Although PlayStation has always introduced its growing collection of first-party peripherals with each new generation of consoles, it has been particularly bold with its official accessory lineup for the PS5. Not only in the breadth of technology or stunning designs but delving into particularly luxurious accessories that command just as much price tag will catch your eye. But while the majority of high-end third-party consoles for the PS5 take a kitchen sink approach to features, PlayStation’s own hardware was more about quality and integration than outright innovation.
The DualSense Edge controller is a great example of this. It doesn’t do much to compete with other “pro” consoles in its price class when it comes to feature set, but it’s undeniably well designed and built, and, by virtue of being a PlayStation-owned product, it integrates nicely with the PS5 programming. The new Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, a first for PlayStation, share a similar philosophy – they don’t have as many dots on the back of the case as other wireless headsets available for the PS5, but they look great and work seamlessly with the controller And The same will happen with the upcoming PlayStation Portal.
What’s most immediately noticeable about the Pulse Explore headphones is their design, which continues PlayStation’s commitment to the stunning black-and-white aesthetic of the PS5 console and all its various add-ons. Even the charging case is new, opting for a sliding cover instead of the flaps that most wireless earbud users are accustomed to. They’re pretty big, too, but a lot of that is down to the buds themselves, which have a unique elongated shape that makes them a bit larger than a lot of other buds I’ve used.
Fortunately, the unusual shape and size of the Pulse Explore buds did not cause them to appear feeling Extremely huge. Obviously everyone’s mileage will vary depending on individual ear shapes, but in my use they were shockingly comfortable and secure even for long periods of play. These buds have planar magnetic motors — more on that in a bit — which likely necessitated them being a little thicker, but PlayStation has done a commendable job of shaping them into a visually stunning and very comfortable design. Additionally, there are a total of four sets of interchangeable tips which is fairly generous in my experience.
The box also includes a PlayStation Link USB adapter, facilitating a new low-latency and lossless audio streaming solution that works with the Pulse Explore headphones and will similarly appear in the Pulse Elite wireless headset next year. Not only does PlayStation Link deliver high-speed, high-resolution audio, it enables seamless compatibility with PS5 devices like PlayStation Portal, which has Link technology built-in. The PlayStation Link USB Adapter also works flawlessly with your PC, and you can purchase add-ons separately, so you can easily pair your Pulse Explore headsets with multiple adapters and switch between your devices as you need just by pressing the buttons on both.
The fact that PlayStation has just launched a revised version of the PS5 console without taking the opportunity to integrate PlayStation Link into it seems like a bit of a wrong move, especially since the adapter is USB-A and would therefore need to go through one of these steps. Rear ports if you have the new “slim” device. However, setup is very easy right out of the box. All you have to do is insert the adapter into your console, take the headphones out of their box, and voila, you have sound.
And excellent Sound too. Thanks, no doubt about that Acquisition of PlayStation From audio innovators Audeze, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds have planar magnetic drivers that are more commonly reserved for the types of high-end headphones used by people who design sound in games and movies rather than the cone dynamic drivers found in typical consumer headphones or buds.
The result is incredibly clear, accurate, and detailed sound that absolutely blew me away right off the jump. They also manage it without sounding overly thin or flat, instead delivering a deep, rich soundscape that elevates the experience in games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Horizon Forbidden West, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and brought out new details I wanted . Missed even with a half-decent external sound system. Add to that the PS5’s Tempest 3D audio and I was truly blown away by what I was hearing from a pair of wireless headphones. No matter what games I presented them with and what kind of scene was happening on screen, these humble buds handled it admirably and often felt the kind of aural immersion reserved for booming cinema speakers.
There are some disadvantages to using planar magnetic motors. For starters, they tend to use more power, which means the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds have a fairly average battery life. PlayStation says it takes about five hours per charge, with the case providing roughly three full charges, and in my testing, it was on the verge of exploding. It’s not very short, especially when it’s more geared toward gaming than an all-day headphone for commuting, working out, and the like, but it’s worth noting.
But what’s most disappointing, and perhaps also due to power concerns, is that the Pulse Explore headphones don’t sound as loud as I would have liked. I wouldn’t say they are also Quiet, but I can imagine most users will find the sweet spot to be 100% more volume which naturally leaves no room for more oomph if needed. It also doesn’t feature any type of active noise cancellation, so if you’re trying to use it in a louder environment, you won’t be left with many options. Fortunately, this wasn’t a real issue until I tried to use them while listening to music, which honestly isn’t the greatest use for them anyway – they sound fine, but these are clearly meant for listening to cinematic and pulsating music. – Bombing video games and movies and not the latest TJ Mack release.
Besides the omission of noise cancellation, the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are also missing some other niceties found in more general-use headphones, like touch controls or sensors to turn them on and off when inserted or removed. These strike me as things that were once considered less important to gaming and are worth skipping in favor of keeping these things at a fairly reasonable price given the cutting-edge audio technology inside them. Wireless headphones with planar magnetic drivers are usually expensive, so the trade-off makes a bit of sense.
Although I haven’t spent a lot of time using the Pulse Explore headphones to chat with colleagues, the little response I’ve received from others online so far has been very positive. The built-in noise rejection from the microphone seems surprisingly decent for not picking up anything other than my voice, and the quality is pretty much on par with anything you’d expect from a gaming headset microphone. The cool thing is that Explorers can be simultaneously paired with PlayStation Link and Bluetooth, so you can chat or listen to music and podcasts using another device and still get game audio. Given the nature of these PlayStation products, I was pleasantly surprised by how flexible they are in terms of connectivity.
It works well with the PS5 software too, since it’s a proprietary device, it’s properly integrated into the UI and you can tweak basic things like volume, 3D audio, and see the battery life and connection status of both the left and right speakers on the screen. Beyond that, there’s not much you can do to customize the experience, I wish there was some sort of equalizer or at least some presets, but again, these are meant for gaming over everything else, so it won’t be a deal breaker for most people .