PlayStation Pulse Explore Earbuds Review: Steep Price, Few Perks

PlayStation's new Pulse Explore Earbuds that are compatible with various PlayStation 5 devices have left a lot to be desired after my prolonged use. Since the days of the PS2, Sony has released its own headsets and earphones that have worked with its various consoles. With the PS5, though, Sony decided to embark upon creating its own set of earbuds with the PlayStation branding for the first time ever. While being a good idea on paper given Sony's relevance in the wider electronics scene, the Pulse Explore Earbuds have been a bit underwhelming. 

Generally speaking, the Pulse Explore Earbuds from Sony are what you'd come to expect from other wireless earbuds in 2023. The Pulse Explore Earbuds come with Bluetooth, lossless audio, and a nifty little charging case to tuck them inside of when not in use. What sets this device apart from others, though, is that it has been designed specifically for the purpose of gaming. And on that front, I don't have many complaints. 

After using these earbuds while playing games on PS5, I have found that they generally work quite well. The audio on every game I tried felt full and clear, leaving me with no real complaints when it comes to the quality. Despite this, I found that the Pulse Explore Earbuds weren't as impressive when compared to other options that Sony itself has released. Specifically, the Pulse 3D Wireless Headset for PlayStation 5 is still my preferred option strictly for the fantastic sound experience that it offers. By comparison, the Pulse Earbuds aren't a bad alternative, especially if you prefer earbuds over headphones. 

Outside of gaming, I've also tried to use the Pulse Explore Earbuds as my everyday option for other audio purposes as well. Like any other Bluetooth device, it's easy to pair to your phone and laptop and I did just that for a couple of weeks. On this front, I became more aware of just how good the noise cancellation tech was. When using these around other people, I would find myself nearly unable to hear other conversations that were happening directly next to me. That being said, the same high-quality audio experience that I found when playing games didn't translate when using the earbuds for the purpose of listening to music or talking on the phone. This isn't to say that the fidelity was poor, but it didn't stand out when compared against other earbuds from competitors. 

One of my other primary complaints with the Pulse Explore Earbuds is that they simply aren't that comfortable, especially after prolonged use. The outer shell of the earbuds are a bit gaudy, which means that they sit outside of your ear canal in a bit of an awkward manner. Even when inserted correctly, the weight of the earbuds feels too heavy on the outer portion to the point that I often feared they would fall out of my ear. This (thankfully) never happened, but I still don't see myself ever taking these earbuds to a place like the gym or anywhere else where I might be quite active.

Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Pulse Explore Earbuds is that they're one of the only wireless audio options available with Sony's new PlayStation Portal remote play handheld. One of the major drawbacks of the Portal was that it didn't come equipped with Bluetooth, instead opting to only integrate Sony's new "PlayStation Link" technology. PlayStation Link is pitched as a faster audio option than Bluetooth and also comes included here with the Pulse Explore Earbuds. To that end, I found PS Link to be a very snappy way to tether my earbuds to other PlayStation devices, especially when compared to Bluetooth. Still, this omission of Bluetooth with the Portal presents a very costly problem.    

Basically, if you already have a PlayStation Portal and you're looking to get a set of earbuds to go with it, Sony's Pulse Explore is really the only option that you have. Given that the audio fidelity when playing games through the Portal remains solid, that's not necessarily a bad thing. What is rough, though, is that both the Portal and Pulse Explore Earbuds retail for $199.99 each. So to even use wireless audio with earbuds with the PS Portal, you have to be willing to shell out over $400. That's a cost that rivals the price of the PS5 itself, which is yet another piece of hardware you need to make the Portal work in the first place. With all of these steep costs taken into consideration, it makes me saddened to see that Sony opted to go in this route with the PlayStation Link tech and its implementation across devices. 

If you're simply in the market for new earbuds, there are better options available than PlayStation's Pulse Explore set. For all-around purposes, there are other earbuds that I own that I see myself going back to as my default pair when it comes to use with my phone and computer. Even when it comes to strictly gaming, I also don't see the Pulse Explore Earbuds overtaking my over-ear headphones that I typically use with my PS5. 

In short, this is why the Pulse Explore Earbuds are hard to broadly recommend. Essentially, your own interest in Pulse Explore is going to rely on whether you prefer an in-ear audio option compared to an over-the-ear device. The product that Sony has developed here isn't necessarily a bad one, it's just for a very specific audience. If you're in that audience, then there's definitely some consideration to be had here. Otherwise, PlayStation's Pulse Explore Earbuds can safely be passed on. 

*The PlayStation Pulse Explore Earbuds were provided by Sony for the purpose of this review.