“The Pulse Elite is the best PS5 headset you can buy –by default.”
Pros
Discrete microphone
Innovative charging mount
Great sound high quality
Long battery life
Dual connectivity
Cons
Loose match
Distortion at excessive volumes
Portal integration is missing
PlayStation has been busy over the past two years. The model hasn’t simply been busy pumping out award-winning video games through the PS5 period; it’s been constructing an Apple-like tech ecosystem proper beneath our noses. That actuality turned totally clear final yr when Sony launched its PlayStation Portal handheld. The accent got here with one odd catch: it didn’t assist Bluetooth. To use a wi-fi headset, gamers would wish to purchase some particular earbuds or headsets that assist Sony’s new PlayStation Link tech. It was a sensible, however irritating transfer that gave PlayStation homeowners incentive to maintain shopping for first-party Sony equipment.
Just a number of months faraway from the Portal launch, we’re seeing the subsequent step in Sony’s product playbook with the Pulse Elite. Sony’s newest headset isn’t simply custom-made for PS5 and its 3D audio options; it’s one of many solely wi-fi headsets you should use with PlayStation Portal proper now. That makes it a tool that you just nearly have to purchase.
The excellent news is that the Pulse Elite is a reasonably good funding should you’re totally purchased into the PS5 ecosystem. It’s a long-lasting headset able to capturing crisp sounds throughout the console’s library. But its free match and excessive price ticket will depart you wishing that you just had the choice to entertain another choice.
Design and luxury
The Pulse Elite is designed to match the PS5, so opinions on its aesthetics could fluctuate. It follows a well-recognized black-and-white motif and options the identical daring geometry that makes the PS5 so distinct (and arduous to position in an leisure middle). The most noticeable design quirk is that it has two white arms on both facet that protrude a bit previous the earcups. It appears to be like a bit awkward at first, however they’ve but to get in my approach.
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It’s definitely a visible assertion, however one with some perform. The Pulse Elite’s microphone is stealthily housed within the left arm. It may be shortly unsheathed from the tip by pushing the plastic ahead, revealing a versatile mic arm hidden inside. It’s an ideal design element that lets gamers maintain their microphone hidden when it’s not in use with out having to maintain monitor of a removable add-on.
My favourite design innovation right here, although, is the Pulse Elite’s distinctive charging system. There’s a conventional charging port beneath the correct arm (I can use the identical wire I exploit to cost my DualSense controllers), however you’ll discover an odd little latch level beneath the headscarf. The Pulse Elite comes with a plastic hook that slots into that spot. It may be screwed right into a nicely and related to a wire, making a wall mount that fees the headset whereas it’s hanging by the headscarf. It’s a sensible, dual-function design that makes the $150 headset really feel a bit extra premium.
It’s extra snug than the competitively inflexible Pulse 3D.
As for consolation, I’ve felt no pressure utilizing the Pulse Elite throughout multi-hour gaming periods. That’s partially due to the truth that it encompasses a second, softer headband beneath the primary one. It’s an arch of black plastic that stretches and squashes to suit a number of head dimensions and shapes. That, mixed with pillow-soft earcups, make it extra snug than the competitively inflexible Pulse 3D.
There’s one catch to that, although. The Pulse Elite is unusually loose-fitting on my head. It’s nice that it’s not squeezing the life out of me, however Sony went slightly too far right here. It begins to slip down my head anytime I carry my chin to take a drink. Perhaps that received’t be an issue for individuals with larger heads, however they’re far too wiggly for my very own, with no actual possibility to regulate the tightness that I can discover. It’s not a deal breaker, nevertheless it does imply I’ve to remain pretty nonetheless when utilizing it.
Sound high quality
The Pulse Elite actually stands out the place it counts: audio high quality. Naturally, Sony has tuned the headset to get probably the most out of the PS5’s 3D audio. That’s noticeable. When I’m enjoying Helldivers 2, I can pinpoint precisely the place my teammates’ gunfire is coming from. That’s precisely what you need from a PS5 headset, and the Pulse Elite delivers.
The headset produces detailed sound throughout ranges. Helldivers 2 would function an ideal take a look at case because it’s stuffed with crisp and detailed sounds. When I’m leaping right into a pod to queue up for a match, I can hear each clang as I lock into the metallic system. Gunshots are sharp and impactful, with a little bit of bass beneath the shot to emphasise the burst. Tests in Foamstars and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s demo gave me comparable outcomes, as I used to be in a position to get these most out of the previous’s jazzy soundtrack and the latter’s hectic fights.
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What’s unlucky is how distorted sound will get at excessive volumes. When cranking all of them the way in which up, I shortly received some harsh sounds within the Rebirth demo’s fights. Additional assessments at excessive volumes produced comparable outcomes. When connecting to Spotify and blasting some Noname, I received loads of crunchy distortion on the low finish. That principally occurred at max quantity and would resolve when shifting down a tick or two, however that also locations an unlucky restrict on my quantity choices.
As for the microphone, the audio high quality is appropriate even when it feels like an ordinary gaming headset mic somewhat than a $150 one. What I’ll applaud there’s the Pulse Elite’s “AI-enhanced” noise rejection. When I’m not speaking, the mic goes useless silent. I ran some recording assessments the place I spoke whereas music performed very near the mic within the background. Anytime I ended speaking, no music bled by way of. And once I did communicate, the music was very faint beneath my voice. That’s nice, because it means you received’t want to show your TV down should you’re utilizing chat by way of one thing like Discord in your cellphone.
Battery life
During the PS5 technology, I’ve come to imagine that I have to cost most Sony merchandise after one session. The battery life on the DualSense, DualSense Edge, and PlayStation Portal all depart a bit to be desired. Even the Pulse 3D solely received as much as round 13 hours on a cost. So far, the Pulse Elite completely bucks that pattern.
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Sony claims that the Pulse Elite’s battery can last as long as 30 hours. While it’s arduous to gauge how constant that determine is, I can attest that the battery lasts for much longer than these in different Sony headsets I’ve used. In my first go-round with it, I wore it for a three-hour gaming session, picked it up for a handful of one- to two-hour periods over the course of per week, and tooled round with testing it on each PC and cellular. After all that point, I nonetheless had three battery ticks. That’s an exquisite change of tempo for PlayStation equipment.
Charging is a snap too, as Sony touts {that a} 10-minute cost will web gamers two hours of battery life. That truth, mixed with its progressive mounting hook charging answer, makes the Pulse Elite a lot simpler to make use of than the Pulse 3D. I by no means have to fret about whether or not or not the battery will run out on me. Even when it does, it doesn’t take lengthy to get again in control so I can end up a gaming session.
Connectivity and customization
Where the Pulse Elite begins to get a bit bizarre is in its connectivity. The headset is Bluetooth-enabled, which makes it straightforward to hook up with a cellphone or different gadgets, however its huge function is its PlayStation Link integration. That’s Sony’s new audio tech that boasts “lossless and lightning-fast ultra-low latency” — although its extra tangible goal is getting PlayStation gamers to purchase Sony earbuds and headsets to maintain all its gadgets in a single constant ecosystem.
There’s some good and unhealthy uncomfortable side effects of that call. On the plus facet, the Pulse Elite can concurrently join to 2 gadgets by way of Bluetooth and PlayStation Link. I used to be ready to hook up with my cellphone to make use of Discord whereas staying hooked into my PS5 to play Foamstars. That’s an ideal little bit of flexibility that PlayStation Link (suitable with a USB dongle) supplies.
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The unhealthy information is that you just form of have to purchase a Pulse Elite if you wish to use a wi-fi headset on PlayStation Portal. That system doesn’t assist Bluetooth or depart room for a dongle, so that you’re caught both shopping for this expensive headset or Sony’s new (and even pricier) Pulse Explore earbuds. The Pulse Elite is not less than a stable headset, so it’s not the worst destiny, however one design flaw torpedoes its utility.
By urgent the PlayStation Link button 3 times whereas related to PS5, you’ll be able to open a useful fast menu in your TV. This permits gamers to shortly mess with EQ, both creating their very own or utilizing some presets. It’s a useful function, however one which doesn’t carry over to Portal. If you join your Pulse Elite to the Portal, your PS5 received’t acknowledge it the identical approach it might if it have been immediately connected. That means that you could’t entry the EQ menu, see battery life, or get an on-screen quantity indicator when utilizing onboard controls. To get that, you’d want to attach your Pulse Elite to the PS5 after which energy on the Portal.
I hope Sony can iron out quirks like that because it experiments with new product strains utilizing PlayStation Link.
While that’s in the end a distinct segment use case, it’s a bit irritating contemplating the compelled ecosystem Sony is creating right here. If I’ve to purchase particular headsets to get wi-fi audio on gadgets just like the Portal, I don’t suppose it’s unfair to anticipate consistency. I think about that’s a particular downside with the Portal because it’s a distant play system, however I hope Sony can iron out quirks like that because it experiments with new product strains utilizing PlayStation Link. If not, the entire experiment will get irritating quick.
It’s not like you’ve gotten loads of choices, although. If you need a stable premium headset that simply connects to each PlayStation system you personal, the Pulse Elite is the most effective on the market … by default. I’m grateful that Sony not less than made positive it was an possibility price proudly owning, with nice sound and progressive design, however I’m not satisfied that it’s price dropping Bluetooth completely to maintain all my PlayStation equipment in concord.
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