Technologies

Sony Pulse Explore Earbuds Hands-On: Absurdly Good Sound

While designed to be used with Sony’s PlayStation 5 gaming console, they’re among the best wireless earbuds for music listening.

Sony’s upcoming Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are weird — but in a surprisingly good way.

Due to ship Dec. 6 and available for preorder now for $200, the buds are ostensibly low-latency gaming earbuds. Somewhat bulky and a little bit strange looking in your ears, they’re designed to be used with Sony’s PS5 gaming console and its new PlayStation Portal remote player, as well as Windows and Mac computers. (The included PlayStation Link USB adapter is required for PS5 and Nintendo Switch use.) Like most other wireless gaming earbuds I’ve encountered, the Pulse Explore can also be paired with your smartphone via Bluetooth.

That they’re very good gaming earbuds isn’t surprising. However, that they’re as good as they are for music listening is a revelation. In fact, after trying an early review sample in advance of the launch, I found that they sound clearer and more articulate than Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM5 earbuds, with tight, powerful bass. That doesn’t necessarily mean they sound better than XM5s, which sound a little fuller. But I wasn’t expecting them to compete at all with the XM5s for music listening.

The reason for that sound seems largely due to the buds’ planar magnetic drivers, which are typically found in high-end over-ear audiophile headphones and rarely in earbuds. Sony recently acquired Audeze, which is known for its planar magnetic drivers and in 2021 made a pair of $1,299 wired planar magnetic earbuds called the Euclid that are currently listed as «sold out.» Planar magnetic drivers are prized for their sonic accuracy and being less prone to distortion. They’re typically larger than standard dynamic drivers found in the majority of headphones and harder to drive.

The Pulse Explore look a little funky but are comfortable to wear

Normally, I’d say that $200 for a pair of gaming earbuds, especially ones like the Pulse Explore that don’t exactly have a premium look and feel, is pretty pricey. (They’re an all-plastic affair and are relatively lightweight for their size.) But that Sony and presumably Audeze have brought this driver technology to a pair of $200 earbuds is kind of wild. And Sony’s upcoming $150 Pulse Elite headset, due to ship on Feb. 21, also features planar magnetic drivers.

To get to that price point, Sony has stripped out some features that you’d find in today’s premium true-wireless earbuds, including its WF-1000XM5 buds. The Pulse Explore have no active noise canceling (aka ANC), no ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the earbuds out of your ears, and no companion app with an equalizer or other features (that I’m aware of). These are truly bare-bones earbuds. In fact, the volume control buttons only worked when I was using the buds with my PS5, and there were no controls for skipping tracks forward or back when I was using the buds with an iPhone 15 and Google Pixel 7.

Truth be told, I generally use full-size headphones for gaming and so do my teenage kids, who I usually ask for feedback when testing gaming headsets. As I said, from my limited testing time, they sounded very good and performed well as gaming earbuds. They’re compatible with Sony’s 3D Audio supported games. (I played Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.) Sony says they’ll «enhance your perception in 3D Audio supported PS5 games as audio cues are positioned with an incredible degree of accuracy across all three dimensions.» And microphone performance seemed quite good for multiplayer games.

The Sony Pulse Explore earbuds include a USB dongle

It was simple to connect the earbuds to the PS5. You plug in the PlayStation Link USB adapter to the USB-A port on the PS5, then press the link button on the case while the earbuds are in the case, and you’re quickly connected to the PS5. What’s also nice is that you can simultaneously be connected to your phone via Bluetooth and take a call if it comes in while you’re gaming. While you could pair to a PC via Bluetooth, you’ll likely want to use the PlayStation Link USB adapter with your Mac or Windows PC because it creates a lossless low-latency connection with the buds. With the Nintendo Switch, you’ll need a USB-C to USB-A adapter to plug in the dongle, but no dongle is required for the PlayStation Portal remote player. (It’s a shame you need a dongle for the PS5, as it’s unclear why the technology can’t be built into the unit like it is with the Portal.)

As far as comfort goes, the buds come with four sets of ear tips, so you should find a set that fits your ears well. Overall, I found them comfortable to wear over long periods. (The earbuds are rated for five hours of battery life at moderate volume levels with two extra charges in their fairly larger charging case.) While I was able to get a tight seal with the largest set of ear tips, I ended up switching to another set with a more conical shape that fit my ears even better. (Since I test a lot of earbuds I have a lot of extra ear tips to choose from.)

I spent more time listening to music than gaming with them because I was surprised how good they sound. I asked Sony whether they supported its LDAC audio codec for Bluetooth streaming, but I never got a response. However, it appears they don’t as my Pixel 7 showed that the AAC audio codec was supported for HD audio in the settings for the buds, not LDAC.

While they may not offer the same sound quality as high-end over-ear planar magnetic headphones, they exhibit some of the same sound traits: well-balanced audio that’s clear, accurate and open (wide sound stage), with bass that goes deep but is well defined. These are earbuds that will make you want to do a deep dive into your music library to hear how they sound with various tracks. While they may be a little harder to drive, I didn’t have any issue with how loud they play using my iPhone 15. (The volume was slightly lower with the Pixel 7.) But the WF-1000XM5 buds do play louder, and, as I said, sound a bit fuller with bigger bass.

I was also impressed with their voice-calling capabilities. Callers told me they did a very good job suppressing background noise while my voice came through relatively clearly — even on the noisy streets of New York. They’re in the upper echelon of earbuds for voice calling.

As noted, they’re pretty lacking in the features department when it comes to what people have come to expect from premium earbuds that cost $200, the street price of Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. But if you get a tight seal, the passive noise isolation is good (a decent amount of ambient noise is muffled) and the earbuds sound great and work well for making calls, which is all that a lot of people are looking for.

I’ll post a full review once I’ve spent more time with the Pulse Explore earbuds, but for now I’ll say they’ve exceeded my expectations. Sure, plenty of people use their gaming headset as everyday headphones, particularly while working at their desk. But the Pulse Explore also make a strong case to be your everyday earbuds despite their decided lack of features.

Technologies

Disney Exec Says ESPN Outage on YouTube TV May ‘Go for a Little While’

YouTube TV subscribers will miss college football on ESPN, ABC and conference networks for the third weekend straight.

More than two weeks after YouTube TV customers lost access to Disney’s streaming channels — including ABC, ESPN and the ACC and SEC networks — there is no sign of progress in the negotiations between the two entertainment giants.

At Disney’s fourth quarter earnings call on Thursday, Walt Disney CFO Hugh Johnston didn’t offer specifics on the ongoing negotiations, instead noting that «in terms of our (financial) guidance, we built a hedge into that (the YouTube TV outage), with the expectation that these discussions could go for a little while.»

Disney CEO Bob Iger ended the call on a more positive note, saying, «While we’ve been working tirelessly to close this deal and restore our channels to the platform, it’s also imperative that we make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver.»

The disagreement causing the ABC and ESPN outage stems from the «carriage fee» that YouTube TV pays Disney to broadcast its channels. Disney has faced similar negotiating standoffs with other broadcasters in recent years, including an earlier 2021 outage on YouTube TV that was resolved in two days.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Disney says YouTube TV isn’t paying enough to stream its channels. YouTube TV, owned by Google, has the most subscribers among all internet TV providers, with over 9 million. Hulu, owned by Disney, is second with 4.3 million subscribers through its Hulu + Live TV offering.

«The deal that we have proposed is equal to or better than what other large distributors have already agreed to,» Iger also said Thursday.

While the two sides wrangle over the fees, they risk further losses. Nearly a quarter of YouTube TV subscribers (24%) have canceled or intend to cancel their subscription because the service «no longer delivers the core content they signed up for,» according to a survey cited by Variety.

Disney, meanwhile, is losing an estimated $30 million in revenue per week while its channels are unavailable on YouTube TV, according to a Morgan Stanley research note cited by Variety. That’s a significant chunk of change because each week Disney’s networks are dark on YouTube TV, Disney’s adjusted earnings per share drop by 2 cents, analysts say.

When will ESPN, ABC and other Disney channels return to YouTube TV?

Disney is no stranger to carriage fees feuds, and as with previous disputes, negotiations are under wraps, and how long it will continue is anyone’s guess. Disney’s contract conflict with Sling TV in 2022 lasted just two days, while the one with Spectrum/Charter in 2023 wasn’t resolved for 10 days.

Disney’s contract conflicts from previous years were mostly resolved in a week or two, but Google has considerably more bargaining power than those other platforms.

Thursday marked 14 days that Disney’s channels had been blacked out on YouTube TV — a day longer than the Disney outage on DirectTV last year. How much longer this outage will continue is unknown, but the Morgan Stanley analysts who pegged Disney’s weekly losses at $30 million sounded an optimistic note in predicting that the outage will be resolved later this week.

When a deal is reached between Disney and YouTube, the missing channels will return «in a matter of hours,» according to Variety.

What are Disney and YouTube TV saying about the dispute?

On Oct. 30, YouTube TV posted on X, «Members, when we renew our contracts with network partners, we advocate for fair pricing to offer you the best TV experience.»

«Google’s YouTube TV has chosen to deny its subscribers the content they value most by refusing to pay fair rates for our channels, including ESPN and ABC,» Disney said in a statement to CNBC.

In a memo to employees on Oct. 31 that was also reported by CNBC, Disney accused YouTube TV of deleting «previously recorded shows and events from their subscribers’ libraries.»

«YouTube TV and its owner, Google, are not interested in achieving a fair deal with us,» Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the memo. «Instead, they want to use their power and extraordinary resources to eliminate competition and devalue the very content that helped them build their service.»

Disney is also asking its viewers to ask YouTube TV to bring back its broadcasting via the keepmynetworks.com site.

Which Disney channels were removed from YouTube TV?

Sports fans aren’t the only viewers left sidelined by the loss of Disney channels from YouTube TV. Here are all the channels that have been removed from the streaming service:

ABC
ABC News Live
ACC Network
Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN
ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
ESPNews
ESPNU
ESPN2
Freeform
FX
FXM
FXX
Localish
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)
Nat Geo Wild
SEC Network

How can YouTube TV subscribers watch football games during the Disney outage?

YouTube TV subscribers with an aerial TV antenna can still watch Monday Night Football and college football games on ABC if they live close enough to receive an over-the-air broadcast signal from a local ABC affiliate.

Other than that, the only real option for viewers who want to watch all of the college football and basketball games this weekend and Monday Night Football at home is to subscribe to another service that provides ABC and ESPN, including ESPN+, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo or DirecTV Stream.

Sling TV offers a $5 Day Pass that could be a good option for viewers who want to watch one specific game, as well as a $10 Weekend Pass that would give you college football and basketball games for both days.

For those looking to find football games at local establishments, this handy app can help you find places that are showing the games.

YouTube TV has given $20 bill credits to subscribers

YouTube TV had promised subscribers a $20 credit for the streaming service if the Disney channels outage continued for an extended period, and on Sunday, the streaming service announced the details of that credit.

Some YouTube subscribers receive the $20 credit automatically, and others need to claim it online. According to a YouTube spokesperson, subscribers who pay with Google Play billing or through their mobile service should receive the $20 credit automatically.

If you need to claim the $20 credit, you should have received an email from YouTube TV. To redeem your the credit, follow these steps:

Log in to YouTube.com with a web browser
Click or tap on your profile picture
Click or tap Settings.
You can also directly browse to the URL at https://tv.youtube.com/settings/service_updates.
At the bottom of the menu on the left, select Updates.
On the following screen, which explains the Disney channels outage, click or tap the blue button marked Claim Credit.

Emails from YouTube TV started going out Sunday night and several Reddit posters have already reported receiving the $20 credit. All of the credits for YouTube TV subscribers should be issued by Wednesday, Nov. 12, according to Variety.

The $20 credit will be applied to your next billing cycle.

We asked YouTube TV if additional billing credits would be offered to subscribers if the outage continues. A spokesperson replied, «This is a situation that is evolving, and we will let subscribers know of future additional credit offers. Our main priority is to reach an agreement that restores Disney’s content to YouTube TV.»

Correction, Nov. 5: An earlier version of this story failed to note that Sling TV day and weekend passes can be used to watch local ABC affiliates only in certain markets.

Technologies

Nintendo Says Newest Switch 2 Update Didn’t Deliberately Brick Third-Party Docks

Third-party dongle docks appear to be failing after the 21.0.0 update.

Nintendo released a new Switch 2 firmware update on Tuesday that came with a few albeit not significant changes to the portable console. It appears, however, this update might have bricked some third-party docks for the console in the process.

Switch 2 owners on social media say their third-party docks are no longer working with their systems after downloading firmware update 21.0.0, as first reported by Kotaku on Thursday. It’s unclear what in the firmware may have caused the issue, but it does appear that it primarily affects dock dongles, which plug directly into the Switch instead of the typical cradle-style docks that require the console to be placed in them.

Nintendo says it doesn’t have any intention to hinder or invalidate third-party docks.

«Nintendo Switch 2 outputs audio/visuals once it detects that it is docked into a Nintendo Switch 2 Dock. Nintendo Switch does the same, outputting audio/visuals once it detects that it is docked into a Nintendo Switch Dock,» the company said in an emailed statement to CNET.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

What third-party Switch 2 docks are affected?

As of now, the only docks that appear to have issues are the third-party dongle docks. Standard docks and the official dock from Nintendo are fine.

Can these Switch 2 dock dongles be fixed?

It’s unclear if another Switch firmware update can address the problem. It’s also unlikely that the manufacturers of these docks will be able to provide a firmware update to address any problems.

This is not the first time third-party docks have had compatibility issues with a Switch console. In 2018, Nintendo released the 5.0.0 update for the original Switch, which not only caused some docks to stop working, it also led to consoles using those docks having problems. A 2019 report from Wired found that some third-party docks tried to emulate the same quick connections to the USB-C port on the Switch like with the official Nintendo dock. If the hardware has a slight manufacturing defect where the connections weren’t firmly connected, it could cause the USB-C power port on the Switch to fail.

Nintendo does advise Switch owners to use official Nintendo products for the system.

What else changed in the Switch 2 firmware update 21.0.0?

The latest Switch 2 firmware update went live on Tuesday and made a series of quality-of-life changes to the Switch 2, such as changing certain text in the settings to provide a better description of their functions; adding an option to cancel multiple software downloads at once; and adding icons on software to indicate whether it’s a physical or a digital version. This last change refers to the Game-Key Card feature for certain Switch 2 games that do not have the entire game on the cartridge and require downloading the game files.

Technologies

Metroid Prime 4 for Switch 2 Delivers the Biggest Evolution the Franchise Has Seen

The next chapter in the Metroid saga lands in December with a major shift for the series. Here’s everything we know.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond seemed like it would never come out since it was first teased in 2017, but the newest adventure featuring Samus Aran is less than a month away. Nintendo released a trailer Friday that highlights the biggest changes coming to the series.

In Metroid Prime 4, Samus responds to a distress call from the Galactic Federation, which is under attack by a bounty hunter known as Sylux. A disaster happens, transporting her to the planet Viewros, and now she has to use her new psychic powers and some help from allies to survive the planet in order to find her way home.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Trailer

When does Metroid Prime 4 come out?

Metroid Prime 4 will be released on Dec. 4.

What consoles will Metroid Prime 4 be released on?

Metroid Prime 4 will be available for the original Switch for $60 and on the Switch 2 for $70. For those with the original Switch now, but who think they might get a Switch 2 for the holidays, the Switch version can be upgraded to the Switch 2 version for $10.

What’s new in Metroid Prime 4?

The biggest change in Metroid Prime 4 is the open world. Previous Metroid Prime games usually confined Samus to caverns, temples or a ship, but this time around, she’ll be able to explore the world of Viewros. To help her traverse across the world, Samus can ride her bike called Vi-O-La.

Samus is known for her arsenal of powerful weapons, but in Metroid Prime 4, she will have new psychic abilities. These abilities will let her manipulate energy and activate machinery with just her mind.

Scattered across Viewros are Galactic Federation troopers, whom Samus will rescue but also fight alongside. This marks one of the few times when Samus isn’t battling alien forces on her own.

Will the Switch 2 version have any unique features?

A new feature only available with the Switch 2 version of the game is mouse controls. Players can use a Joy-Con 2 as a mouse by placing it on a hard surface, which some gamers insist is the proper way to play FPS games. If that isn’t of interest, both Metroid Prime 4 versions will make use of the Joy-Cons motion controls or a compatible gamepad, such as the Switch 2 Pro Controller.