With handheld gaming devices being all the rage these days, thanks to PC manufacturers getting into the form-factor; the conditions seem ripe for a new PlayStation handheld generation. Rumors of Sony working on a new gaming handheld first surfaced in February 2024 from a Moore's Law is Dead report, and now other leakers are resonating the theory. This is a fully fledged handheld console that runs games locally, unlike the PlayStation Portal, which was a cloud gaming endpoint device.

The PlayStation 4 debuted a decade ago, with SoC hardware specs that can easily be match by current-generation AMD Ryzen Z1 APUs, in handheld console power footprints; and the leakers tend to agree—the new handheld console will be able to play all the games from the PlayStation 4 library, besides its own unique crop of games that take advantage of certain handheld human interface features, such as a touchscreen, accelerometer, and gyro.

Launching today, our latest wireless headset, Pulse Elite, brings crisp, immersive audio to the gaming experience on the PS5 console; to PlayStation Link supported devices including PS5, PC, Mac, and PlayStation Portal remote player; and to Bluetooth compatible devices such as smartphones and tablets. Pulse Elite follows the launch of our first wireless earbuds, Pulse Explore, with both audio devices featuring planar magnetic drivers to further enhance the PS5 console's Tempest 3D AudioTech. When combined with PlayStation Link, the planar drivers precisely deliver the output of the 3D audio algorithms directly to the player's ear without loss, and nearly no distortion or delay. Here's our quick-start guide on setting up and using the Pulse Elite wireless headset, along with Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.

Set up and use sidetone and 3D audio features on PS5
A tour of the headset appears when you first connect the Pulse Elite wireless headset or Pulse Explore wireless earbuds to your PS5 console via the included PlayStation Link USB adapter. Before diving into a game, I recommend personalizing 3D audio settings and adjusting sidetone volume (changing this adjusts how loudly you hear your own voice in your ear when you talk). It's also possible to create a custom name for the headset, with standard letters, symbols, and even emoji. After the tour, you can change settings at any time while the headset is connected by navigating to the Settings menu and selecting Accessories, followed by Pulse Elite wireless headset.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced the PlayStation 5 console (PS5) has surpassed 50 million units sold through to consumers, three years since its Nov. 2020 launch. Thanks to the support of PlayStation fans globally, the PS5 console has experienced strong momentum this year, driven by a slate of highly popular games and SIE's continued focus on bringing innovation to the gaming experience, including PS5 game streaming for PlayStation Plus Premium members.

"Achieving this PS5 sales milestone is a testament to the unwavering support of the global PlayStation community and their passion for the incredible experiences created by the talented developers from PlayStation Studios and our partners," said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. "We're grateful for all of our players who have joined the PS5 journey so far, and we're thrilled that this is the first holiday season since launch that we have a full supply of PS5 consoles—so anyone who wants to get one can get one."

Back in May Sony officially revealed what was then known as Project Q, its first streaming only handheld gaming device. Since then, there have been multiple rumours about the specs and what the device will deliver and now, Sony has finally decided to launch the device as the PlayStation Portal. However, it appears that Sony is still keeping things under wraps, as not much new was announced in terms of the actual specs of the device, although we now know that the 8-inch, 1080p60 display is a touch display and it can act as a virtual touchpad. Other details that Sony shared in today's announcement was that the device will feature a 3.5 mm headset jack. With a US$199.99 MSRP it might end up being a popular accessory though, as Sony is asking for far less than the rumours suggested the PlayStation Portal would cost.

Sony also unveiled a pair of new headsets for the PS5, the Pulse Elite and the Pulse Explore. The latter was shown back in May. What was not known back then, was that Sony will be adding a new wireless audio specification to the PS5 called PlayStation Link. This will require a new USB dongle that ships with the headsets and can apparently also be used with PCs and Macs in a rather unusual move for Sony. PlayStation Link is said to be a low latency and lossless wireless audio solution, but the good news is that both headsets also support Bluetooth connectivity and can connect to a PlayStation Link dongle and a Bluetooth device simultaneously. Both the the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore will feature planar magnetic drivers, which is a not common in gaming headset and even less so for earbuds like this. The Pulse Elite has a US$149.99 MSRP and the Pulse Explore will retail for US$199.99 when they launch later this year.