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HyperX CloudX Flight Wireless Gaming Headset Review
HyperX’s CloudX Flight is a new wireless gaming headset designed exclusively for Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 computers. It’s a re-imagining of the original Cloud Flight, adding native Xbox Wireless support, game/chat balance buttons, mic monitoring, and green LED lights.
It costs more than the original non-X model thanks to the expensive licensing associated with making an Xbox headset, and it has no backup wired connection option.
If you’re a die-hard Xbox user, it still manages to just barely clear the bar.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
The HyperX CloudX Flight (official product page) is a wireless-only, closed-back gaming headset that sells for $159. It includes a detachable mic, a USB dongle, and a short micro-USB charging cable. I bought mine for full price from Best Buy, the main brick-and-mortar retail partner for this headset in the US. Here’s my review policy.
In order to work with Microsoft’s consoles, wireless headsets need special tech licensed from the platform holder, unlike the PS4 and Switch which will both output stereo audio to many generic USB devices. Xbox wireless headsets often cost more than others on the market, because of the extra licensing and hardware costs involved. The connection uses a Microsoft-proprietary variant of Wi-Fi Direct.
Peripheral companies employ one of two different designs for their official Xbox headsets. They either incorporate an Xbox Wireless chip directly into the hardware, or use a licensed USB dongle that the console thinks is a wired controller.
The CloudX Flight uses the latter option. They’re near-identical in terms of audio quality and latency performance. However, the integrated chip method lets you turn on the console directly with your headset and see how much battery life remains, both features I missed here. On the plus side, the CloudX Flight’s dongle means it’ll work on Windows 10 PCs without the need to buy an Xbox controller adapter.
In a vacuum, the higher $159 price point makes some amount of sense against the $139 price of the non-X Flight. However, that older model works wirelessly with PS4, Switch…
