No matter the digital content you consume, never underestimate the importance of sound. After all, there is as much audio as there is visual in the audio-visual experience. Video games are no exception. Hyper X seems perfectly aware of this sonic significance when it comes to video games, albeit with competitive gaming largely in mind, and deliver a fine sonic experience with their Cloud Flight headset.
Their premium stereo wireless gaming headset – aptly named the Cloud Flight – services much of the needs of gamers when it comes to audio. Sound quality is very impressive, as you would hope it would be, with plenty of depth and solid bass delivery. The included 3.5mm jack and input allows you to connect it up off-battery to an array of devices via cable, making the headset is more versatile than some of its competitors. I enjoyed removing the detachable mic and using the Cloud Flights out and about listening to music on my phone putting them through their paces.
The aptly named Cloud Flights are nice and light, and although the headband is relatively inflexible, they remained comfortable during my long play sessions. I did not experience any irritation or soreness, the Cloud Flights catering for larger heads like mine with plenty of room for expansion. Despite being almost entirely constructed of plastic, they feel solid and the red glowing Hyper X logo cut into the silicon on the ear cups makes them look appropriately pro-gamer. Pressing the mute button positioned on the side of the left earcup with a solid click has an element of satisfaction to it. I couldn’t help but feel the power button required to be held just a bit too long to register.
However, the plug-n-play wireless functionality of the headset was immensely user-friendly. A simple USB dongle slots right into your PC, PS4 or Xbox One, connecting you up almost immediately. The range was amazingly impressive too. With supposedly 20 metres of wireless range, I could wander about my house and fetch snacks from the kitchen upstairs whilst continuing a conversation with my mates in the party chat.
The obvious downside of the simple USB dongle is that there is no split audio output; everything runs through the same channel. This means you cannot adjust the audio balance between game and chat volume levels from the headset itself on the fly, but only through the software. Additionally, although possible through just a USB connection, the Cloud Flight is a stereo headset and therefore lacks surround sound. Those after better directional audio may need to look at headsets simulating surround sound, such as Hyper X’s Cloud Revolver S with similar USB plug-n-play functionality.
Such bells and whistles may come at the cost of the ease-of-use and convenience the Cloud Flights provide. The battery life on them is immense. Able to be charged directly from your console via a micro-USB connection (cleverly the same cable used to charge most controllers) Hyper X claim the Cloud Flights have an approximate 30 hours of battery life. I wouldn’t doubt them; I used the headset across consecutive sessions of use without bothering to charge them in between.
