The word “impressive” is inadequate to describe my experience with HyperX's Cloud Alpha Wireless. Most wireless gaming headsets quote roughly 30 to 40 hours of battery life. For this one, HP-owned HyperX boasts 300 hours. You read that right: three hundred. I've racked my brain searching for an explanation for how these cans can last so long. I'm at a loss. After using them for more than three weeks, I can report that HyperX's claim is holding up.
Testing these headphones has been tricky. I ran into a problem I rarely have with any gadget—no matter how hard I tried, the battery just wouldn't die. For the first two weeks, I used the Cloud Alpha Wireless like I would any other headset—a few hours every day while writing or editing. I didn't even charge them when I took 'em out of the box. That's when I got curious enough to start logging my usage hours on a spreadsheet. They've yet to drop to zero percent, but we'll continue tracking battery life over the coming weeks to see if there's any trickery afoot.
The Mysterious Forever Battery
Photograph: HyperXLike most gaming headsets, the Cloud Alpha Wireless uses a USB-A dongle to plug into your PC or PlayStation 4/5, and the headset communicates with it wirelessly via the 2.4-GHz frequency (up to 20 meters). Unlike some other headsets, they can't connect via Bluetooth or with a 3.5-mm headphone cord. Also unlike most headsets, they hardly ever need to be recharged.
