Since the arrival of the PlayStation 5, Sony has quietly been upping its gaming audio capabilities. One of the many features of the PlayStation 5 is 3D audio. While players can hear it without a headset, playing with one is a different and better experience.

Within the next year, PlayStation has two new headsets coming out: the Pulse Wireless Headset and the Pulse Edge Wireless Headset. The Pulse Wireless Headset comes out next week, and its lower price point of $100 makes it much more competitive compared to other headsets.

The PlayStation Pulse Wireless is Simple and Effective Right Out of the Package

A headset with a USB
What comes with the headset
Image via PlayStation

Pulling the PlayStation Pulse Wireless Set out of the box didn’t feel overwhelming. Opening it up, I just had the headset and a PlayStation Link USB Adapter. The headset cups can fold in on themselves, making it convenient for travel.

A common complaint with the PlayStation headsets is that the band feels too cheap, like bad plastic. With the Pulse Headset, the band feels a lot more durable. There wasn’t any worry about the slim chance of the band breaking up by mistake when putting it on.

Pairing it up with the USB connected to the PS5 is a quick and easy experience. To get the best 3D audio experience, players should go to their settings to create a 3D audio profile that’s suited to them. Once they do that, the true fun of the Pulse Wireless headset begins.

Testing Out the Pulse Wireless Headset With 2026 Most Underrated Game of the Year: Saros

Housemarque Saros game
Housemarque Saros game
Image via PlayStation

A huge selling point for these headphones is that they’re compatible with Tempest 3D AudioTech. This tech makes the audio come from different directions instead of a horizontal left-right. The sound can mimic being behind, above, or at various distances from the player, making the immersion more interesting.

All the big PS5 first-party games, like Marvel’s Wolverine or Ghost of Yotei, have Tempest 3D AudioTech. Even Grand Theft Auto VI is hyping up the AudioTech capability as part of Rockstar’s marketing with PlayStation (both arriving on the same day). To really test this out, I picked not only the best game with 3D audio, but the most underrated game of this year: Saros.

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Saros came out in the latter half of April, and while it received critical acclaim, the game faded into the background quickly. Saros is one of the best action games to come out in the last 10 years. The game is a spiritual successor to Returnal and uses its audio not just for atmosphere, but for gameplay as well. The sounds of the alien planet become a character in itself as threats come out to get you.

When fighting enemies, the element of surprise is less effective, as hearing sounds coming from behind you gives the player an advantage. Throughout my trials playing Saros, the headset never felt too heavy. Of course, after playing for more than 4 hours in a session, that sensation started to happen.

The long battery life of around 30 hours meant I stayed comfortable without feeling the need to charge. The Pulse headset can also connect to other devices like your phone while playing on your PS5 or even the PlayStation Portal. It’ll be my headset going forward for PS5 single-player games, but with multiplayer, that’s a different conversation.

What the PS Pulse Wireless Headset Lacks

PlayStation Pulse Headset shown getting wear around the neck
Comfty position
Image via PlayStation

When playing multiplayer games, the Pulse headset is just fine. The mic works, but it’s built into the headset. Some might view this as a positive, but the physical mic is much better for chat purposes when playing with friends. Especially as the Pulse Edge is advertised with more features for chat.

Besides the lack of chat features, the lack of noise cancellation is disappointing. Granted, the sound quality of these headphones is great, but the addition of noise-canceling would have put it over the top. The mic does feature tech to help isolate your voice even in a loud environment. But for casual players, this is a huge missing component.

The PlayStation Pulse Wireless Headset Is a Great Value

A woman in a white tank top and sunglasses walking in front of a man in a t-shirt and baseball cap through the aisle of a convenience store, both of their faces covered by bandanas.
A woman in a white tank top and sunglasses walking in front of a man in a t-shirt and baseball cap through the aisle of a convenience store, both of their faces covered by bandanas.

If any gamer wants a headset for playing multiplayer games like Call of Duty, there are better options out there. Besides a few needed options, the PlayStation Pulse Wireless Set is best suited for gamers who prefer single-player games. They deliver a phenomenal 3D audio experience that’ll last dozens of hours while offering comfort.

It’ll be interesting to see how this headset compares to the Pulse Edge in the near future, as it’s more focused on delivering benefits to multiplayer fans. For now, if you foresee yourself playing Grand Theft Auto IV more than GTA Online, the PlayStation Pulse Wireless headset is a great option to explore.

The PlayStation Pulse Wireless Headset comes out November 19 for $100.

This review was written with a review unit of the PlayStation Pulse Wireless Headset provided by PlayStation in exchange for an honest review.


Story via CBR. Read the original article

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