Sony’s premium PS4 headset will bring next-gen audio to your ears early next year

You might’ve enjoyed this year’s Game of the Year nominee Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but according to its Creative Director, Neil Druckmann, you only got half the experience. It’s half, he says, because his team spent hours adding 3D audio effects that no has yet to hear.

So how will you be able to get the complete treasure-hunting, rabble-rousing experience? Buy Sony’s new Platinum Wireless Gaming Headset, of course. 

In a post on Sony’s PlayStation blog today, Druckmann joined other members of the Uncharted development team to talk about the importance of audio in games while also endorsing Sony’s upcoming premium gaming headset that will go on sale January 12, 2017. 

What makes the headset different, Sony’s blog states, is that it’s the only headset on the market that will “showcase enhanced, highly positional 7.1 virtual surround sound powered by PlayStation’s proprietary 3D audio technology.” 

Fancy. 

Beyond offering positional audio, the $159/£129/AU$259 headset has “hidden noise-cancelling microphones [that] provide crisp, clear communication without the need for a boom mic.” 

Again, I reiterate, fancy. 

The blog says that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be the first game to utilize 3D audio on PS4, but goes on to list a number of other games expected to support the more immersive audio format including MLB The Show 17, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Days Gone. 

Although they weren’t mentioned by name in Sony’s post today, it’s not a stretch of the imagination that Sony will encourage developers to include positional audio in any PlayStation VR titles they might have in the cooker right now.

Speaking of developers, here’s a video of Druckmann talking up the importance of expensive headphones … I mean, 3D audio. 

In all seriousness though, Sony’s PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset was one of the best first-party accessories released ever and were the recipient of our Recommended award back when they came out in 2014. 

That said, we have high hopes for Sony’s next set of cans – and so does Neil Druckmann, apparently. 

• Check out our list of the best PS4 games

December 16, 2016 at 03:18AM
Nick Pino