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For Playstation 4 Owners, Bad News On USB, Bluetooth Headsets
itwbennett writes "Until now Sony has done a pretty good job of keeping future Playstation 4 owners happy. But last week they finally hit a rock when Game Informer posted an article about headset compatibility. At launch, USB headsets that work with the PS3 won't work with the PS4. Sony says that eventually there will be a system update that addresses the problem but for now, even your Sony-branded USB headset won't work. If you use a Bluetooth headset (as most PS3 owners do) the news is even worse. Bluetooth headsets will not be supported and no update is planned to address this. ITworld's Peter Smith is shedding a tear for his $250 Turtle Beach PX5 headset."
If they're fixing the USB compatibility problem, presumably someone will make a third-party accessory that's basically just a BT dongle.
When the update comes out, fine.
There likely won't be much in terms of online or multiplay at launch anyhow.
And bluetooth can still suck it.
All I've ever had was problems with bluetooth, whether it was something not supporting it, or something only partially supported, bluetooth is just terrible.
Also, anyone spending that amount of money for a fucking headset should be shot, period.
I bet he can't even say why he bought it other than things that could easily be disproved through simple tests.
B-B-B-BUT MY BRANDS. Surprised it wasn't Skullcandy too. Terrible.
They better not fudge anything else up for launch.
Or remove features again. (even if it was just the terrible Other OS feature that was slow as high hell for anything useful)
Principle shminciple, it was awful. Even for those bootToBrowser installs.
and spend hundreds of $$$ to play CoD or Battlefield or whatever
spending all the money pre-ordering a game system where you know next to nothing about a product. funny how these little details only come out so soon before it starts to ship
consumer capitalism basically dictates incompatibility must be built into every successive iteration of a product, to ensure customers continue buying. planned obsolescence is built into everything we own, and why for example cellphone ram is no longer expandable and the USB connector for Android phones is particularly flimsy. The Turtle Beach headset is an excellent, well made product as are many other bluetooth devices for the PS3. making something thats expensive and must regularly be replaced because it becomes incompatible, broken, obsolete or socially shunned is the secret to some of the most lucrative products and wealthy corporations in the world. Apple arguably makes very little changes to each iteration of its iPhone, but people actually reserve precious time in their lives to stand in lines for the privilege of purchasing the next one.
if you dont like planned obsolescence, please step away from the hedonic treadmill and re-evaluate the product from a more fundamental level. What does it do, how well does it do it, and how does it make me feel? it may seem offtopic but its more pertanent than ever during the holidays, an old New England saw: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
Good people go to bed earlier.
If USB doesn't work and Bluetooth doesn't work then what does?
Shit like this is becoming more and more frequent, consoles are shipped missing key features with updates promised.
If it's not right, don't ship it. If it's not ready, don't ship it.
A company I used to work for lived by these words, if only the rest of the world did. (and if only they did too, they kinda don't anymore)
What do I know, I'm just an idiot, right?
"But it won't work with my ten-year-old $thing!" is the reason so many new products get bogged down before launch.
It isn't really Sony's problem to chase down every last bug with every last shit headset on the market; but implementing not-totally-fucked support for the USB Audio Device Class is one of those things that an OS not mired in the stone age is sort of expected to be able to handle.
Similarly, implementing support for Bluetooth 1.0/1.1 headset/handsfree profile and newer Bluetooth A2DP headsets is not exactly rocket surgery by the standards of shipping an operating system.
Again, supporting every last device means running up against some seriously fucked up firmware; but not even supporting your own-branded devices? Pure laziness.
They're not being lazy, they're being Sony. If you expect anything different you haven't been paying attention.
The First World Problem blues, more like.
There's WOOSH, and then there's you, where you didn't miss the joke so much as you stepped all over it. Meanie.
I can't believe so many people agree with this post. We are talking about game systems that cost around $500 that are probably played on TVs that cost $500-$1000 with perhaps a dozens games costing $60 each. And you are saying that a $250 headset is excessive? I don't find sound quality very important either, but who am I to judge what others find important enough to spend their money on? A $250 expenditure on a hobby is still pretty tame compared to most. I spent close to that on just one of two tickets to the musical Wicked, even though a movie ticket would have been $15.
Spending $250 on a headset instead of perhaps $50-100 is really no different than buying a 55" TV instead of a 40" one.
-- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
Lets all minimize first world problems. Because the third world is what is important. They drive innovation and bring up the world as a whole on their shoulders. Fuck every short sighted piece of shit that thinks their good feelings will solve the issues of the world. They are easy to spot via their use of the term "First World Problems."
Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
Really? That's a lot of faith there in an organization that hasn't done very much to merit it.
Let's indulge a little idle speculation on my part. Nothing I say from here down in this post is supported by any objective evidence; the only thing you could say is that the things I speculate on have been done in other contexts.
Yeah. I'm just speculating. But if you draw up a list of the companies in the world that might be inclined to this approach, Sony would absolutely be in the top two.
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
My first world problem is having to listen to people think they are being deep by dismissing problems by declaring the "First World Problems".