Back in May, Sony unveiled the PlayStation Portal, a handheld device that lets you stream games from your PlayStation 5 (PS5). Along with it, the company took the wraps off the Pulse Explore, a pair of true wireless earbuds made specifically for PlayStation and gaming. Later, in October, Sony announced the Pulse Elite, an over-the-ear headset that’s also made for use with the gaming console and for gaming. While the company has already announced the prices of these devices, today, Sony has revealed their availability details.
According to Sony, the Pulse Explore and the Pulse Elite will be available for pre-order from November 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM local time in the US, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The company will start shipping the true wireless earbuds on December 6. 2023, and the over-the-ear headset will launch on February 21, 2024. The two audio devices will be gradually made available in other regions around the globe.
As for the PlayStation Portal, it is now available for pre-order in the US, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The company will start shipping it on November 15, 2023, in these regions. In other countries, the remote player will be available for pre-order on September 29, 2023. However, Sony hasn’t announced when it start shipping the handheld game streamer in those regions.
Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite
The Pulse Explore and the Pulse Elite feature custom-designed planar magnetic drivers. The two devices come bundled with the PlayStation Link, an adapter that plugs into a USB port of the host device, and transmits audio between the two devices. This adapter, according to the company, offers low audio latency, which is crucial while gaming. Fortunately, the two audio devices also have Bluetooth in case you want to use them with devices that don’t have a USB port or support this adapter, such as your smartphone.
The Pulse Explore provides five hours of battery backup on a single charge. The charging case offers an additional 10 hours of battery life. The Pulse Elite, on the other hand, offers a much longer, 30-hour battery life on a single charge, and according to the company, it can provide 2 hours of listening experience from a 10-minute charge. The earbuds and the headset feature microphones so that you can talk with your friends in games, or take calls. The Pulse Explore costs $199.99 and the Pulse Elite is priced at $149.99.
Earlier this month, Sony also launched InZone Buds, another pair of true wireless earbuds focused towards gaming. However, unlike the Pulse Explore and Pulse Elite, these are not made specifically for PlayStation. Instead, Sony has designed them to be used for gaming with any device. The InZone Buds cost $199. These true wireless earbuds are currently on pre-order and the company will start shipping them soon.
PlayStation Portal
As for the PlayStation Portal, it features an 8-inch LCD with HD resolution, and comes with “key features of the DualSense wireless controller, including adaptive triggers and haptic feedback”. This device allows you to stream games from your PS5 over Wi-Fi, giving you the ability to play games without the need for a TV. The remote player is useful in situations where the TV at your home is being used by other people or if you “simply want to play PS5 games in another room of the house”. The PlayStation Portal costs $199.99.
Recently, Sony also launched updated version of the PlayStation 5 gaming console, which offers slimmer design, a detachable Blu-Ray disc drive, and higher storage capacity.
