With each new generation of gaming, the available accessories for the consoles change. What once worked, might not anymore, and you´ll be forced to find new alternatives.
Headphones are no different, if you want to play on your brand new PS5 without bothering anyone else or with crispy sound delivered straight to your ears, what are your options?
Headsets that are still compatible with the Playstation 5
While Sony is a technology giant, the lines of headsets that they produced for the Playstation 4 was very limited. Nonetheless, the two premium headphones, the Platinum and Gold Wireless Headsets do work still on the PS5, so if you have those, you don´t have to buy new earbuds.
The Platinum and Gold headsets were explicitly made for the Playstation by Sony. They are compatible with 3D sound on the PS4, which is the default surround sound option on the PS5.
As for the other third-party headsets on the market, do they still work? It depends. If they were wireless, then probably not. They can´t connect with the Playstation 5. On the other hand, USB headsets still remain compatible with both the PS4 and the PS5, so you don't have to worry about them.
Now, there´s a bit of a grey area. Some headsets that shouldn't work because they aren´t USB, like the Arctis 1, have a bit of a workaround to make the function on your new generation console. If you plug them into the controller directly via the 3.5mm jack, then they will still function as before without *technically* connecting to the PS5.
Of course, this means that if something happens to your controller, or you buy a third party brand that doesn´t come with a jack, then your headphones are as good as useless as far as your Playstation 5 is concerned.
There are a few special exceptions. If you have a premium headset from one of the specialty brands like Razer or Steel Series (Arctis). even if it doesn´t connect with a simple USB cable, odds are that they still work on the PS5 (although sometimes you will need to download a small update to make them compatible). The Razer BlackShark V2 is one such headset.
If you have doubts about your own headphones, simply searching for the model online should tell you if it needs an update or not.
Headsets made from the ground up for the Playstation 5
If you don´t want to rely on old headsets and would prefer to upgrade your earpieces as well as your console, there are a few headphones that are made for the PS5. The most popular of them being the first party Pulse 3D wireless headset.
The Pulse is the PS5 launch headset made to showcase the 3D Sound on the console, which is "better" than the old surround audio. It has everything a modern headset ought to have; dual noise-canceling mics, USB-C charging, you can plug it in or use the jack on your controller. Works with the PS4, PC, and Mac too. A good option if you can find it available and aren´t afraid to pay 100 dollars for a headset.
Another even more expensive headset for Sony´s newest console is the Arctis 7, which boasts an even greater battery life (24 hours compared to Pulse´s 3D) when used wirelessly. Another option is the Turtle Beach Stealth Gen 2. Each of these premium headsets is worth even more than the original Pulse.
If you are worried about them not taking advantage of the PS5 3D audio, don´t be. All these headphones use 3D over Surround sound by default (although you can turn it off in the system settings).
Each of these headsets come with pretty much the same features as the others, the main difference is on the materials they are made of (which can make them more or less comfortable) and in which company you trust more to deliver better audio.
Their main drawback is the price, each one costs more than a hundred dollars. If you want a cheaper alternative, just look for regular USB headsets, they won´t take full advantage of the PS5 but they should work and will cost you much less than these options.
And that´s it! Check out these other articles if you are worried about the compatibility of the PS5 with old controllers and specialty peripherals like steering wheels and joysticks. We even have a piece on hard drives! And if you want to know more about headsets in general, here is an article where we talk about passive vs active noise cancellation in headphones.