One of the best gaming headsets of all time is just $62 right now

The HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset on blue.
(Image credit: Future)
SteelSeries Arctis Pro Headset
was $99.99 now $61.99 at Amazon

HyperX Cloud Alpha | 50mm drivers | 13Hz27,000Hz | Closed-back | Wired | $99.99 $61.99 at Amazon (save $38)
A headset that we've loved for many years and still sits at second on our best gaming headsets list, and at a very reasonable price considering the fantastic sound you'll get out of these babies. It may not be wireless, but you do get a detachable mic and no software to worry about ruining your experience unlike with, say, a Razer headset.

The HyperX Cloud has been high in our best gaming headsets guide in one form or another for its entire run. As far as this one goes, there's little difference between the wired and wireless versions. In fact, this one—the wired HyperX Cloud Alpha—actually has a wider frequency range than its sister. 

So, if you're not bothered by the novelty of wireless technology, this is the obvious choice, and right now the HyperX Cloud Alpha is $62.

I'll admit that having wireless technology in your headset does open you up to a whole new world. Dancing as you make yourself a coffee, or a little victory chair spin when you score a headshot, but that privilege usually sets you back an extra $80.

What's truly great about the Alpha is the pure quality of sound you're getting for the money. There's almost no distortion at super high volumes, and the articulation is fantastic. Not only is it punchy enough that throwing a grenade in your game results in a genuinely traumatic audio response, it's also well-balanced enough that you can hear the glass fragments falling to the floor after it goes off.

In order to get to that level of quality there's no need to mess around with an EQ, or any software for that matter. It delivers high quality straight out of the box and will plug into anything with the included audio splitter—although don't lose it like I have otherwise you could be left without the use of fantastic noise cancelling mic.

Aside from that, this is a majorly comfy headset, and it'll see you right for some years, though after a couple you may need to invest in some new ear pads as, while they're comfy they do tend to flake after a while.

Otherwise, no overstating the superiority of this line of headsets, which have only been surpassed in very recent years by the Blackshark V2 as far as gaming headsets go. And for that price you're 100% getting your money's worth.

Katie Wickens
Hardware Writer

Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.

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The wired version of the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset floats in a teal void. It is an aviation-style headset with generous black padding on the ear cups and headband. It also has a microphone arm. Most of the body of the audio device is black, with the HyperX logo in red on the ear cup closest to the viewer, and red metal attaching the ear cups to the headband. Red stitching attaches the padding to the headband as well.
Ding ding ding: This is your regular reminder that the HyperX Cloud Alpha is only $80 and still the best wired gaming headset
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