Kingston HyperX Gaming Headset Review

Today we’re taking quick look at the Kingston HyperX Gaming Headset, which of course many of you may immediately recognise as the Steelseries Siberia v2, 3.5mm edition. You would of course be absolutely correct, this is the Steelseries headset, but what we have here is a new special edition, effectively a brand new design that is targeted at both players and fans of eSports.

While normally we would take an in-depth look at this headsets performance and features, were going to be focusing on the new design today, we’ve already reviewed the Siberia V2 and since technical aspects and performance as unchanged, we see no reason in doing it again. However, we simply couldn’t pass up getting a closer look at this edition and given that it combines some of the biggest names in the industry such as Kingston HyperX who now have a bigger involvement in eSports through various sponsorship deals, but are also celebrating 10 years in the industry. We also have pro gaming teams on the box such as NaVi and SK Gaming. So without further delay, let’s get straight to it and see how things look on the HyperX headset.

The box is pretty much the same as the original headset, but the Steelseries branding has been minimised in favour of the Kingston brand and a darker box design.

Things are the same around the back, along side a few technical details and a couple of small images of the headset its self.

The headset features a new black and cosmic blue colour scheme that gives it a bold, almost retro look.

The left and right ear cups both feature a small HyperX logo on the support bar.

The open back drivers feature a subtle “x” decal in white that adds a nice extra style touch to the design, but most of all I really like the metallic paint job. The paint has a subtle sparkle to it in bright lights, but remains a deep blue non the less.

A much larger and more bold HyperX logo runs over the headband that sits below the two torsion bars, while the interior of the drivers also features an “x” logo design.

The soft padding from the Siberia V2 remains in place on the headband, so you can expect the same comfortable fit that you get from the Steelseries standard editions.

The in-line controller has the same design as the stock Steelseries edition, although it is also finished in the metallic blue of the headset.

A soft touch coating on the cables should help prevent tangles. Just like the original headset we find dual 3.5mm cables, as well as a dual 3.5mm female to male extension cable.

The tip of the retractable headphone is also finished in the metallic blue, which can be seen tucked away on the base left ear cup (right side of the picture).

As usual, the microphone slides out with ease and features a silver colouring and a thick plastic coating on the boom that should prevent it from getting clogged with dirt.

So there we have it, overall I think this new one looks fantastic and while there maybe a seemingly endless supply of Steelseries headset designs to choose from, this is easily my new favourite as it matches the HyperX Predator ram and blue LED lighting of my system.

The performance is premium grade, something that we have come to expect from Steelseries and should you like the design there is no reason why you shouldn’t buy this over a normal design Steelseries Siberia V2 headset. The big factor for me has to be price and at time of writing this headset was just under £70 from OCUK, I have noticed the price of Steelseries headsets fluctuate based on their design and colour, so always best to shop around, but for now this is well priced and a solid investment.

Of course we did say that we had reviewed this headset before, so if your interesting in seeing what else the Siberia V2 has to offer in terms of performance, feel free to check out our featured review here.

Finally, it wouldn’t be fair to leave this without an award, but it wouldn’t be fair to give it any other award than what we gave it in our full review, but I still think the HyperX headset is worthy of our Gamers Choice award as it is still one of the best price vs performance headsets on the market.