I got a glimpse at the latest HyperX gaming peripherals. Here’s what stood out, from new devices to tweaks to existing fan favorites.
HP might not be ready to bring any new gaming laptops or desktop computers into the fray just yet, but it debuted a healthy heaping of new peripherals under its HyperX gaming brand to keep casuals, hard-core gamers and streamers happy.
HyperX announced its first open-back headphones and most lightweight mouse, along with a few other goodies that might upgrade your gaming experience. HyperX keeps the focus on gamers, but there are a few pieces of tech here, like the SoloCast 2 Pro mic, that I think will function best in the hands of content creators. There’s a little something for everyone, with products featured at variable prices throughout the lineup.
Any parent struggling to get their kid’s attention while they’re crushing a Fortnite lobby will probably be happy about new open-back headphones because they allow more outside noise to filter. And gamers themselves will be happy that the Cloud Air Alphas don’t sacrifice game audio quality.
I tried out HyperX’s first open-back headphones in a dedicated testing room at a press event in New York, and I’ll attest to the fact that it’s easier to hear people in the real-world than when I was wearing the Cloud 3 headset. My colleagues’ voices still sounded a bit too quiet for my liking, even when I was trying to focus on what they were saying, but my awareness was cranked up: With the Cloud Air Alphas on, I have no doubt that it’s easier for someone to get your attention.
I couldn’t shake the urge to remove one of the headphones when I wanted to engage with the conversation, but maybe that’s something that can only be remedied with time, patience and muscle memory as one grows used to the Cloud Air Alpha headphones.
HP will be releasing three new HyperX Pulsefire Haste 3 mice, targeting different subsets of casual, hobbyist and hard-core gamers (with a price to match).
The Pulsefire Haste 3 wired mouse is the entry-level product in the new mouse lineup. It clocks in at 68 grams with its cable, and feels fairly weightless despite always being wired up to your setup. Despite not having the highest sensitivity or mouse acceleration speeds, the wired mouse is able to achieve more than enough precision mouse movement for the average gamer — especially at its low $40 price.
The Pulsefire Haste 3 wireless mouse features pretty massive DPI sensitivity, IPS speed and acceleration gains over its wired counterpart, and it’s slightly lighter to boot.
With wireless mice, battery life becomes a variable you need to worry about between gaming sessions. The Pulsefire Haste 3 wireless mouse performs fairly well in that department: It ekes out 150 hours of battery life at 1K polling and 35 hours of battery life at 8K polling (and frankly, the average PC gamer will be just fine operating at 1K polling speeds).
This is the midrange mouse in HyperX’s new lineup, coming in at a respectable $90 price.
The carbon fiber Pulsefire Haste 3 Pro is the most lightweight (and most expensive) mouse in the lineup. Its buttons and grip have a rough, nearly grainy texture that creates a solid grip — it certainly feels good to hold, and though I usually prefer weightier mice, I appreciated the way the Haste 3 Pro molded to my hand.
The mouse touts a 150-hour battery life at 1K polling and glass skates to reduce friction — it’s very similar to the regular wireless Pulsefire Haste 3 aside from its physical form.
At its $130 price, the Pulsefire Haste 3 Pro is a more premium product than most folks will need, but will likely find its niche among hard-core PC gamers.
At a glance, the SoloCast 2 Pro looks strikingly similar to the existing SoloCast 2 desktop microphone: It still has the rubberized bottom that holds firm to your desk, the tap-to-mute button at the top and boom arm connection capabilities. But those with a more astute eye will notice the 3.5mm audio jack on the back and additional RGB light features that indicate when your vocals are peaking and not being picked up by the mic properly.
