is 3.1 x 3.1 x 7.1 inches in its stand or 3.1 x 3.1 x 5.1 inches without the stand, making it just a bit larger than the Seiren Mini (2.2 x 3.5 x 6.4 inches in its stand).

Sound Quality

Here’s the real surprise: the SoloCast sounds pretty close to its bigger HyperX QuadCast brethren, and also to the Seiren Mini, our current favorite budget mic. Once you factor in the quality loss from the broadcasting platform itself, whether that’s Discord, Twitch, YouTube or Soundcloud, it’d take a very keen pair of ears to tell the difference between the mics. Thanks to the hotly contested nature of the streamer kit market, you really don’t need to throw a lot of money at your audio setup to get a great mic sound at the moment.

There are differences though, at least at unprocessed audio level, between all three aforementioned mics. The Seiren Mini’s hypercardioid polar pattern means it’s a bit pickier about where its recording ‘sweet spot’ is, producing a thinner sound unless you’re facing it directly with your mouth a few inches away. Both HyperX models are a bit more forgiving in this regard, but the tradeoff here is in added room noise an -- that pariah of gaming broadcast -- mechanical keyboard clatter. When using the SoloCast on its supplied stand, the latter seems to carry through the desk and pick up on the mic more clearly than the shock-mounted QuadCast or hypercardioid Seiren Mini.

With that said, the SoloCast does offer a warmer sound that these naturally subjective ears find preferable to the $50 Seiren Mini. Does the SoloCast sound $10 better? If you want a vocal sound that comes out more neutral and with less harshness to sibilant sounds, yes.

For its part, the bigger and more expensive ($140 as of writing) QuadCast definitely offers more warmth and a fuller sound than the SoloCast while also delivering a more natural sounding low-end. This may be due to the increased capsule size and diaphragm the QuadCast has over our review focus.

Features and Software

As you might expect for an entry-level mic, there isn’t a lot to tweak here at a hardware or software level.

Where the SoloCast has a definite advantage over the Seiren Mini is the addition of a physical mute button, at the top of the mic capsule itself. Instead of a click-down switch it’s a touch-operated pad which produces much less perceptible noise when you operate it, so hats off to the design team on that one. A single indicator light will emit constantly when unmuted, or intermittently when muted. That’s another point scored against its contemporaries, since it’s not de rigueur to include such an easy method of keeping track. Other than the aforementioned two threads for different sized mic mounts and the adjustable stand, that’s all she wrote on the hardware features front.

And mercifully, the SoloCast doesn’t need any software to function correctly. Anyone whose headset, keyboard and mouse are all made by different manufacturers each with their own profiling software will know just how much of an imposition it seems to install yet another program just to tweak some mic settings. And with the honorable exceptions of Blue and Elgato, which offer some really tight presets for broadcasting and recording in their software, these apps don’t tend to add much value. In the case of the SoloCast, you can tweak away to your heart’s content by running the mic into a DAW and applying plugins to the track.

Bottom Line

It wasn’t long ago we were swallowing Razer’s little pink pill and proclaiming its Seiren Mini the best entry-level pick for streamer mics, but with the arrival of the SoloCast we’re not so sure. HyperX’s increased features (most importantly a mute button) and warm tone more than justify spending an extra $10.

Which means if you want to be really specific about how much you spend on a streamer setup, there are now really strong picks at either price point; you don’t lose out whether you choose to spend $50 or $60.

That’s where the “cult of Razer” marketing kicks in. The Seiren Mini just looks and feels a little more refined, and distinctive -- quintessentially Razer. Contrastingly, the SoloCast looks utilitarian, and you’d have a tough time guessing which manufacturer made it if it wasn’t for that brand logo on the front. These are small details, but the look of your setup matters if you’re streaming or recording on camera, so they’re not inconsequential ones. Decide which one makes your eyes happier, and make your pick accordingly.

The HyperX Cloud Revolver + 7.1 gets some things right in its quest to compete among the best gaming headsets. Compared to some of its other offerings, like the HyperX Cloud II Wireless, the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 offers more and higher quality memory foam, as well as firm steel. And despite the smaller drivers, HyperX promises a stronger, more robust sound scape on the Cloud Revolver 7.1 than some of its other offerings.

But at $150, this is an odd product. Although it’s wired, it’s the same price as the Cloud II Wireless, which offers similar features, like virtual 7.1 surround sound and a detachable noise-cancelling microphone.

The Cloud Revolver + 7.1 comes with an audio-boosting digital signal processor (DSP) via a handy USB sound card that also provides audio controls and virtual 7.1 surround sound. But it’s surround sound and audio in general isn’t tweak-friendly, keeping the package simple but hard to perfect. 

HyperX Cloud Revolver + 7.1 Specs

Design and Comfort

The HyperX Cloud Revolver + 7.1 is an update of an older design: the original HyperX Cloud Revolver released in 2016. The general build remains the same, though HyperX has removed all the color from the overall design. While the original was black matte plastic and steel with red HyperX red highlights, the 2021 edition saps all the color. Instead, the highlights are in a simple, understated white. There's no RGB on this headset, just crisp, clean black and white.

A single piece of steel runs across the entire headband from ear cup to ear cup. Not only is that the most striking part of the design, it also provides stability. Underneath that steel band is an adjustable smaller band that sits on top of your head. That band is made of leatherette and memory foam, providing a smooth cushion for the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 to rest upon.

The ear cups themselves are pretty hefty, with a design that looks like speakers on the outside flanked by the steel fins of the headband. On the inside of the ear cups, you'll find more leatherette and memory foam. There's more foam here than in some of HyperX's cheaper headset models. There are no controls on the ear cups—no volume roller or mute button here—but there is a 3.5mm jack for the detachable microphone. The mic itself is flexible but can't be slid into a position where it's out of your face and lacks any indicator for when it's muted.

All told, while it's not the lightest headset I've tested, the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 feels pretty good. The headset itself is 0.83 pounds (375g), but the distribution of weight is fantastic. It sits light on the top of your head, and any clamping pressure around the ears is lessened by the memory foam pads. I have a pretty big head though, and I get the feeling it might be too roomy for those with tiny heads—the metal band is around 9 inches across, and the gap between the earcup pads is around 6-6.5 inches. There's also not a ton of twist in ear cups, and for long sessions I could feel the insides getting a little warm.

The Cloud Revolver is a fully-wired headset. There's a braided cable that runs from the left ear cup that cannot be detached. It's around 3.33 feet (1m) in length, ending in a 3.5mm jack. HyperX only specs the headset to work with PC and PS4, but with the 3.5mm connection it should work with an Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5).

Then there's the USB sound card. It has a 3.5mm jack for plugging in the headset and ends in a  USB Type-A connector for use with your PC. With the box, you get boosted audio via a digital signal processing sound card, as well as the ability to use virtual 7.1 surround sound. This plugs into your PC, PS4, or PS5. On the sound card dongle, you'll find volume controls for the headset and microphone, a mute button on the side and a big button for activating the 7.1 surround sound capabilities. The mute button and 7.1 button both light up, letting you know which mode you're in for each feature. The dongle also has a clip on the back for attaching to your shirt or pants to keep it in handy.

Cloud Revolver + 7.1 Audio Performance

HyperX markets the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 as a "studio-grade" headset. It has 50mm drivers, in line with most of its competition, but sports a larger frequency range than most. The can stretches from 10 Hz to 23.2 kHz, giving it an edge on both ends against some in this price range. That means a relatively wide soundscape.

There is one problem though. This headset utilizes HyperX's own version of virtual 7.1 surround sound. There's no tweaking and no equalizer available in HyperX's software suite. And there's no support for something like DTS Headphone:X or Dolby surround. HyperX's 7.1 utilizes Windows Sonic on PC for any tweaks; the problem I have is that while Windows Sonic is great for positioning, I find the overall audio quality and available settings are far better on DTS Headphone:X or Dolby. The company did have a version of this headset that had Dolby support, the Cloud Revolver S, but that product doesn't look like it's being produced anymore. The headset we’re reviewing is essentially a non-Dolby rebrand of the S.

I loaded up Hitman 3; One of the new levels in this entry in the series, Berlin, is an excellent test with 7.1 on. The level takes place in an underground club hidden in a derelict power plant. Voices came through on the headset clearly, from the correct virtual channels with no distortion. The real test was below though. As you round the stairs into the club proper, there's loud, booming techno music playing, with a good meaty bass beat to it. Even among the cacophony, Hitman 3 is still great about allowing you to hear audio dialog that may point to future assassinations. It's a pretty chaotic scene in terms of sound, especially with the ebb and flow of the techno as you move around the environment, and the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 handled it well.

The Cloud Revolver + 7.1 is only guaranteed to work with PC and PS4, as per HyperX. But my PS5 recognized it immediately in sound devices when I plugged it in via USB. I didn't have any sound initially, leading me to assume it didn't work, but the trick with the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 is the audio controls on the dongle work independently of the system volume. You can have the system volume up, but the dongle volume down, and hear nothing.

Playing Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I found the system's 3D audio worked well with the Cloud Revolver + 7.1. Walking around the city to get a feel of the directional sound, I could walk around a running car and clearly hear the engine humming along from the correct direction.

In terms of clarity, I could hear every thwip of the web-shooters alongside the whipping winds, the low bass beat of the soundtrack and even J. Jonah Jameson's annoying radio broadcast. However, I did notice a little loss of clarity in the highs, with strings in the ambient soundtrack blending a bit with some of the city's sounds.

The first music track I tried on the headset was Jason Derulo's "Lifestyle.” It works well as a test case because of the transition from the early parts of the song. You have the thrumming of the bass guitar contrasted with Derulo's vocals, which are then joined by accompaniment and staccato claps. Once the chunky bass in the chorus comes in, the song is playing on nearly every level. It's got a little bit of everything.

Listening to the track on the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 allowed me to test the difference in the standard stereo versus the 7.1 surround. In stereo, there was wonderful differentiation and clarity between the different parts of the song. The wider soundscape really showed up to play. Switching to surround sound, it was clear that HyperX's solution pushes the mids back, really playing up the highs and lows.

Across few other tracks, I actually found aspects of the music that was missing in my day-to-day headset. Gfriend's "Labyrinth" had a sort of alternating high xylophone-style sound in the background of the chorus I never noticed before. And the understated low piano in the bridge of Clean Bandit's "Higher" was suddenly apparent. There's just an excellent amount of separation and clarity to the overall sound on this headset. It's probably one of the better music listening experiences at this price point.

Microphone

The microphone on the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 is a unidirectional condenser mic that you can detach from the headset. My recordings sounded pretty good, though they came across a little warm overall. Vocal clarity was pretty good, but there was still audible popping.

Noise cancellation, meanwhile, was decent. The headset took care of a good amount of environmental sound. There was someone mowing the lawn outside of my apartment, for example, and that wasn't in the recording much. My local television noise also didn't come through on recordings.

The boom mic is flexible, allowing for decent placement in front of your mouth. I also actually prefer having the mic mute on the dongle because it means you're not getting a noise in your recording trying to mute your mic.

HyperX specs the Cloud Revolver + 7.1’s mic for a frequency response of 50 Hz - 7.7 kHz.

Software

HyperX has beta software, NGenuity, that works with many of its gaming peripherals, including some headsets. The Cloud Revolver + 7.1, however, is not meant to work with any software. Instead, HyperX targets this at users who want a simple plug-and-play package. But those who like to tweak their audio or want to address any perceived weaknesses in the Cloud Revolver + 7.1’s performance is out of luck.

If you want to do any virtual speaker positioning regarding the 7.1 surround sound, you can use the standard Windows menus via Windows Sonic.

Bottom Line

With the Cloud Revolver + 7.1, HyperX has crafted cans with great build quality, effective virtual 7.1 surround sound support, a nice wide soundscape and versatility through its two connection options (3.5mm or USB Type-A).It also delivers one of the better music-listening experiences I've had in the $150 price range.

However, the virtual 7.1 surround sound here is a step down from the immersive feel and customization options premium competitors, like Dolby, offer. And HyperX's lack of audio tweaking options means you're essentially stuck with what you get out of the box. The company could gain some ground simply by fixing that.

There are more customizable options with advanced surround sound for less. As of writing, Logitech Pro X is about $20 cheaper than our review focus, and you get DTS Headphone X 2.0 support, an extensive audio equalizer and Blue microphone audio tweaks via Logitech software. The Razer BlackShark V2 offers THX Spatial Audio for a whopping $50 less. And that's all before you even get into wireless headset options, which are pretty price-competitive these days.

Sure, I might love listening to music on the Cloud Revolver + 7.1, but a gaming headset is more than that. And frankly, HyperX is still behind the competition in terms of bells-and-whistles.

But if you’re not into tweaking and just want something that offers decent virtual surround sound and covers a wide range of frequencies out of the box while sitting comfortably on your noggin, the Cloud Revolver + 7.1 is worth a look.

If you had to swap out just one keycap, which would it be? Many opt for a flashy Esc key, but I prefer to jazz up the spacebar. As the largest key with a central position and so much power, it brings dramatic change to the overall look. That’s why it’s hard not to drool at the extra spacebar that comes in the box with the HyperX Alloy Origins 60 announced today. 

I’ve jazzed up keyboards with nice spacebars before (there are plenty, but Ducky has a Chinese New Year collection with adorable animals that are hard to resist). And it’s common enough to find keyboards with a spacebar that’s a different color from most of the other keys, such as the Varmilo MA108M Moonlight or Asus ROG Strix Scope TKL Electro Punk. But the Alloy Origins 60 includes a standard plain doubleshot PBT keycap, as well as an ABS one with etched in swirls that transform the keyboard and make that RGB look and even feel trippier -- if you run your finger along it, you’ll be able to feel the texture there. 

Unlike the rest of the keycaps, which are the more premium doubleshot PBT plastic, the decorated spacebar here is lower-priced ABS plastic because to do the special design, ABS is a “much better, easier way to get that to market,” Mark Tekunoff, HyperX’s corporate PR manager, told Tom’s Hardware on our CES 2021 livestream discussing HyperX’s announcements. 

“We wanted to give it some sort of a differentiator, and the spacebar’s the easiest and the largest piece of material on the board to do that with,” Tekunoff explained.

This isn’t the first time HyperX has included some extra flash with a mechanical keyboard. The brand’s previous (and first) 60% keyboard, the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini, included an additional spacebar from Ducky. And while Tekunoff didn’t make any promises, it seems possible that we’ll get more HyperX keyboards with fun extras. 

“It’s something that they're always looking at doing and expanding the number of customizations in each of the boxes, but for now this particular one is the first one with the fancy spacebar,” Tekunoff said. “And in the future, they haven’t announced it specifically to us, but the engineering guys are always looking for ways to differentiate and do things differently.” 

HyperX announced the Alloy Origins 60 with HyperX Red mechanical switches. Those are specced for 3.8mm total travel, 1.8mm actuation point and 45g. That should make them slightly quicker to fire off repeatedly in your favorite games compared to your traditional Cherry MX Reds (4mm, 2mm, 45g). 

HyperX already makes the Alloy Origins Core, a tenkeyless keyboard, available with HyperX Red or tactile HyperX Aqua switches, and Alloy Origins, a full-sized board with HyperX Red, HyperX Aqua or clicky HyperX Blue switches. When asked if we can expect more switch options in HyperX’s new compact keyboard, Tekunoff said “probably yes.”

Of course, this is the smallest keyboard in HyperX’s Alloy Origins series, lacking function keys, arrows and a numpad. But HyperX attempted to make this a little easier with functions, including those of the arrow keys, printed on the sides and activatable by using the FN key.

As expected, the Alloy Origins 60 will work with HyperX NGenuity software to allow you to customize things like RGB and up to three profiles of onboard memory.

The full-sized Alloy Origins is one of the best gaming keyboards for people seeking a fuss-free, high-end mechanical experience. So we’re looking forward to seeing how the Alloy Origins 60 stacks up against 60% rivals, like the equally gaming-focused Razer Huntsman Mini, when it arrives on February 22 on HyperX’s website for $100. 

Check out the video above to hear more from our CES livestream with HyperX, including details on the ChargePlay Duo Controller Charging Station for Xbox Series X/S announced today and HyperX hasn’t jumped on the optical mechanical bandwagon yet. 

For more from CES 2021, stay tuned to our site and check out our CES livestream schedule. 

The HyperX Cloud Flight S Headset is available at a new low price—just in time for Cyber Monday at Amazon. Its suggested price is around $159 but it’s available today for just $119.

This is part of our effort this shopping event to share the best Cyber Monday deals on tech we can find.

In our review of the HyperX Cloud Flight S, we found the $160 price tag to be a bit much for the features, but it's far more palatable with this Cyber Monday deal.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S is totally wireless, using a 2.4GHz band with a 20-meter range. According to the specs, it has a 50mm driver size and supports HyperX custom-tuned 7.1 surround sound.

The microphone is detachable and features an LED mute indicator. The battery can last up to 30 hours and be recharged wirelessly thanks to its Qi certification.

For more savings, check our list of best Cyber Monday deals overall, best Cyber Monday monitor deals, best Cyber Monday SSD deals, best Cyber Monday CPU deals, best Cyber Monday graphics card deals, best Cyber Monday laptop deals, best Cyber Monday gaming PC deals and best Cyber Monday Raspberry Pi deals.

On the gaming enthusiast level, it's always about new hardware and new features. It's a constant grind to stay ahead in terms of technology: 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, USB-C, per-game profiles and complex software suites. If you're paying over $100, you want to make sure you get as much as possible out of it. 

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless spits on that idea. HyperX has taken the Cloud II, one of its best-selling headsets, and simply added wireless connectivity to it. It's almost the physical embodiment of "good enough" technology, outside of a slightly higher price point ($150). The Cloud II Wireless is a no muss, no fuss peripheral that isn't trying to go pound-for-pound with the best gaming headsets from Razer, Logitech or SteelSeries.

HyperX Cloud II Wireless Specs  

Design and Comfort of the HyperX Cloud II Wireless

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is a curious mix of understated and loud visual design. The entire headset is framed in matte black, from the ear cups to the headband, offset by the bright and shiny red of the ear cup forks and HyperX logo. Leatherette features heavily in the overall design as well. The material covers the memory foam on the inside of the ear cups and the aluminum headband. The leatherette means you might have problems if you're a sweaty gamer or live in a warmer climate, but I had no issues with it during testing.

Combined with the light weight of the headset — a scant 0.7 pounds (301 g) — the Cloud II Wireless feels like absolutely nothing on my head. There's little weight from resting on the cranium, and there isn’t much pressure on the sides of the head. You can make adjustments to size by pulling out the red metal ear cup forks. These aren't entirely rigid. There's a little flex side to side as well, so it'll fit pretty well. The biggest mark I have against the design is the exposed wiring from the headband to the ear cups. I always hate the idea and fear getting them caught on something.

The only control on the right ear cup is the volume roller. The rest of the physical controls are all on the left ear cup. This includes the power and mute buttons, which are concave and convex, respectively so you can differentiate them. The power button not only turns on the headset when you hold it down, it also switches between standard stereo and 7.1 virtual surround sound when you tap it. There's no indication on the headset itself, which is odd. 

For charging, the Cloud II Wireless has a USB-C port, which we prefer over the slower-working micro USB port many wireless cans use. This port is purely for charging, as the headset won't operate in wired mode at all. Unfortunately, the included USB-C to USB-A charging cable is a mere 22 inches (0.5 m), which is annoyingly short. 

The final port on the left ear cup is a 3.5mm slot for the detachable microphone. The mic is a condenser with a cardioid pattern and noise-cancelling built in. HyperX includes an optional pop filter and a red LED on the microphone itself to let you know when it's muted. The 3.5mm slot is just for the microphone; you can't hook it up to your phone and expect it to work. Trust me, I tried.  

Cloud II Wireless Audio Performance 

The Cloud II Wireless connects to your PC, PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch via the included 2.4 GHz wireless dongle. HyperX rates the range of the wireless connection at up to 20 meters (65 feet). My apartment isn't big enough to go beyond that range. I did find a brief connection interruption by going into my bedroom closet, thus putting two walls in-between me and the wireless dongle. I doubt that situation is normal for most, though, so I'd say the wireless connection on the Cloud II Wireless is strong. 

The Cloud II Wireless sports 53mm drivers. That’s slightly larger than most of the competition, even if the frequency response tops out at a standard 20 KHz. The Cloud II Wireless is meant to be pulled out of its packaging and plugged right into your device without any tweaking. It has a more neutral EQ that the brand markets toward a broader uses, including gaming, as well as music and video chat. Compared to the HyperX Cloud Alpha, the Cloud II Wireless is sports less bass and treble, HyperX told us. 

HyperX designed the sound profile in a specific manner. Even the virtual 7.1 surround sound is the company's own solution, as opposed to DTS Headphone:X v2.0, Dolby or THX. The sound you get out of the box is largely the sound you're going to get. And it's pretty good. 

I was eager to hear HyperX's virtual 7.1 surround solution, so I turned to Hitman 2's Miami DLC. The positional audio was decent, allowing me to hear various story-related conversations or the roar of the cars on the race track. There was a little muddiness in between the virtual center speaker and the left and right. Rear left and right felt roughly in the right position, but the distinction between the center, front left and left virtual speakers wasn't as clean as it could be. The audio itself felt accurate; there were just positioning problems. 

The same was true in Horizon Zero Dawn, another one of my go-to games for surround sound testing. This is one of those areas where the ability to tweak sound settings within the software might've offered solid gains. On the wireless Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, for example, there's a calibration tool for the THX Spatial audio, letting you move the virtual speakers closer or further to your head. HyperX doesn't offer anything like that. So while I didn't have problems picking out a stalking Sawtooth's mechanical growl in Horizon Zero Dawn, I would've liked more distinction in those front left and front right channels. 

I connected the Cloud II Wireless to a PS4, and the headset did not show up as 7.1 surround on the system. In stereo mode, every thwip and harsh bark of the freed criminals from the Raft in Marvel's Spider-Man came across very well on the headset. 

In Capcom's Resident Evil 2, I could feel the hearty boom of Mr. X's oncoming footfalls in my ears and in my heart. The crack of Leon's pistol and the satisfying splut of zombie body parts sounded great on the Cloud II Wireless. Overall, there's a good amount of punchy bass in these cans, alongside some crisp mids. 

On the musical side of things, the Cloud II Wireless stands up pretty well. It's solid and consistent in terms of mid and bass performance and perhaps a bit soft in terms of treble, with the BlackShark V2 Pro beating it in pure vocal clarity. 

The Cloud II Wireless reproduced the entire soundscape of Ateez' "Fever” clearly, from the deep bass of the drums, to the quiet piano and the group's chanting along with the chorus. The falsetto ad libs suffered the most, fading in the background a bit. Listening to Busta Rhymes' newest track "Look Over Your Shoulder" was a great experience. Busta and Kendrick's raps were crisp, though there was a sharp sibilance in the "Just look over your shoulder!" ad lib that plays across most of the track.

Microphone on the HyperX Cloud II Wireless

The microphone on the Cloud II Wireless is a standard condenser, and I wasn't too impressed with the results. The recording volume was low, even after I turned the setting up in the software. There was also a lack of clarity in my recordings compared to some of the competition. My recording from the Cloud II Wireless sounded weaker and more distant than a similar recording on the BlackShark V2 Pro, which turned in a richer sound overall.

Noise cancellation is pretty good. The Cloud II Wireless mic didn’t pick up the sounds of my television in the background. Again, there's no real option to change recording settings and pull better audio from the mic here. It is what it is. 

The boom arm on the included mic should be a little longer too. That would've helped with recording clarity, and the red LED that shows when the mic is muted is just on the edge of my peripheral vision as it stands.

Battery Life on the HyperX Cloud II Wireless

One area where HyperX is pulling way, way ahead of the competition is in terms of battery life. The company rates the HyperX Cloud II Wireless at a whopping 30 hours of battery life. With intermittent use over a week, I got remarkably close to that at around 27 hours, usually using the cans at around 64% volume. 

The LED light on the headset will stay solid green at full charge to 90%, blink green from 90%-15% and blink red when the headset gets down to under 15%. You can monitor the hard power percentage in the NGenuity software, one of the few areas where the app delivers. 

You can charge and play at the same time, but the cable included in the box is painfully short at a mere 22 inches, so you'll probably need to buy another cable to make this work. The Cloud II Wireless charges pretty quickly though at around 2.6 hours to achieve 100% from the dregs.

HyperX Cloud II Wireless Software 

HyperX's NGenuity software is still in beta and is literally the most barebones software I've come into contact with. Once you load up the software in the Windows 10 Store — this is the only version HyperX is updating, mind you — you can plug in the headset, and it'll show up. The thing is, you only get sliders for volume and microphone volume, a toggle for 7.1 surround sound and a toggle for mic monitoring. 

Given that you can toggle the 7.1 surround sound via the headset, that's not a ton of options. There's no equalizer, microphone tweaks, bass boost, surround sound speaker placement, game/chat balance or even the ability to toggle noise cancelling. It's almost not worth it to install the software, outside of knowing for 100% certain whether the headset is in 7.1. HyperX could gain further ground with updated, more robust software, but this headset is purely plug-and-play currently. 

Bottom Line  

Sometimes you want a headset you can just buy and put on your head, options and sliders be danged. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless1 is, frankly, that headset, and not much more. You get pretty good audio quality, virtual 7.1 surround sound support, a mic for your average Discord chat and not much else. The overall design is still a winner for HyperX, and "good enough" has led to the company pulling in a decent market share overall.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless retails for $149.99. That puts it in line with the Logitech G533 and SteelSeries Arctis 7 wireless cans, both of which offer support for DTS and more robust software. On either ends of the spectrum are the Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless for a clean $100 (sometimes less) and the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for only $30 more than our review focus. The latter not only comes with Razer's software suite, it also nets you THX Spatial Audio. The Logitech and Corsair are older headsets but are still competitive with what's on offer here.

Which is to say the HyperX Cloud II Wireless is still a good headset, but the price doesn’t feel right. You may want to wait for a sale to knock a little off the price point. 

But as a headset that you can fire and forget, HyperX has put together a decent contender in the Cloud II Wireless. 

Update November 18, 2020:  Since we originally published this review in May, the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini sold out. Today, HyperX announced it restocked the keyboard for a limited time but with an all-black colorway (instead of black and red) and a new spacebar keycap. While the design is slightly difference, performance hasn't changed. You can find more details here.

Original review May 6, 2020: 

The HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini ($109.99) -- announced as a limited edition with only 3,700 units made and available here May 12 -- lands in a crowded but polarizing 60% keyboard market. With this compact size, you sacrifice a numpad and navigational keys for the sake of desk space and ergonomics. That also gives designers little room to mess up. The One 2 takes the popular 60% keyboard and adds HyperX branding and plenty of red -- in both its design and its linear mechanical switches.

With the One 2 Mini already available with a variety of switch types, it's unfortunate that the HyperX version limits its audience with just one option. However, its chunky keycaps feel good when gaming and typing, making it one of the best gaming keyboards to consider if you fit in this specific segment of linear typists who want to work and game with a 60% layout.

HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini Specs

Design

A brand called Ducky better feature some cute products, and a 60% keyboard like its One 2 Mini is an easy way to do that. The form factor calls for a smaller design than full-size standard or even tenkeyless ones, which drop the number pad. Just by nature of being a 60%, the One 2 Mini is automatically cuter --and in some ways more convenient -- than the keyboards you usually see.

At 11.9 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches, the One 2 Mini is obviously more miniscule than the full-sized HyperX Alloy Origins (17.4 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches) and tenkeyless G.Skill KM360 (14.1 x 5.2 x 1.5 inches). A 60% keyboard frees up more desk space, allowing more space for your best gaming mouse or a fuller show floor for letting your best RGB mouse pad shine.

Those concerned about ergonomics, which was particularly important to me as I wrote this review while working at home without my regular office chair and a smaller monitor, may want to consider a 60% keyboard. Since there's a shorter distance from one side of the keyboard to the other, you’re able to keep your arms closer to your body and, perhaps, exert less effort. Those with big hands or who are used to roomier full-sized keyboards may find these compact models uncomfortable, so know what you're getting into before investing in a compact keyboard for long hours of writing, gaming, or coding. The Anne Pro 2, another popular 60% keyboard, measures 11.2 x 3.8 x 1.6 inches, making our review unit a few hairs longer and wider.

With its small build, the One 2 Mini is an obvious candidate for taking on the go, and the detachable USB-C cable makes it even easier, although a braided cable would’ve helped it fight natural wear and tear that can come from traveling. However, the cable’s gold-plated USB Type-A connector that you plug into your PC feels solid and firm.

The HyperX revamp of the One 2 Mini brings pops of red in some of the keycaps, including the Esc and Enter keys that come on the board, plus seven additional red keycaps. The base’s shiny red plastic pops against the black bezels and top frame. Despite having such little space to work with, HyperX and Ducky still ended up with some style that gets even more exciting when you swap out the plain HyperX and Ducky logo-branded spacebar for the one with jazzy creatures I could have sworn were rabbits playing against a brick wall. They’re actually a pair of rats to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rat. You can feel the etching on this spacebar, revealing that it’s not double-shot. HyperX told me that this keycap and the HyperX logo Esc key aren’t double-shot because they require ABS plastic for the engraving process

Overall, you don’t get the battleship vibes that other gaming keyboards evoke, but the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini brings an impressive amount of visual appeal in a small package even before activating the RGB lighting.

But once you start looking at other iterations of the Ducky One Mini, HyperX’s take is less exciting. The grass is always greener, they say, and when it comes to the Ducky One Mini it’s more adorable too. Our review unit stands out from the standard version of the One 2 Mini, and I’d even consider it over the all-white version if I were looking for something more versatile. But once you see the delicious Frozen Llama color scheme, suddenly the HyperX model looks boring. Ducky also makes a mature Skyline version (white backlight only) and cloud-like Good in Blue version (no backlighting). If you insist on RGB with your gaming keyboard, the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini has less competition, just the black and white, all-white or Frozen Llama styles. The HyperX keyboard isn’t ugly, but after seeing other designs, picking this one is almost like going to Baskin-Robbins and only getting vanilla with a cherry on top. But it's also worth noting that the HyperX model is also less expensive than some of those previous-mentioned flavors of the keyboard.

HyperX’s remix of the Ducky One 2 Mini, like the others, uses Ducky-branded double-shot PBT plastic keycaps, so it should be resistant to temperature and solvents. PBT is less slippery than ABS, and these keycaps have just enough texture to offer a subtle roughness. It also fought off fingerprints while providing curves that still welcomed my digits. 

The keycaps are made with double-shot injection, meaning two pieces of plastic were molded together, and they felt durable as expected. Double-shot also means the font isn’t raised and shouldn’t fade.That’s good because I like the font here (the only fault is the percent sign, which looks a bit opaque). It’s friendly like Comic Sans but without going overboard with the kiddie feels (although rainbow-themed lights dancing around can change that).

The keyboard’s underside features a placard telling you what number keyboard you have out of the 3,700 made and makes you feel a little special for having a “Limited Edition” keyboard without overselling it. You’ll also find four DIP (dual in-line package) switches that are automatically set to toggle the Windows key on or off, switch from full n-key rollover to just 6-key rollover (HyperX told me that some operating systems don’t natively support NKRO, which could cause it to act abnormally), change the Ducky Vender ID (VID) or activate display mode, which has the keyboard go through its different RGB profiles for a light show.

In addition to four rubber feet that helped the board stay in place even during aggressive typing, there are flip out feet with two different levels, each with rubber feet of their own. For such a small keyboard, you get a surprising amount of height at the max setting.

RGB here was surprisingly bright for such a small keyboard. The space between the keys and the white base underneath made for a fantastic dancefloor for colorful LEDs. Without software, customizing the per-key lighting (see the Features section below) is more tedious than with other gaming keyboards. But by hitting Fn, Alt and T, you can toggle through six different modes: Wave, Color Cycle, Rain Drop, Ripple, Random Reactive, Reactive, Halo, 100% Full Back, Breathe, Radar and off. 

The effects vary in brilliance but some, like Wave sending a rainbow wave effect across the keyboard, are pretty striking. My favorite is Rain Drop, which has random colors falling across random keys each second, although this fast-paced effect (even after slowing it down with FN and Alt functions) was slightly less bright than others were. The spacebar manages to steal the show when you turn on RGB. That's because in addition to having a light over the red switch like the other keys, the spacebar has two more LEDs that illuminate it, giving an already standout key brilliant multi-color effects.

Typing Experience

Before today, all versions of Ducky’s One 2 Mini used Cherry MX-branded mechanical switches, specifically Cherry MX Brown, which feel tactile but quiet with each press, Cherry MX Blue, which are tactile and clicky, and Cherry MX Red, which are linear and quiet. With the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini, however, your only option is HyperX's own Red switches. 

HyperX Red switches, like Cherry MX Red ones, have a linear feel, meaning there’s no tactile sensation or bump when you press a key. The switches have 3.8mm total travel and actuate at 1.8mm. The more traditional Cherry MX Red switch have 4mm total travel and actuates at 2mm. Both Red switches actuate with around the same amount of force, but HyperX’s switches have a lifespan of 80 million keystrokes, while Cherry rates its linear switch for 100 million presses. The differences in total travel and actuation sound small, but when I put the keyboard next to a Cherry MX Red switch, I did feel like the HyperX switches were slightly easier to actuate. I prefer tactile switches to linear ones because linear ones often make me feel like I’m typing through water, but HyperX’s slightly shorter travel fought this slightly. The keyboard's favorable keycaps also helped matters, with the PBT plastic’s texture and solidness of the thick double-shot build giving each press more substance. The backspace button in particular feels like a chunky keycap that feels slightly heavier than most of the other keys do when pressed. The key’s switches are framed by two stabilizing cross stems. The enter, shift and spacebar keys have this too, but the more resistant press was more noticeable in the backspace and spacebars.

The spacebar’s firmer feel was more noticeable when gaming than typing. As someone who prefers tactile keys, the spacebar would be my favorite key on the One 2 Mini if I had to choose. But the difference in feel is much less obvious than with keyboards that use an alternative switch for the spacebar, like the G.Skill KM360.

I still wish the HyperX x Ducky One 2 Mini had an option for tactile or clicky switches. There’s zero click on this when typing, but aggressive typing was far from silent with the keycaps making a reassuring dull thud and the occasional echoing ding audible with the most aggressive presses in quiet rooms.