Glorious GHS InfinitePlay Review: Hot-Swap Batteries Solve Wireless Headset Downtime

Glorious's GHS InfinitePlay wireless gaming headset, priced at $229.99, introduces a hot-swap battery system designed to eliminate the audio downtime that has plagued wireless headsets since the category's inception. The Verge reviewer Cameron Faulkner tested the headset over a monthlong period.
The core mechanism is straightforward. A fallback battery inside the headset provides up to three hours of runtime on its own, which means a user can pull the spent battery from the right earpiece and slot in a fresh one without losing audio. The batteries insert like cartridges, and the design is keyed so that the battery cannot be installed incorrectly as long as the grippy edge faces down. A charging base station ships in the box and keeps a spare battery topped up and ready.
Glorious, a company fairly new to the audio space, is clearly betting that the hot-swap system differentiates the InfinitePlay in a crowded wireless headset market. The approach is mechanically elegant and addresses a genuine friction point. Whether it justifies the $229.99 price depends heavily on how much the buyer values uninterrupted sessions, but the engineering itself is sound.
On the connectivity side, the InfinitePlay uses a USB-C 2.4GHz transmitter compatible with PC, PlayStation 5, and Steam Deck. Bluetooth support is included for phone calls and music pause functionality, letting the headset pull double duty as a daily commuter device. The ear cups rotate nearly 180 degrees for flat storage, and the headset uses a bungee-style headband with adjustable side arms for fit.
Physical controls consist of notched metal knobs on the back of each ear cup, handling volume and game/chat mix respectively. The tactile detents on metal hardware are a step above the mushy plastic dials common at this price point, and the placement toward the rear of the cup makes them reachable without breaking grip posture during play.
The audio input situation is more mixed. The built-in microphone is described by the reviewer as "pretty lousy," and the detachable boom mic that ships with the headset is recommended instead. For a $229.99 headset targeting competitive gamers, shipping a subpar integrated mic is a reasonable tradeoff only if the boom mic delivers, and the reviewer's recommendation suggests it does. Still, the built-in mic's quality is the kind of corner-cutting that stands out at this price tier.
Software support is limited to a companion app, with no browser-based option for adjusting settings. That will frustrate users who prefer managing headset profiles from a desktop without installing a dedicated application, particularly on systems where peripheral software bloat is already a concern.
Several expected features are absent. There is no active noise cancellation, which positions the InfinitePlay as a gaming-first device rather than a hybrid lifestyle headset. There is also no hard case in the box, a notable omission for a product at this price that is clearly designed for portability across PC, console, and handheld platforms.
Looking at the broader picture, the hot-swap battery concept is the kind of feature that, if reliable over the long term, other manufacturers will feel pressure to adopt. Battery life has always been the Achilles' heel of wireless gaming headsets, and the InfinitePlay sidesteps the problem entirely by treating the battery as a consumable cartridge rather than a sealed internal component. The fallback buffer ensuring zero downtime during the swap is the detail that makes the system practically usable rather than a gimmick.
The trade-offs are real: no ANC, no hard case, a weak built-in mic, and software limited to a mobile app. But for a company new to audio, Glorious has identified a genuine pain point and engineered a clean solution. The InfinitePlay is a focused product that prioritizes one thing, uninterrupted wireless audio, and executes on it well enough to warrant attention from anyone who has ever had a headset die mid-match.


