Corsair HS35 V3: the $80 headset that outlasts your Deck
Corsair’s HS35 V3 is a budget wireless headset, but the more interesting story is how it behaves on a handheld. At $79.99 / £69.99 you’re getting a 250g closed-back pair with 30 hours of battery, Bluetooth, wired, and 2.4GHz wireless, plus a two-part USB-C/USB-A dongle that GamesRadar calls one of the handiest transmitters it has ever used. On a Steam Deck’s single USB-C port or an ROG Ally’s side rail, that form factor is the difference between a headset you actually carry and one you leave at home.
The catch is software. The HS35 V3’s custom sound lives in the Windows-only Dolby Atmos app — there’s no iCue, which the review treats as a blessing. That means ROG Ally and Legion Go owners get the full “Warm” EQ that made Counter-Strike 2 bullets feel weighty in testing, while Steam Deck and Switch players get the excellent out-of-box tuning and nothing else. For the price, that’s a fair trade — just know which feature set you’re actually buying.
The Dongle That Doesn’t Bulge
Most wireless headsets ship a USB-A brick that feels like a liability dangling from a handheld’s only USB port. The HS35 V3’s transmitter snaps its USB-A and USB-C halves together into something roughly memory-stick-sized — genuinely useful when you’re stuffing a Deck into a bag, or when an Ally’s side rails are already crowded. GamesRadar verified plug-and-play on PC; SteamOS has USB audio support baked in and Windows handhelds run the same OS the review tested on, though Valve hasn’t certified this specific headset, so treat Deck compatibility as expectation rather than guarantee. The Bluetooth lane opens things up further, and standard BT audio — which the Switch has supported since 2021 — covers Nintendo’s handheld without needing the dongle at all. If you’d rather skip the wireless calculus entirely, there’s also a $49.99 wired HS35 V3 for budget-minded buyers.
30 Hours vs. the Handheld Battery Economy
Do the battery math from a handheld seat. A Steam Deck OLED stretches to roughly 12 hours on light indie titles; the ROG Ally can burn through its 40Wh pack in under two on demanding releases. The HS35 V3’s 30-hour rating means the headset outlasts multiple full handheld charge cycles before it needs its own cable — you’ll charge the Deck and the headset on entirely different schedules. And when the rare low-battery moment does hit, the wired USB-C mode plugs straight into the handheld and keeps playing with zero added latency.
The absence of iCue is the quieter win. On Windows handhelds where every background process nibbles at a fragile battery, a headset that runs without companion software is a feature, not a cut corner — and no RGB means a few more milliamps stay in the tank. At $79.99, the HS35 V3 is the budget pick for ROG Ally and Legion Go owners who want the full Dolby Atmos treatment, and a well-tuned, no-frills Bluetooth headset for Deck and Switch players. Know which half of that deal applies to your handheld, and this is one of the easiest $80 accessory decisions you’ll make this year.