Besides some massive gaming news, the most recent PlayStation 5 State of Play brought us something unexpected. A pair of gaming speakers, called the Pulse Elevate, to be exact, and they're packed with some pretty special specs.
They're not pegged for release until next year, but we've learned a lot about the speakers after PlayStation's State of Play announcements. They're wireless, portable, and can even connect to a PlayStation Portal.
Wireless gaming speakers for all
So it looks like the number 1 priority off the bat is the portability of the speakers. They've got built-in batteries, so that you can take them on the go. They charge with what looks like a little puck on the bottom, which you could leave permanently on your desk. Powered speakers while you game there, and then speakers for your Portal when you go on holiday. Slick.
I can't tell if there's an alternative way to charge, so there's nothing about a USB-C port on the back if you find yourself with dead batteries and no charging puck thing. There's not news on battery life either, only that they are portable and have batteries. I'd expect more news to come closer to release next year.
Interesting sound tech
Planer Magnetic drivers are the audio tech of the moment — providing excellent clarity and quicker response to shifting frequencies in music and video games. Sony has used them in the recent Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore headsets for a more immersive feeling while playing your favorite games.
They're far less common in speakers, however, which tend to use cone drivers and woofers for their sound. Sony has taken a leap of faith with larger (how much larger we're not told) Planar Magnetic drivers in the Pulse Elevate. Sony says it gives them "lifelike sound across the entire audible spectrum."
I'd say it's going to make them more immersive, given that it'll be easier to make pin-point sounds. To counteract the tech's lower bass output, it seems they've been coupled with a pair of woofers for low stuff.
Tempest 3D AudioTech is here for the spatial audio surround fix that gamers are looking for, something that's only going to work with PlayStation.
It's these that make them so interesting to audiophiles. Keep in mind that you'll get lossless audio, and these fancy new drivers, and you're looking at a system that's not just got gamers in mind. Sony's history with HiFi gear is long and illustrious, so we could be looking at a pair of speakers for gamers looking for spectacular musical sound as well as gaming greatness.
Built for gamers
As you might expect from something with the PlayStation logo on it, the Pulse Elevate are designed for gamers. There's low-latency audio thanks to a little dongle, but you can also listen (or play) over Bluetooth.
Want to chat to your friends? There's a built-in mic and special noise-canceling tech so that you can play games with chums without them being able to hear their voices or your game in some kind of bizarre chat-ception.
If you connect to a PlayStation, you get ultra-low latency and lossless audio playback thanks to PlayStation Link, which is always a big gaming bonus.
So when can I get some?
Well, um... not yet. There's no official release date that Sony has provided, only that the "Pulse Elevate wireless speakers will launch in 2026" and you'll be able to buy them in "Midnight Black and White." Now, 2026 isn't that long away, but we could still be waiting a while to get them on our speaker-hungry desks.
There's no price news either, I'm afraid. Hopefully they won't be too expensive, but given they're packed with so much tech I'm certain they're not going to be cheap. So let's patiently wait and see when they come out.
And if you're desperate for speakers, might I suggest our list of the best desk speakers?
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