See whether this budget headset is up your alley
We have come a very long way in the PC gaming sound space because the days when sound cards and virtual surround sound were the title of this match — to the point at which you can get quality sound from a relatively affordable PC gaming headset. Butjust how low does it go?
The HyperX Cloud Stinger, once known as one of the best PC gaming headset on this very site, is an over-ear gaming headset which calls for just $49/49 for what’s really a fairly quality set of headphones.
That price will get you an high number of features for both comfort and function. So, will just 50 bucks or quid — a relative pittance from the grand scheme of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday expenses — be enough to update your PC gaming sound to another level?
The headset
HyperX’s Cloud Stinger is slightly rudimentary in its layout, a solid piece of black plastic (with an adjustable steel slider for sizing) linking two large ear cups using the HyperX logo emblazoned on them. These ear cups can rotate 90 degrees for a better fit that can more easily break on your shoulders if it is break time.
Inside, you will discover memory foam cushions beneath leatherette ear cup pads, which wrap around 50mm drivers. On the left ear cup rests a mic on a swivel that, when moved upward, automatically mutes itself — that’s a super convenient feature that not even some high-end headphones include.
Finally, players that prefer to play on Mac every once in a while (maybe at work?) Will appreciate that this can be a headset behind macOS and Windows.
The cost
While the HyperX Cloud Stinger goes for only $49/#49, so do some other competing budget gaming headsets. Most importantly, such include the $49/49 Corsair HS50, that includes a more adjustable microphone that is detachable (however , it doesn’t auto-mute).
This one, also, is a multi-platform headset, but it is more widely so with support for Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, too.
We’d say that the HyperX Cloud Stinger is unquestionably the more feature-rich — and PC-friendly — of both, but maybe not as widely applicable to your various gaming apparatus as Corsair’s. Nevertheless, the HyperX also has a super-neat (and useful) auto-muting attribute, which can be a rarity in this price point. Consequently, if it is high-end PC gaming sound for a bargain that you’re looking for, keep a look out for your HyperX Cloud Stinger among most of the Black Friday gaming prices.
