Headsets are the one thing as a gamer I never really worried about, I had a headset for PC, but for console I have always just used the ones supplied by the makers. Over the years I have dabbled with the odd third party, but there was always something missing from the kit, but with the Cloud Core from HyperX, I could not find a fault.

From the outset, the first thing I noticed is how little there is to the unit, the ear cups are padded and attached to the aluminium frame, which itself extends up towards the padded, leather band. The entire unit is really light, compared to other headsets around the same price and the best part, it does not act like a vice, the crushing effect of other headsets is something I can’t stand and it not being here is a real plus. While it looks like there is not a lot going on, from the outside at least, the insides prove to be busier than you might have thought possible.

Now the main part of any good headset is the sound that they produce, this is helped by the speakers themselves and the casing around them. The speakers found inside are 53mm drivers, which means they are really large, for the size of the unit at least, but thanks to the foam ear cups they are also well encased. The ear cups are large enough that I never had issues with them pinching a part of my ear and at the same time, they were thick enough to avoid letting outside noise in. This helps keep the sound from the game in but of course helps keep all those pesky outside noises from ruining your game.


The unit is equipped with a 3.5mm jack, which allows you to connect it to almost every console and portable around, located on the unit is also a port for attaching the microphone, which can be used for in game chat, or voice recording on a PC. Speaking of PC, an additional cable is provided for additional length as well as splitting the single connect to the green and pink common on PC’s. Of course while all the above is good to know, it's the sound that really makes or breaks a headset and I am happy to report that the sound here is superb.

I threw a variety of games at the headset, from last year’s Call of Duty, to recent releases like Elder Scrolls Online and Moto GP, and while each game was immensely different, they all sounded amazing through the headphones. In Call of Duty, the explosions had bass and sounded impressive, but then the futuristic weapons also had a satisfying zing to them, both as they shot away from me and towards me. The Elder Scrolls had the pleasure of providing a rich world to explore and each roar from a creature unknown, the creek of wood in an abandoned mine and the chatter of the citizens of the world, if I had a VR headset on, I would have lost myself in the world.

Moto GP was perhaps the most intense of all the games, when playing with the camera behind the bike, the sound of the engine bounced off the safety walls around the track, but when I went into inside the helmet, the sound was muffled and awesome, it sounded like my head was inside the helmet. The sounds were ok without the headphones, but with them the sense of immersion was heightened greatly.


Hyper X Cloud Core is one heck of a headset, it's light but also powerful, with the impressive speakers within, it has provided me with some of the clearest gaming sounds in a while. The price helps sell this to consumers, but it's the features and quality that will convince them to stick with it.