As you may already be aware, I’m hardly one to be straining my ears, listening for the sound of footsteps in Counter-Strike 2. While I enjoy a satisfying reload animation as much as the next guy, I’m not really someone who plays shooters where high fidelity sound is a genuine tactical advantage. All of that said, that doesn’t mean audio is an aspect I’m happy to half-arse in my gaming setup.
For that reason, I’m pleased to see my absolute favourite wireless gaming headphones still at such a deep discount. But don’t just take my words for it: the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless are not only an excellent pair of cans, but they have held the much coveted ‘best overall’ top spot in our best wireless gaming headsets guide for almost three years now. Better yet, they’re only $130 from Walmart.
And why are they so beloved? Well, for less than 150 big ones you not only get dynamic 50 mm drivers pumping clear, crisp sound between your ears, and not only are you getting the luxury of a cable-free experience, but these cans also have a battery life that has to be experienced to be believed. Offering 300 hours from a single charge, Hope described the battery life in her HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review as nothing less than “witchcraft.”
That’s good news for me because this month I have submerged myself in the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and I’m not yet ready to come up for air. That is in part due to its absolutely fantastic soundtrack, made all the more immersive by a good pair of cans, and even more intriguing when you consider that apparently the game’s director found the project’s composer on Soundcloud.
The soundtrack has gone on to garner 18 million streams, and it’s not hard to understand why. I mean, I could wax lyrical for at least a few paragraphs more about the fabulously melancholy overworld theme Déchire la Toile, or why Une vie à t’aimer is many fans’ favourite track of the about seven hours of music Lorien Testard composed for the game—but I don’t want to spoil the experience of undertaking this expedition yourself.
What I will say is that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 may have made me get good at parrying thanks in part to its really fun, hybrid, turn-based combat system. Pivotal to getting down a sizable number of those parry windows is—you guessed it—sound. It’s a good job the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is a responsive bit of kit, because I am so done with getting shanked by the Catapult Sakapatates’ hidden blades and there’s a telltale sound cue that will help me get my own back.
Anyway, fangirling over—let’s get back to the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. Worth noting here is that the only major drawback for what is otherwise such a comfortable, solid sounding headset, is that the microphone is decidedly…mid. I suppose that’s just as well—my Discord is getting sick of me yelling, “CURSE YOU, SAKAPATATE!”
