HyperX Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset Review

I’ve had a HyperX headset for a while now, and it has never let me down. Kingston really know how to assemble a robust bit of equipment -- and that shows with the Cloud Stinger. Despite being priced for the mid-tier user, they haven’t skimped on the build quality.

The Stinger comes in a simple box with plenty of foam padding, and it’s a one-piece unit with attached microphone and two-part cable. It ends in a standard (unless your phone is an iPhone 7) 3.5mm headphone jack, to attach to the second part of the cable or compatible devices. The end of the second part has two 3.5mm jacks -- one for plugging into the speaker port on your computer, the other for the microphone port.

The headset is solidly constructed from plastic, with memory foam earcups. When not in use, the earcups turn 90 degrees so that it can be easily stored away. The attached microphone is bendable, though I found that it usually went straight after I had moved it up to either mute it, or to take the headset off. There is a volume slider on the underneath of the right earcup - so if your volume is too low, adjust it! Also if it’s too high...

The sound quality is excellent for either games or music, though I would refrain from buying these if you’re primarily looking to listen to music on them. It lacks the features you probably need to enjoy music at its best.

The microphone is pretty clear, though obviously it isn’t as good as a separate dedicated microphone. The box says that it is Discord certified, and it certainly does work well on Discord. I spend most of my the day with it open, so I have some experience with the program.

When I first went to put the Stinger on, I thought it would be tight even after adjusting it. I was happy to find this wasn’t the case, and it was pretty comfortable even for extended periods. The padding on the earcups was comfortable, and they blocked out most of the noise from the house around me.

The quick start guide says that it is fully compatible with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One controllers, so I also tested it out on my PS4. It detects the microphone instantly, and enables communication with other players. However, it makes it hard to hear the in-game audio, because you’ve got a headset on… So you can go into the settings and switch the audio coming through the headphones to be all audio!