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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."
My bluetooth won't work. My USB won't work. That's sucks. But I got first post. So I got that going for me.
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.
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.
I don't want to hear anyone saying what someone else buys is unnecessary if this guy is spending that much for a headset. I don't care about the tonal values or fit or anything else. To someone looking in, that is just a waste of money to play a game.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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?
Isn't this a feature pretty much taken for granted? My $80 Hauwei Ascend II has bluetooth for pete's sake... It's a $10 dollar chip (maybe $2.50 at the bulk Sony buys)... I get that margin's are slim but come on...
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Not supporting Bluetooth headsets for chat isn't about backwards compatibility considering bluetooth is the standard for wireless headsets designed for chat. If this really is not going to be addressed then either they are being lazy and not developing a full bluetooth stack or they are attempting to force people into buying an expensive proprietary Sony chat solution. As someone that uses a pair of Motorola S10-HDs for chat this is the push I need to completely switch to Steam.
My Hello World is 512 bytes. But it's also a valid Fat12 boot sector, Fat12 file reader, and Pmode routine.
Is included with the purchase of PS4. Sony is probably just prioritizing what they can do in the time before launch. There's no reason they couldn't choose to eventually support Bluetooth later as well as USB (even though they're not promising Bluetooth now) and there's presumeably no reason why a third party couldn't create a USB-to-Bluetooth dongle for headsets either.
"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.
reason I decided to stay away from consoles of any type. IMO the Bluetooth implementations of Sony (PSanything) and Microsoft's Xbox are pure shit.
My karma is not a Chameleon.
...that I do my best not to talk to gamers.
USB, the only rectangular connector that takes 3 attempts to connect properly.
A good pair of headphones can easily run you $500 (that's considered mid-tier).
You can easily spend that much if you don't find the less-known options while doing your research, that's very true. Stay away from the marked-up versions that are easily accessible and order yourself something for professionals instead. Especially look out for the brands like Sony, which may have innovated with their high end MDRs in the 1980s, but can't really justify the price tag today when everyone else is using the same drivers for much less money. You don't have to spend that kind of money.
I am a sound engineer, live and in the studio. I have to have accurate, reliable cans that I can use for hours every day and I can find them for far less than $500. You can get Etymotic in-ears for vocalists, drummers, etc onstage for $200-250. You can buy a nice pair of professional 250-ohm DT990 over-the-ears for $160 (new on Amazon no less) that you can wear all day. They stand up very well to a pair of $1500 electrostatic headphones and blow everything under $1500 away. Haven't heard them? Don't believe me? Try them out, A/B test with any more expensive pair through a few different audio clips, and you'll see exactly what I mean if your ears aren't shot. I acknowledge that some people have blown out their ears with concerts and construction equipment, or old age has taken its unfair toll on the ears. To them, there will be no difference and you just want comfort and construction quality at that point. But for those of us who somehow retained good hearing despite the odds... Talk to studio professionals to find out how to get a good pair of headphones, not gamers or people listening to their iPod on the bus. Good involves accurate sound, wearability all day, and replaceable parts that you can still order 10 years down the road. If you're spending that kind of money, you want it to be good.
To gamers: I guess that at the end of the day though, if you really want that unnatural jaw-vibrating bass boost for your explosions and dubstep soundtracks (and who wouldn't want that for their entertainment!!) you will probably want to start with good headphones that reach down very low and boost that bass with active electronics like an EQ or old DFX box. There's no substitute. Otherwise you'll have to buy the gimmicky crap like those battery-powered Beats / Monster headphones, but you know you're getting ripped off the whole time you do it. Get something that makes you happy but shop around for goodness' sake, you can be happy for a lot less than $500.
Helpful link to check out objective qualities of headphone sound: http://www.headphone.com/buildAGraph.php - and if you only shop by frequency response curves... you're missing the point. Look at the harmonic distortion curves as well.
Again, supporting every last device means running up against some seriously fucked up firmware; but not even supporting your own-branded devices? Pure laziness.
Or a completely transparent cash grab. Consoles have always been about the peripheral upsell. Industry standards throw a huge shoe in that business model.
Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
If you use a Bluetooth headset (as most PS3 owners do)
Most PS3 users do not use any headset, never mind those that are Bluetooth.
I think what you meant to say was "If your PS3 headset is Bluetooth (as most are).."
"ITworld's Peter Smith is shedding a tear for his $250 Turtle Beach PX5 headset." Sorry, but no sympathy for him. Instead of shedding a tear for your "beloved" device, why not DON'T BUY A PS4. But no, everyone will bitch and moan and gnash their teeth and rant online, but they'll still hand over their money to Sony, who doesn't give a rat's ass. Hey Peter Smith, it's YOUR fault, yours and those like you who keep giving these greedy idiots your money.
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
What's funnier is the Rev B, C, D ... hardware will cost the same or less and be readily available on a shelf when I want to go buy it in February, when I get my tax return. It's not like it's limited edition or there's something special about the first ones. The days of that kind of treat I fear have ended. All you get now is barely out of BETA hardware and software for all that waiting in the cold, overnight, in a line outside a Walmart, or Best Buy, or GameStop. No thanks. I'll get the Rev B/C/D hardware a few months later once a bunch of bugs are worked out and there are more titles available. Sorry, I guess that happens when you become wiser and get burned a few times by the shiny. Be wary the hot-off-the-assembly-line shiny electronic gizmo! They bite!
Their systems driver group has drivers that work with everything already. This is a corporate decision, not a technical or even support costs issue.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.