Sony showcased its first PlayStation wireless speakers almost a year ago alongside the release date reveal for Wolverine, and now we finally know when gamers get to put them on their desks. The Pulse Elevate wireless speakers launch on November 12, Sony announced in an August 18 update to its original reveal. Preorders begin September 1 at 10 am local time, or 10 am ET in the US.
Midnight Black will be sold globally through PlayStation Direct and participating retailers, while the White edition will have more limited availability. Priced at $219.99, the company is bringing a surprising amount of the technology from its Pulse gaming headset line out of your ears and onto your setup.
How Sony built a headset for your desk
Each Pulse Elevate speaker uses a planar magnetic driver, the same underlying driver technology Sony uses in the Pulse Elite headset and Pulse Explore earbuds. Each unit also gets its own woofer for additional bass, while supported PS5 games can use Tempest 3D AudioTech for positional audio.
You can connect the speakers to a PS5, PC, Mac, or PlayStation Portal using Sony’s PlayStation Link, which promises lossless audio with ultra-low latency. A USB-C PlayStation Link adapter comes in the box. Bluetooth is supported too, and the clever part is that both connections can work simultaneously. You could hear your PS5 over PlayStation Link while playing music or taking a call from your phone over Bluetooth.
But all of this is just the audio output, Sony has even managed to make voice chat more accessible from these speakers. A microphone built into the right speaker uses AI-enhanced noise rejection to filter unwanted sound. During PlayStation’s June hands-on demonstration, the system reportedly isolated a speaker’s voice while loud music played through the Pulse Elevate speakers.
It’s not limited to just one setup
Pulse Elevate aren’t permanently tied to their charging docks. Each speaker has a rechargeable battery rated for up to 12 hours, which means you can pick them up and pair them with a PlayStation Portal or another Bluetooth device around the house. Both speakers can also be tilted to aim the sound toward your listening position. Sony lets PS5 users adjust EQ, volume, and microphone settings through the console interface, with similar PC controls planned after launch.
Sony’s latest gaming audio gear isn’t a bargain desktop accessory. Though I’m considerably more interested in the idea than I would be with another ordinary pair of gaming speakers. Sony has taken the planar drivers, wireless tech, positional audio, and microphone smarts from its headset ecosystem and moved the entire experience onto my desk.
Why this might be huge for gamers
Many gamers who play competitive titles know the pain of loading into a lobby where your teammate is using his laptop mic. It brings audio from the speakers that can create a loud echo, which can be awfully distracting and extremely frustrating. Another painful example is a gamer who doesn’t realize their mic is open while the game audio from their PC speakers blasts the entire team chat. So a product like this could benefit players who, for whatever reason, refuse to wear a headset.
Aside from this, the bigger benefit is more obvious. Sony’s PlayStation Pulse Elevate makes party chat considerably easier for anyone tired of wearing a headset for hours. The fatigue of headphones clamping down on your head is one of the reasons many shift to earphones or in-ear monitors. But even those leave your ears sore after a long gaming session. So the new gaming speakers are a solid solution to this problem. Making the deal even sweeter is that they can work with smartphones, meaning mobile games aren’t being left behind.