If you skipped buying that coveted stick of RAM or 2 TB SSD this time last year, you must be feeling understandably morose. Most things are getting more and more expensive, but crucially, not all things. Components like headsets and gamepads conform to the fast antiquating dictum that, with time, value will rise while costs decrease.
That’s pretty much the case with the Corsair HS35 v3. At the level of raw specs at least, Corsair’s new mid-range headset has a touch more to offer than the SteelSeries Arctic Nova 3X, which is our favourite mid-range gaming headset. It came bearing a $90 price tag at launch (though you wouldn’t pay full price for it in 2026).
Like the Arctis Nova 3X, the HS35 v3 has 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, and a wired option. It has a detachable mic, and reasonably comfortable memory foam ear cups. Both models have 50mm drivers and a 20Hz – 20kHz frequency response. But the HS35 v3 is 10 grams lighter and $10 cheaper. Shots fired!
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|
Style |
Over-ear, closed-back |
|
Driver |
50 mm with Waves 3D Audio |
|
Frequency response |
20 Hz – 20 kHz |
|
Microphone |
Omnidirectional |
|
Battery life |
Up to 30 hours |
|
Connection |
2.4 GHz wireless (Type-C and Type-A dongle), Bluetooth, USB Type-C cable |
|
Weight |
250g |
|
Price |
$80 | £70 | AU$99 |
Buy if…
✅ You just want a performant workhorse: The HS35 v3 has excellent audio both incoming and outgoing.
✅ You need something light: This headset is definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum.
Do not buy if…
❌ You want flair: No RGB, few onboard controls, and a pretty boring plastic form factor don’t exactly scream “I’m an apex gamer”.
❌ You want a huge battery life: 30 hours is fine at this price point, but if you need something closer to 300 hours, look elsewhere.
I enjoyed using the HS35 v3 despite underwhelming first impressions. An obviously plastic frame puts a dampener on appearances but keeps things admirably light: it weighs a pretty astonishing 250 g, which is 50 g lighter than the boastfully light Turtle Beach Atlas Air. The memory foam cups, which pivot 90 degrees, sit comfortably over my oversize egg, while the floating headband keeps plenty of berth between my skull and the plastic solid headband.
On the headband design, the outer plastic headband isn’t adjustable on rails like a lot of other headsets. Instead, the inner floating headband connects to three notches: you have to remove the floating band and reapply it according to the size of your head. This would seem to offer fewer gradients of size adjustability, but the floating band is nicely malleable. I found it comfortable, and my 8-year-old son—whose head is, naturally and mercifully, smaller than mine—found it comfortable too. Still, if you have an outlier-sized head, whether small or large, it might be worth trying the set on first.
Despite first impressions I actually came to like how plain the HS35 v3 design is. Corsair has some pretty outré cup designs (take the bulky HS80 RGB as an example) but the HS35 v3 sticks to a conservative oval that won’t stand out on public transport or in the office, if you’re taking the mixed purpose route. I’ll say again, it really is extraordinarily light: I wore it for most of the day and didn’t feel too much strain.
Connectivity is mostly a cinch, and I liked that the 2.4 GHz dongle has both a USB-A connector, inside which a USB-C connector is neatly nested. Here’s an alert for those hoping to use the HS35 v3 with a console, though: while it supports wired connectivity, it does so with a USB-C to USB-A connector. In other words, no 3.5 mm connectivity here, so you won’t be able to connect it straight into a gamepad.
Complementing its potential as a multi purpose headset is that the boom mic is removable, which is nice at this price point. It’s also usefully bendy and—most importantly—delightfully crystalline where audio fidelity is concerned:
Note that’s using 2.4 GHz wireless. Mic output quality noticeably deteriorates over Bluetooth, though this is a common issue to do with Bluetooth’s narrower bandwidth.
Sonic Assassin
But what I liked most about the HS35 v3 is its remarkable sound, which punches above its weight in this price range. This isn’t a noise-cancelling affair but the sonics are nevertheless enveloping, probably thanks in part to the secure embrace of those pivoting earcups. Pummelling theatrical bass leaves plenty of room for the mid-range and all the environmental detail that entails.
I tested the HS35 v3 with The Blood of Dawnwalker and a wide personal collection of sicko electronic music including Autechre and Aphex Twin. I mean, this is not an audiophile set of headphones, nor is it a high range gaming headset, but it handles spiky complexity extraordinarily well, with no clipping or distracting sense of compression.
In Dawnwalker, subterranean dungeons sound genuinely remote and cocooned to a near stifling degree; outside, birds serenely tweet in the foreground as rabid wolves moan in the distance. The HS35 v3 can easily meet the scale of an open world, just as it can capture the cavernous warrens of R6 Siege where audible directional prompts— footsteps, destroyed barricades—are important and not just nice to have.
Sweetness and light
While it performs very well where input and output are concerned, this headset definitely feels mid-range, despite rubbing shoulders with pricier budget affairs. There are some things you’ll just have to cope with. Onboard controls are minimal, though we do get a volume wheel which can be pressed to mute the mic, and we do get a single lonely, albeit capable button that can toggle between connectivity modes and pause music. There is no software, which is great news to me, but maybe you like to fiddle with audio profiles.
Battery life is determinedly mid-range as well: expect 30 hours, which does not compare favourably to more expensive models like the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless’ supernatural 300 hour battery life. But 30 hours is still a long time for anyone but endurance streamers.
The other thing about it is that, well, it’s pretty boring. It looks boring and it does what it says it’ll do and nothing more. I think this is fine, and I’m not marking it down because it just does the bare minimum, but maybe you like your headsets fancier, in which case: better start saving. For its price, the HS35 v3 does pretty much everything it needs to do with better-than-average performance.
Best gaming headset 2026
