PlayStation Pulse

Do you remember mathematics exams? The questions would almost always include inane scenarios involving marbles and boiled sweets. They were designed to burn your brain as much as possible, and it looks like Sony’s aiming to give you a shot of high school nostalgia with its wireless headset compatibility policies for the PlayStation 4.

Game Informer reports that, as promised, the manufacturer’s own expensive Pulse peripherals will function on the next generation format – eventually. You’ll need to wait for a system software update before it operates properly, and there’s no time frame attached to that. One thing’s for certain, though, is that the classy cans will not work at launch.

The same is true of any headsets that require a USB input for chat. You’ll still be able to use your standard optical audio out to pump sound into your ears, but you’ll need to wait for a further firmware update before you can actually communicate with your peers. Do try to keep up – we’re not going to repeat any of this again.

Perhaps most irritatingly, Bluetooth headsets are off the agenda entirely. Regardless of whether you own an official or unofficial peripheral, it will not work. Fortunately, the console will come with a very basic earpiece, which should get you started if you don’t want to splash out on a new piece of kit. Furthermore, if you’ve got a wired 3.5mm microphone, you’ll be able to plug that into the DualShock 4.

Confused yet? Yeah, so are we. Perhaps the easiest summary is that unless you’re planning to use one of the abovementioned wired headsets, then chances are that your alternative option won’t work out of the box. If it uses USB, then it will get patched after launch. However, if you’re still opting for Bluetooth, then it may be time to toss the old technology out.

[source gameinformer.com, via polygon.com, neogaf.com]