Do You Need The PS5's Pulse Headset To Access 3D Audio?

The first things you'll notice on the PlayStation 5 when playing games are the console's graphical and performance upgrades over its predecessor. But while it's a little less obvious, the PS5 makes major strides in audio as well, boasting its own 3D audio technology to make games as immersive as possible. The trouble is, at launch, PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech won't work through your TV or speakers--it'll only work with headphones.

Sony is offering its Pulse 3D wireless headset as a launch peripheral, which raises the question: Do you need to buy the Pulse 3D to get the most out of your PS5?

The answer to that question, thankfully, is no--although the Pulse 3D is a pretty good set of headphones with some added benefits for gaming, like a noise-cancelling microphone. But other headphones can get the same benefits as well.

According to the PlayStation Blog, "On the PS5, you’ll be able to experience 3D Audio with the headphones that many of you already own, either through USB connection to the console, or by plugging your headphones into the DualSense wireless controller’s 3.5mm headset jack." So wired headphones can handle Sony's Tempest tech, and you're not stuck buying Sony's new headphones if you don't want to.

And though the 3D audio sounds pretty great, if you're willing to wait, eventually you won't need headphones to enjoy Sony's Tempest tech at all. The platform maker has said support for virtual surround sound through TV speakers will be added to the PS5 in a later update sometime after launch. The trouble is, we don't know when that update will arrive.

In the meantime, PS Blog also runs down a list of games that support 3D audio. "Some of the PS5 games with 3D Audio features include Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Astro’s Playroom, Gran Turismo 7, Returnal, Destruction AllStars, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Horizon Forbidden West, Resident Evil Village, and many others."

We've got plenty more PS5 coverage and information, including our PS5 review. More is coming in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned for GameSpot for all your next-generation needs.