HP's New Gaming Headset Promises to Stay Powered From Now Until Judgement Day

Gizmodo

3 days ago

If you really can't stand the idea of plugging a headset into a spare USB charger after a marathon gaming session, your old buddies Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard may have what you're looking for. HP's HyperX lineup of PC gaming peripherals now includes the $300 HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 headset that promises a total of 250 hours of battery life on a full charge. No, it's not as long as the original $200 HyperX Cloud Alpha's promised 300 hours back in 2022, but the sequel now includes a big glowing base station for quick audio switching and simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity that makes it more usable as your go-to PC headset.
HP invited me to stick my head between the Cloud Alpha 2's cuffs, and at the very least I can say it will remain comfortable for a portion of the 250 hours you could spend listening to it. The headset is built on a steel frame with aluminum forks supporting microfiber earpads that feel soft and tight without squeezing your head like a lemon press. That promised 250 hours of battery life is what you can expect from using it in 2.4GHz mode at 50% volume, but if you do simultaneous Bluetooth, you can expect closer to 125 hours. If you want to go from 0 to 100%, charging this beast could take upwards of six hours. In effect, the headset could last a total of 25 10-hour marathon gaming sessions. If you're like me, and you barely get two hours to rub together to sit down at your PC, the Cloud Alpha 2 could potentially go months without needing topping up.
The Cloud Alpha 2 seems built to be your mainstay at-home headset for PC gaming thanks to the RGB Base Station. The platform sits on your desk with a large volume knob and six programmable buttons. It acts as your 2.4GHz dongle, though its main raison d'être is for easy-access media controls. HP told me the big glowing buttons can be reprogrammed for mute, media switching, EQ toggles, and more through the Ngenuity software. I asked the company if these buttons could be modified to access features outside of HP's own software, but unfortunately you won't be able to turn the RGB Base Station into a miniature Stream Deck.
HP also brought back the internal mic the company last featured in the HyperX Cloud III S. It's a quality of life feature that lets you set the obtrusive boom mic aside if you want to keep talking while shoveling food into your maw. What wasn't copied over was the Instant Pair feature that let the Cloud III S connect to HP's Omen Max 16 laptop without needing a dongle. It seems like a strange omission considering HP's new gaming laptop supports the instant audio connection.
The new HyperX headset is using large 53mm drivers, and in the few minutes testing them, I found they could produce loud audio with some impressive bass, but there wasn't nearly enough time to really put the Cloud Alpha 2 through its paces. I've been on a headset kick lately since trying out the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro with its measly 70 hours of stated battery life, though HyperX's lineup is geared more toward the everyday gamer rather than the esports tryhard. Despite—or perhaps due to—all this talk about pointlessly long battery life in a headset, what really sparked joy in my jaded gamer brain was a power supply, of all things.
HP's new Omen Max 45L desktop sports a neat cooling system hanging on a shelf above the main chamber. That so-called 'Cryo Chamber' is supposed to keep components up to the AMD Ryzen 9950X3D and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 cool. What enticed me more was what lay below. The PSU, or power supply, includes a fan control built into the PC's Omen software. HP also allows users to spin the PSU fan backwards, which in theory should expel any dust or loose fur that gets sucked up through the bottom grates. I can't imagine this would replace a deep cleaning. If anything, HP's latest products are built for the forgetful sort who can't seem to find the time to charge their headset or clean their PC.