For years, HyperX has managed to release incredibly solid gaming headsets that balance a lot of aspects gamers want, without breaking the bank. With the introduction of the Cloud III headset, HyperX has hopefully released another gaming audio device that improves upon its predecessors, while still being a good budget option. 

The Cloud III gaming headset is bar-none the king of comfortability. With perfectly-sized puffy earcups, they manage to not clamp, while still staying decently secure on your head. Up on top of the headset is a plushy memory foam headband; everything about their design is pure comfort. Angled just ever-so-slightly, the earcups of the Cloud IIIs rest especially nicely. Lightweight headphones usually have a tendency to feel cheap, but HyperX's offering still is durable and has an air of quality to them, with the flashy red accents and smooth plastic. These are the kind of headphones I'd expect to see someone still rocking years from now, with hardly any signs of use, even if you were using them daily. 

On the left earcup is a port for you to attach the headset's microphone to, along with an easy-to-reach mute button. Having a detachable mic is nice, and it's long enough to angle it so you're not clipping the mic or awkwardly breathing into it. As far as the microphone's quality goes, it leaves a little to be desired for a wired headset, but it can definitely get the job done, at least. Considering the sub-$100 price point, it's acceptable quality for the money. 

Trailing from the headphones is a nice, thick braided 3.5mm cable, which comes with a USB adapter, so you can use them with a wide variety of devices. Initial impressions are solid, and the headset sounds incredibly balanced in modern games, with a nice surround sound option that helps with positional audio. It isn't as bass-y as you might expect, but it sounds balanced and natural, at least, for games that tend to have more low-key background music. 

Where the HyperX Cloud IIIs really start to falter--and quite dramatically so--is in the listening experience. It's immediately noticeable in anything that has even a little bit of highs present in the sound. 16-bit music in retro games just sounds all sorts of wrong, with a shrill profile. Persona 5 Royal's punchy JRPG tunes don't quite sound right, either; not as obnoxiously painful as chiptunes sound, but still lacking from what I'm used to hearing. At the very least, you can mitigate some of this with the Cloud III's equalizer presets, however, the EQ is locked behind the HyperX NGENUITY app. 

I'm conflicted about the HyperX Cloud III headset; its comfort is unmatched, and the wired connectivity options are great to have on offer, but something about the frequency response is a little "off", and if you're playing games outside of modern action titles and shooters, you might be left a little wanting. However, for $99, they're durable with a moderate sounding microphone, which is a value as far as headsets go.