Like many of us who work here, I was a PC Gamer reader long before my words appeared on this site. What often made me back off a bit was the love for certain headsets from this team: the HyperX Cloud series headsets are probably the most admired ones on the site. But does HyperX really vape?

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is the latest device in this royal lineage, and it seems to be filling its massive shoes with aplomb. The headset's main attraction is its new massive battery. The headset remains relatively lightweight and comfortable while delivering up to 300 hours of battery life in wireless mode. That's quite a feat, and I think HyperX has actually pulled it off.

Out of the box, the unit was reported to have about 80% charge. After spending all day listening to music, I checked the battery again. Sure enough, it still showed 80%. I have been using it fairly consistently for the past week for gaming and listening to music and it is still not even at 50%. I have not charged this headset once since I bought it. I have to plug it in to test the charge before I can actually charge it.

The Cloud line always touts comfort, and despite the heavy battery, this definitely fits that bill. I'm someone who struggles with too much weight or tightness on my head, and I'm really sensitive to uncomfortable headsets. The top band is thick and has soft padding under it. This, combined with the equally soft ear cuffs, makes for a very cozy experience and does a great job of blocking out noise. While there is no active noise canceling feature, the cups are dangerously well sealed. They also don't squeeze the sides of my head or constrict my ears; the Alpha is a bit tiring to wear for long periods of time, but it is still one of the more comfortable headsets I own.

That's it: listen to the recording above to hear how the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless' microphone sounds.

This impressive battery life is, of course, best-case scenario. Much of this has to do with the volume at which the headset is used, and volume is probably my only complaint. It is loud enough, but quite comfortable to listen to at full volume. It is clean, crisp, and very clear for the level, but not as loud as one would expect at 100% volume. The difference between about 50% and 100% is certainly noticeable, but under normal circumstances it does not feel like a huge gap. Most other headsets can be set to this level and still not be worn, and while I prefer to set the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless at 70-80% at best, it seems wrong that it can't blow out your eardrums even when set to maximum.

However, the sound quality is really great. The music sounds amazing. I always enjoy listening to my favorite heavy sounding songs on a good pair of cans and trying to pick out the instruments and bites used. It works great and is definitely one of the better gaming headsets I've used to listen to music. It is comparable to the Epos H3Pro Hybrid I reviewed earlier this year, but without the additional features like Bluetooth and noise cancellation.

When playing games, the directional sound is also very nice; in Deep Rock Galactic, the directional beeps made finding hidden batteries easy, and I enjoyed bouncing to the tight beats of Shadow Warrior 3. I loaded up Doom Eternal and was immediately scared. If you have ever wanted to know what it sounds like to have a cacodemon suddenly appear and whisper sweetly blah blah blah to your left ear only, this can absolutely happen. The footsteps are nice and clear for the creature with it, and the spatial sound works an absolute treat.

It works great with my PS5, A+ would make my soul leave my body again.

Unfortunately, the microphone is very ordinary, and while it works fine for in-game chat, it is very basic and uninspired when it comes to sound quality.

The Cloud Alpha, however, is not as unobtrusive as the Epos. The microphone is removable, but its aesthetic is gamer chic. The red trim is a bright, beautiful metallic color that looks better in person than it does in pictures; the HyperX branding is proudly emblazoned on it, perfect for listening to music on the train, but also quite attention-grabbing. With this on your head, there's no hiding that you're a gamer.

As a wireless gaming headset, it is hard to imagine a customer not being satisfied with this. The price is high, but the specs are in the right range, and it has everything you need to play games and listen to music on your PC.