HyperX have been fairly prolific in their ventures into gaming headsets, with several lines now existing in their ‘Cloud’ range, from wireless headsets to the ‘Alpha’ series, which run the gamut of prices. The CloudX Stinger 2 Core, however, sits at the lower end of the spectrum, with models ranging from AU $69-$79 depending on where you shop. The CloudX Stinger 2 Core for Xbox is a special edition of this range, that comes in both green-accented black and white colours, and performs admirably as a budget headset option.

The CloudX Stinger 2 Core for Xbox does feel fairly plasticky, especially on the ear-cups, and the whole headset is very lightweight. There is some subtle texture work around the HyperX logo on both ear-cups which helps allay this a little, but it’s fairly clear this is a budget design. The headband fairs better, with a comfortable foam cushion stretched along the top, although this does not reach the entire way. This same material appears to be used inside the ear-cups as well, which is also where the green materials are found stretched over the speakers, which are visible through. The headset’s mic does not retract, and remains out on a firm boom-arm that can be titled up and down, although HyperX are nice enough to include a little foam screen you can optionally put over the top of the mic itself. In terms of controls, there’s just a single volume dial underneath the right ear-cup. There’s nothing wrong with a lightweight headset, and this is certainly fine to wear for long stretches of time, particularly when gaming, although its chunky overall design means it’s probably not a candidate for use outside of gaming.

Although this is an Xbox-focused headset, it just uses a standard 3.5mm cable for audio, so it’ll plug into anything with that socket. However, in the spirit of the headset, I tried it out on a range of Xbox games, most notably and serendipitously with Hi-Fi Rush, which came out at about the time we received this headset. In that game, which relies heavily on precision movement timed to rock music, the CloudX 2 Stinger Core actually worked really well. While its default volume range can be a bit low, this can be adjusted using Xbox’s settings, and its soundstage for general music is pretty accurate. Voices are clear, layers of instruments and effects sound great and not mushed together, and it even reproduces bass fairly well. The headset sports 40mm drivers, which it uses to sound fine for most situations. It does lack oomph when it comes to the lower end of that bass, which would make this not the ideal headset for shooter-heavy players or gamers who need to have those loud effects ringing in their ears, but for general play with clear music design like Hi-Fi Rush, or other games I tried like Pentiment and As Dusk Falls, the CloudX 2 Stinger Core works quite well.

The microphone is quite large, and as noted, always visible on its little arm that’s attached to the headset. While the hinge it sits on is firm, there is a little bendy bit at the end that you can use to pull it closer to your mouth. It too is a little quiet by default, although this can be boosted by software settings, which should make it fine for most voice chat in games, but not ideal as a streaming headset or something used for content creation.

As a budget headset, the HyperX CloudX Stinger 2 Core for Xbox has several competitors, and surprisingly it comes in quite a bit cheaper than our recently reviewed Arctis Nova 1, which we thought offered decent quality and audio for the price. While the CloudX Stinger 2 Core isn’t quite a sleek as that, or have a mic which folds away quite as nicely, it does provide similar audio and good overall experience at about AU $50 cheaper or more. Of course, it lacks the features of its bigger brothers – no wireless, not great surround sound simulation, not many controls and no dedicated software package – but, for the price of it, and the actual performance, it’s not a bad deal at all. If you’re in the lower end of the price range and after a good performing set of headphones, but not necessarily for general use or voice chat, then the CloudX Stinger 2 Core could very well be a good candidate.

This review is based on a unit provided by HyperX.