It's no secret that I love my PS5 Slim. Seriously, read any of my gaming accessories reviews and that fact will jump out at you. Naturally, when I test the best gaming headsets, I always test them by playing games on my PS5. When the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 landed on my desk, I counted down the hours until I could play my favorite RPGs through it, and when the time finally came, the headset did not disappoint.
The headset sounds phenomenal, there's no sugarcoating it. It makes you feel fully immersed in the game you're playing, and its whopping 250-hour battery life means you can enjoy your favorite titles for hours and hours on end.
Thing is, the Cloud Alpha 2's outstanding sound profile isn't even its biggest selling point, because you can get the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro instead and be just as impressed if not more. Nuh-uh. You should buy the Cloud Alpha 2 for the accessory that accompanies it: the RGB Base Station. It blew me away with its performance and usefulness, and I'm certain you'll feel the same way.
Aesthetic and practical, what a win
Most headsets carry a similar roster features today, and are often accompanied by a 2.4GHz dongle for wireless connectivity. I love it when a brand thinks outside the box, and HyperX has done just that. The Cloud Alpha 2's RGB Base Station, a command module, is so much more than what's on the surface. It doubles as a 2.4GHz dongle so you need to plug it into your console to use the headset wirelessly.
Having a command centre and wireless transmitter/receiver built into one device makes so much sense, and now I wish all headsets came with the Cloud Alpha 2's Base Station.
Nifty, right? In my testing, sound was instantaneous and I didn't need to worry about latency issues or any lag. But what's even better is that the Base Station lets you control and customize your headset on the fly, so you don't need to dive into companion software every time you want to change the EQ.
All the buttons on the Base Station are remappable through the software so once you've set it up in line with your needs, you can cycle through headset EQs, mic EQs and so much more. Having a command centre and wireless transmitter/receiver built into one device makes so much sense, and now I wish all headsets came with the Cloud Alpha 2's Base Station.
The longest battery life I ever did see!
Now that I've stopped gushing about the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2's RGB Base Station, there's another reason you should get this headset: its battery life. That's right, the Cloud Alpha 2 has one of the longest battery lives, rated at 250 hours. For context, the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro has a 70-hour battery life while the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless lasts just over 20 hours.
Upstaging two of the biggest names in the gaming world is no mean feat but HyperX has managed to do it. Testing the Cloud Alpha 2's battery life to its limit would require using the headset for a loooong time, but I noticed that the battery had dipped to 85% after 30 hours, so not too shabby at all.
A new sheriff in town?
As much as I've loved using the HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 and adored its RGB Base Station, I don't think it'll be replacing my Razer BlackShark V3 Pro anytime soon. I gave the latter a perfect 5/5 score because it packed plenty of features (and performance) to justify its price tag of $249.
The Cloud Alpha 2, however, is priced at $299 / £254. At that price, I expect any gaming headset to be as close to perfect as possible and unfortunately, the Cloud Alpha 2 has some flaws that are difficult to ignore. Its cloth earpads tend to overheat and sweat pools up after prolonged use, and there's no active noise cancellation. Razer's offering doesn't suffer from either of these issues.
But of course, that doesn't mean the Cloud Alpha 2 doesn't warrant a purchase. Two things can be true at the same time. Yes, the headset is expensive and not without its faults, but it also makes games sound ridiculously good. It's the audiophile's gaming headset, and if you want best-in-class sound, you won't go wrong with the Cloud Alpha 2.
You can read all about how the headset fares while playing games in my in-depth HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 review. If there's one thing that should convince you to buy this set of cans, it's the RGB Base Station. It looks great, it's practical, and it makes customization effortless.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
