Sony Pulse Elite Wireless Headset review

Full review

The Pulse Elite is Sony's top PlayStation headset, and it is built to make PS5 setup simple. It uses a USB adapter with PlayStation Link, which Sony describes as lossless and ultra-low latency, and it can also use Bluetooth at the same time, so you can listen to a phone and a console together.

The drivers are planar magnetic, a design more often found in studio headphones, and Sony describes the sound as studio-inspired. The driver size is not given. The microphone is a fully retractable boom mic with AI-based noise rejection, which is a neat design because it tucks away when you are not chatting. Sony lists support for PS5, PlayStation Portal remote player, PC, Mac and phones over Bluetooth, and says 3D Audio is available in PS5 games that offer it.

Battery life is up to 30 hours, with up to two hours of playback from a 10-minute charge. That is shorter than the 50 to 70 hours claimed by some rivals, but enough for several days of normal play. Weight is about 0.4 kg, a bit heavy for long sessions.

Sony's page does not say whether the headset works wired or has noise cancelling, so we mark those as not stated. It is the neat pick for PS5 and Portal players, but there is no Xbox or Switch support listed.