Ars Technica
It’s the weekend and that means it’s time for a new Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the web’s best tech deals includes a good discount on HyperX’s Cloud Alpha, a gaming headset we like. It’s currently down to $60 at several retailers, which is the best price we’ve tracked and is about $15 below the regular street price online.
The Cloud Alpha has been available for a few years now, but it remains a commendable option for those who want a no-nonsense gaming headset, especially at this discounted price. First, it’s comfortable: the design doesn’t cling too hard to the head, and the generous amount of soft padding on the headband and earcups keeps the headset comfortable to wear for hours. The headband is adjustable, the included 3.5mm cable is completely detachable and the whole thing feels sturdy. There’s no wireless connectivity, but that shouldn’t be a big minus for gaming purposes: every modern game console and PC still uses a 3.5mm jack, and the microphones on wireless headsets sound worse anyway.
In general, headsets explicitly geared towards gaming often don’t sound as sharp as the best stock headphones at the same price, but the Cloud Alpha performs well for what it is. There’s a slight bass boost, but it’s never muddy or overpowering. The headset is also good at accurately locating and separating sounds in a mix, so you won’t have any trouble determining where shots are coming from in an online first-person shooter, for example. That said, the treble range is a bit lacking in detail and, like most closed-back headphones, the soundstage isn’t particularly wide. Likewise, the included boom mic could sound clearer, although it does a good job of blocking out background noise. It is well. It is also completely detachable.
We named the Cooler Master MH751 our top pick in a previous guide to the best gaming headsets, and if money isn’t an issue, we still give that pair a little nod: The mic is more accurate in a quiet room, it’s a bit lighter on the head, and the sound is a bit more balanced. It also has a more understated design, although it isn’t quite as adept at isolating outside noise. However, the two pairs are very close and the MH751 currently costs $16 more online. If you’re looking to save a few bucks on a gaming headset that gets the job done, the Cloud Alpha should be the better value at this deal price.
In addition, our roundup also includes the best price we’ve seen for Microsoft’s Sculpt Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard, which costs $49 at Amazon. This is an older model that only works via a USB dongle (ie not Bluetooth), uses simple laptop-style membrane keys, and isn’t as adjustable as other ergonomic keyboards. However, if you’ve been interested in giving ergonomic keyboards a try, this is an affordable way to put your hands and wrists in a less straining position than traditional keyboards.
Elsewhere, we’ve got discounts on top noise-cancelling headphones from Sony and Bose, some Mario games for the Nintendo Switch, LG OLED TVs and more. You can find our full curated list below.
Ars Technica may earn compensation through affiliate programs for sales of links on this post.
Recommended offers of the day
- HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset for $60 †
$75) at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop - Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard (Wireless) for $49 †
$58) at Amazon - Razer Huntsman Mini Compact Gaming Keyboard for $70 †
$105) at Woot - Samsung 980 (1TB NVMe) PCIe 3.0 Internal SSD for $100 †
$110) at Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy - Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless ANC Headphones for $278 †
$315) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Nintendo eShop - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Nintendo eShop - Kena: Bridge of Ghosts (PS4, PS5) for $26 †
$35) at PSN - Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light (HF3520) for $80 †
$100) at Amazon, Walmart - Full Jarvis Desk Sale: take 15% discount various Fully Jarvis standing desks at Amazon, Fully
Jeff Dunn
Electronics Deals
- HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset for $60 †
$75) at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop - HyperX Cloud II Wireless Gaming Headset for $130 †
$145) at Amazon, Walmart - Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard (Wireless) for $49 †
$58) at Amazon - Razer Huntsman Mini Compact Gaming Keyboard for $70 †
$105) at Woot - Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless ANC Headphones for $278 †
$315) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless ANC Headphones for $279 †
$310) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Sony SRS-XB43 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $148 †
$215) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - LG C1 (2021) 65-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,650 †
$1850) at Woot
Jeff Dunn
Laptop and Desktop PC Deals
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (GA503) 15.6-inch gaming laptop (1440p 165Hz, Ryzen 9 5900HS, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, GeForce RTX 3070) for $1,550 †
$1,800) at Best Buy - Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14-inch 2-in-1 Laptop (1080p, Ryzen 5 5500U, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $600 †
$710) at Amazon - LG 27GL850-B 27-inch gaming monitor (1440p, 144 Hz, IPS, FreeSync) for $347 †
$385) at Amazon, Walmart, B&H - Samsung 980 (1TB NVMe) PCIe 3.0 Internal SSD for $100 †
$110) at Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy - AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core/12-thread desktop processor for $229 †
$285) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H - AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core/24-thread desktop processor for $449 †
$520) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-core/32-thread desktop processor for $590 †
$715) at Amazon - WD Elements (16TB) desktop hard drive for $270 †
$320) at B&H, Newegg
Razer
Video Game Deals
- Ukraine Bundle: Contains 992 PC Games + Items for minimum $10 on itch.io (all proceeds go to International Medical Corps and Voices of Children)
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch) for $10 †
$20) on Nintendo eShop - Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Nintendo eShop - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Nintendo eShop - Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Nintendo eShop - Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) for $40 †
$50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Switch) for $60 †
$80) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy - Super Mario 3D All Stars (Switch) for $50 †
$60) at Walmart
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox, PC) for $16 †
$25) on Xbox (also on Game Pass) - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Xbox) for $10 †
$20) on Xbox (also on Game Pass Ultimate) - Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (PS5, PS4) for $22 †
$35) at PSN (PS Plus only† - Eternal doom (PS4, Xbox, PC) for $20 †
$30) at Amazon, Best Buy (also on Game Pass) - Kena: Bridge of Ghosts (PS4, PS5) for $26 †
$35) at PSN - NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 (PS4) for $30 †
$40) at Best Buy - OlliOlli World (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox) for $24 †
$30) at Amazon, Xbox, PSN, Steam - chrono trigger (PC) for $7 †
$15) at Steam - saber (PC) for $16 †
$20) at Steam
343 Industries
