While plenty of people have a dedicated gaming set-up to blast sound from some top-notch speakers, many gamers opt to use a headset instead. Often this means dealing with latency over Bluetooth, or awkwardly slotting a cord into your controller. To make things easier, Sony has developed a new audio connectivity standard dubbed PlayStation Link. It’s designed to make transmitting audio to your headset easier than ever.
But what exactly does the PlayStation Link standard do, and how does it all work? Here’s everything you need to know about Sony‘s new audio connection tech.
Read more: Best PS5 headset 2023: reviewed and rated
What is PlayStation Link?
PlayStation Link is here to optimise your gaming audio. It’s a new audio connectivity standard that Sony has developed to make transmitting sound to your headset easier than ever. The wireless standard lets you ditch the headphone cable for a more reliable connection than Bluetooth.
You’ll need a dongle that packs the next-gen tech inside. Dubbed the PlayStation Link USB Adapter, the plug-in accessory brings the new audio standard to your PlayStation console. The other catch is that you’ll likely need a new headset on the other end that can understand the new connectivity standard. However, it looks like the upcoming PlayStation Portal will have link built-in.
How does PlayStation Link work?
While Sony hasn’t fully explained how PlayStation Link works, it has confirmed that it uses Wi-Fi to make the connection. From this, it sounds like the audio standard works similarly to Apple’s AirPlay. That is to say, it creates a mini network between the console and headset – allowing audio to beam across. It’s more reliable and stable than Bluetooth, with lower latency for more accurate audio. This also means that the new standard will support multi-device connections.
PlayStation Link will be compatible with the PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC, and Mac. So it looks like the new standard could be a useful tool for computer gamers as well. It’s unclear how this would work without any Sony-designed hardware.
How do I set it up?
As we mentioned, you’ll need to bag yourself the new adapter before you can use PlayStation Link. Though, the upcoming PlayStation Link should natively support the standard. You’ll also need to have a compatible headset that can understand the new connectivity standard.
Sony confirmed that the upcoming Pulse Explore earbuds and Pulse Elite headset will both support Link at launch – though they’re not available yet. Beyond this, third-parties will need to install Sony’s new codec on headsets for them to be supported.
Related: PlayStation Plus: everything you need to know about Sony’s subscription service
