The HyperX Vision S webcam is the company’s first attempt at a device ready for streamers to enjoy. But is it worth the price?
HyperX has been growing significantly over the last few years when it comes to making high-quality accessories for gamers like the Pulsefire Haste 2 mouse and Cloud III headset.
As their first foray into the content creation scene, HyperX launched the Vision S webcam back in October as an option for those looking for crisp camera quality without having to spend the money on a mirrorless camera and accessories.
At $199, the HyperX Vision S webcam can capture up to 4K resolution at a 30fps frame rate. Is it worth the price?
Key Specs
- Recording resolution: 4K30, 1080p60
- Field of view: 90-degrees
- Resolution: 8mp
- MSRP: $199.99
Design
The HyperX Vision S is unique when it comes to webcams, offering a sort of squared-off barrel shape.
It sits on top of a very sturdy mount with three pivot points and a front lip that allows you to place the webcam on just about any monitor without any issues. If your monitor does have a top bezel smaller than the lip of the Vision S, there’s a threaded tripod screw hole on the bottom of the mount.
The webcam with the mount is roughly 259g, which isn’t very heavy at all. It’s about three inches long, and just under two inches wide. For privacy, HyperX opted for a magnetic cover that can be stored on the back side of the webcam when not in use.
Inside, it features an 8-megapixel Sony Starvis IMX415 sensor that gives users video capture at up to 4k resolution at 30fps. However, you’ll have to be plugged directly into a USB 3.0 port in order to get access to 4K. HyperX decided not to put a microphone inside of the Vision S, but given that they’re marketing it towards creators and streamers, it makes sense.
It’s a gorgeous piece of hardware, and should stand the test of time in just about any setup.
Features
Alongside the impressive bit of hardware is HyperX’s NGENUITY software which, as usual, knocks it out of the park with various options.
With it, you’ll be able to make a plethora of changes to the Vision S to make it look absolutely fantastic in whatever lighting conditions you throw at it.
There are toggles for Auto Focus, Exposure, and White Balance as well as the ability to adjust them yourself with at least one slider for each feature. NGENUITY gives you the option to choose how you want to be framed in the camera, too.
The app also has check boxes for backlight and low light compensation, HDR, and other adjustments. I did notice that HyperX’s software does occasionally act up when changing resolution or framing, but a quick restart of the app fixes it just fine.
HyperX added support for Windows Hello as well, which allows you to unlock your computer with just your face. It works just fine, with only a few hiccups during my testing.
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Image quality
Straight out of the box, I immediately noticed a massive improvement between my trusty Logitech C920 and the HyperX Vision S.
It’s marketed towards content creators and streamers, many of whom have begun using Mirrorless cameras as a webcam over the last few years as a way to improve their stream quality. The Vision S doesn’t have as many uses as a regular camera — you can’t unhook it from your PC to film IRL content as one example — but thanks to the Sony sensor you can absolutely get a similar quality.
The webcam is great in low light conditions and reproduces colors that are pretty true to real life. The fine details are easily visible in both 1080p and 4K resolutions, and it retains the same quality in third-party software like OBS or Steamlabs Desktop.
Microphone Quality
Webcam microphones often suck, and HyperX seems to be plenty aware of that as they didn’t include one in the Vision S.
And, it makes sense. HyperX is marketing the webcam as a high-quality option for content creation, an industry where more often than not you’ll see people using a dedicated, higher quality microphone.
HyperX offers plenty of options for people looking to get a dedicated mic themselves as well, like the easy-to-use Duocast USB mic and the higher-end Procast XLR option.
Should you buy it?
The HyperX Vision S webcam should definitely be on your list if you’re looking for a high-quality camera with an extremely crisp image but don’t want to splurge on the equipment needed to use a Mirrorless.
HyperX NGENUITY has had its fair share of bugs since launch, but it’s a pretty stable and feature-packed software to help control the settings with the Vision S webcam.
The verdict: 5/5
Continuing the trend of high-end webcams being released through 2023 like the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, HyperX absolutely knocked it out of the park with the Vision S and I can’t wait to see this trend goes through 2024 and beyond.
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