Glorious's GHS InfinitePlay wireless gaming headset, priced at $229.99, has a feature that sets it apart: you can swap the battery without the audio cutting out. The Verge reviewer Cameron Faulkner tested the headset over a monthlong period.

Here is how it works. Inside the headset, a small backup battery provides up to three hours of listening on its own. When the main battery runs out, you pull it from the right earpiece and slide in a charged one. The backup battery keeps the sound going during the swap. The batteries go in like cartridges, and the shape prevents you from putting one in backwards as long as the textured edge faces down. A charging base station comes in the box and keeps a spare battery ready to go.

Glorious is a company fairly new to the audio space, and it is betting that this battery-swap system sets the InfinitePlay apart in a crowded market of wireless headsets. The approach is mechanically clean and addresses a real frustration for gamers. Whether it justifies the $229.99 price depends on how much the buyer values never being interrupted, but the engineering itself is solid.

The headset connects to PC, PlayStation 5, and Steam Deck using a small USB-C wireless transmitter. It also has Bluetooth for phone calls and music, so you could use it as an everyday headset outside of gaming. The ear cups fold nearly flat for storage, and the headband uses a stretchy strap design with adjustable side arms for fit.

The volume and chat controls are metal knobs on the back of each ear cup, and they click into place as you turn them. This is a step up from the mushy plastic dials you usually find on headsets at this price. The knobs sit toward the rear of the ear cups, so you can reach them without moving your hands much during play.

The microphone situation is more mixed. The reviewer called the built-in microphone "pretty lousy" and recommended using the detachable boom mic that comes in the box instead. For a $229.99 headset aimed at competitive gamers, a weak built-in mic is a reasonable tradeoff only if the boom mic sounds good, and the reviewer's recommendation suggests it does. Still, cutting corners on the built-in mic stands out at this price.

Software support is limited to a companion app on your phone. There is no way to adjust settings through a web browser, which will frustrate users who would rather not install another app, especially on computers that already have too many peripheral programs running.

Several features you might expect are missing. There is no active noise cancellation, the technology that uses microphones to block out background noise, which means the InfinitePlay is built for gaming rather than as an all-purpose lifestyle headset. There is also no hard protective case in the box, which is a notable omission for a product at this price that is clearly meant to be carried between PC, console, and handheld setups.

Looking at the bigger picture, the battery-swap concept is the kind of feature that, if it holds up reliably over time, other headset makers will feel pressure to copy. Battery life has always been the biggest weakness of wireless gaming headsets, and the InfinitePlay solves the problem by making the battery something you can swap out like a flashlight battery rather than a sealed component you cannot reach. The backup battery that keeps the sound going during the swap is what makes the system practical instead of a gimmick.

The trade-offs are real: no noise cancellation, no hard case, a weak built-in mic, and software limited to a phone app. But for a company new to audio, Glorious has found a genuine problem and built a clean solution. The InfinitePlay focuses on one thing, never-interrupted wireless audio, and does it well enough to matter to anyone who has had a headset die in the middle of a game.