Sony will launch the Pulse 3D wireless headset alongside the PS5 on November 19, allowing gamers to experience Tempest – Sony’s own proprietary 3D audio format, which is optimised to provide immersive object-based 3D sound in games.
According to Sony, Tempest will transform the gaming experience and will allow listeners to hear where individual raindrops are landing in a game's environment. Similar to that of Dolby Atmos, Tempest is designed to allow the listener to hear sounds as if they were happening around them.
The way it works is that the 3D audio technology deploys timed effects – using a host of audio algorithms – to create natural, true-to-life soundscapes that trick the user’s brain into pinpointing the precise location of each and every sound.
An expansion of the technology used in the PSVR virtual reality headset – which is capable of replicating 50 sound sources – Sony says that the PS5 uses object-based spatial sound technology to create some of the most advanced 3D audio available. The PS5 boasts hundreds of intricate sounds – and in better quality when compared to the PSVR audio tech.
The upcoming Pulse 3D wireless headset has been engineered to take full advantage of PS5’s 3D Audio capabilities. With a refined design, dual noise-cancelling microphones, and an array of easy-access controls, the Pulse 3D wireless headset works for both the PS5 and PS4.
Those using the PS5 can also experience 3D audio with other headphones through USB connection to the console, or by plugging their headphones into the DualSense wireless controller’s 3.5mm headset jack.
Games that make use of PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech will 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 and Resident Evil Village.
The Pulse 3D wireless headset is priced at £90 ($99, AU$160).