Sony PlayStation Wireless Earbuds Set to Release Just in Time for the Holidays

The PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds will be available on Dec. 6, allowing holiday shoppers just enough time to grab the wireless, low-latency buds for $199.99, Sony revealed Monday. The earbuds will be the only Bluetooth headphones on the market compatible with the PlayStation Portal, Sony’s upcoming portable gaming device, this holiday season.

The Pulse Explore earbuds are available for pre-order starting Thursday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. ET. The lossless earbuds connect to the PS5 through the PlayStation Link, a USB adapter that comes with the earbuds. The Pulse Explore can switch between your PlayStation devices, phone, or computer and features an AI-enhanced microphone with noise rejection trained to isolate your voice and remove unwanted sounds.

The hefty price tag of the Pulse Explore comes with professional audio resolution. The earbuds feature planar magnetic drivers, a technology typically reserved for studio-grade listening equipment that often doesn’t make it into consumer headphones. These drivers produce tighter, more controlled sounds that are less distorted by bass.

Users can experience 3D Audio in supported PS5 games to utilize three-dimensional audio cues within their earbuds, “positioned with an incredible degree of accuracy,” according to Sony. The Pulse Explore earbuds come with a 5-hour battery life with an additional 10 hours included in the charging case.

The Pulse Elite headset, an over-the-ear Bluetooth model with 30 hours of battery life will release on Feb. 21st, 2024 for $149.99. It’s also available for pre-order on Nov. 9.

The duo of headphones from Sony are the only wireless options for the PlayStation Portal, which comes out on Nov. 15. There is a 3.5mm audio jack for wired listening but no Bluetooth capabilities outside of PlayStation Link. The PlayStation Portal remote player will only be usable inside your house when connected to your PS5.

Sony has been busy with hardware releases this year with the new slimmer PlayStation 5 with 1 TB of storage releasing in November. The thinner console does appear to hit a snag as it requires an internet connection to connect its disc drive.