HyperX is regularly my gaming brand of choice. I adore my Cloud Stinger headset and thought adding wireless capabilities with the HyperX CloudX Stinger Core Wireless could only make things better. Unfortunately, a comfortable, long-lasting headset can only take you so far when it doesn’t actually function outside that.
Out of the box, I was excited about the CloudX headset. It looks just like its wired sibling, only dark grey and green instead of black or pink. It is light, weighing 275 grams and is powered by 40 mm drivers delivering Windows Sonic spatial sound. HyperX promises a wireless range of 20 meters and approximately 17 hours of battery life. For $99.99, this sounds like a pretty good deal for a wireless headset—if it can live up to all that.
Some CloudX headphone specs include dynamic 40 mm drivers with neodymium magnets, a 10Hz-21kHz frequency response, and 32 Ω impedance. The microphone features a unidirectional, noise-cancelling polar pattern, a 20Hz-6.8kHz frequency response and an electret condenser microphone. The earcups are over the ear, circumaural, soft cups, and the frame has steel sliders. The CloudX Core Wireless is solid. It sounds decent, not amazing, but more than enough for simple Xbox gaming. Voice chat came through clear, and I was heard with no difficulties.
“It never felt heavy, and I didn’t get the ache on the top of my head from the band that I normally see while gaming.”
The HyperX CloudX Stinger Core Wireless was moderately comfortable. My only issue after long gaming sessions was a bit of discomfort around the edge of my ear from the earcup cushions. It never felt heavy, and I didn’t get the ache on the top of my head from the band that I normally see while gaming. Not being wired was great. With kids and pets, it’s easy to get tangled up while gaming and I appreciate any chance I get to avoid that. The CloudX’s battery still hasn’t been charged in the two weeks I’ve been testing it, and I’ve been through at least six decent length gaming sessions, so all good news there too.
This design is an official Xbox licensed product, joining HyperX’s Xbox lineup featuring several other headsets and the ChargePlay Duo Xbox One controller charger. The CloudX Stinger Core Wireless works with the Xbox Series X|S and was fairly simple to set up. Press the pairing button on the Xbox, and then on the headset, wait a second, and you’re good to go. You’ll see “headset assigned” pop up on your screen, and the headset itself will tell you when it’s paired.
“The CloudX Stinger Core Wireless works with the Xbox Series X|S and it was fairly simple to set up.”
That is where the simplicity ends though. Keeping the CloudX Wireless connected to my Xbox was nearly impossible. If I turned the headset on while I was already in a game, I more often than not had to restart the game to get the headset to connect to it. I had to re-pair it to my system multiple times over the two weeks of testing.
The absolute worst part of the headset is that there wasn’t a single gaming session where the headset and microphone didn’t cut out, with the “headset assigned” note popping up on my screen after I’ve already been using it for an hour. Though this isn’t the WORST thing in the world for single-player games—aside from taking me out of the experience—it makes gaming in groups, like in Fortnite, an extremely frustrating experience.
I did speak to tech support about the issue. After sending in photos of my set-up, they suggested it was because I had a baby gate around my entertainment centre. Though I can understand something between myself and the system (only about 8 feet away) could interfere, I can’t help but wonder why this isn’t an issue with my controllers, or even my Razer Kaira Pro for Xbox. Not to mention wondering if anyone with a closed entertainment centre may face the same issues. There are plenty of wireless devices out there that don’t face this problem, and I’ve had the baby gate there for 6 years without any issue before this.
Something that may be a smaller gripe is the built-in chat mixer. Though it’s a helpful tool, it is surprisingly easy to move from game to chat. So much so that when I put the headset away, somehow it would turn the game sound completely off by the next time I used the CloudX. Logically, I should have checked this first, but having not touched the dial myself, I more than once thought I wasn’t connected to the Xbox properly.
The HyperX CloudX Stinger Core Wireless is a comfortable device with a great battery life and passable audio, but that isn’t enough when the headset is barely functional otherwise. I spent more time connecting, fiddling or just waiting for it to kick back in than actually enjoying my games. HyperX is one of the best brands out there, but they dropped the ball with the CloudX Stinger Core Wireless. I’ll be sticking with the HyperX Cloud Stinger or Razer Kaira Pro.
