Technologies

Best PS4 Gaming Headset for 2022

Looking for a new headset for your PS4 or PS5? Here are our current top picks, from basic budget models that cost less than $50 to high-end feature-packed powerhouses.

PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 are popular consoles that are widely used by gamers internationally. In order to enhance the gaming experience, Sony developed a range of headphones that are specifically designed to work with these consoles. The PlayStation 4 headphones are known for their high-quality sound, noise-cancellation technology, and comfortable design. They offer a great balance of sound and chat audio, making them perfect for online gaming.

Gaming is a great way to take a break from the grind of daily life and escape to expansive, fantastic worlds, as well as a way to stay in touch with friends from around the globe. If gaming time is the way you and your friends keep in touch, then you’ll probably want to invest in a proper gaming headset with top-notch audio quality. A great headset offers high-caliber sound for an even more immersive gaming experience, and can be crucial when it comes to coordinating a raid, co-adventuring in a fantasy world or deciding which pal among you is more of an im-pal-ster. And no matter your needs or your budget, there’s a perfect headset out there for you.

You don’t have to buy Sony headphones either. Most standard wired headphones with microphones technically work as headsets for the PS4 (you simply plug the headphone into the 3.5mm jack on your controller), but having a dedicated «gaming» headset, like the PS4 compatible headsets below, ensures an optimized sound experience. One of the best PS4 headset features is the noise isolation, which can block out background noise for a more immersive experience, and another great gaming headset feature is a good mic that ensures others can hear you clearly when you’re in the middle of a long gaming session. Seriously, when you’re going head-to-head with another squad, mic quality matters.

Many people with a PlayStation 4 choose to go with a wired headset simply because it can be plugged into the already wireless controller. It’s also worth noting that many, if not most, wired PS4 headphones also work just fine with the PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Windows PCs, Macs and the Nintendo Switch.

But what if you don’t want your headphones to be tied down by wires? If you want to eliminate the cord that goes from the controller to your headphones, some of the best PS4 headset options let you go completely wireless. Just be aware that these PS4 headsets all include — and require — a low-latency wireless dongle that plugs into the USB port on your PS4 (there should be no audio delay).

Note: Almost no PS4 wireless gaming headsets will also work with the Xbox One. The Switch, meanwhile, requires a USB-C wireless dongle for wireless headset connectivity (though some of the USB dongles do work via the Switch’s dock).

Some midrange and high-end PS4 gaming headset models feature 7.1 virtual surround sound. To be clear, this isn’t real surround sound but it can help with the sound quality to create a richer, more immersive audio experience. It also gives you a better sense of spatial awareness with certain games where that can be an advantage. When looking for the best PS4 headsets, we also took mic quality into consideration if you’re playing online, because that’s especially important if your gaming session requires group coordination. If you can’t be heard, you can’t strategize!

With those basics established, let’s talk about the best PS4 headset. These are the results of our own home-based testing — we thought about everything from noise cancellation to the comfiness of the ear cushions. This list is updated periodically and includes some options suggested in GameSpot’s list of best gaming headsets.

More gaming recommendations

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 20 #535

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Aug. 20, No. 535.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a tough one. It helps to know a little something about different currencies, but there was one on there that was completely new to me. If you need hints and answers for today’s Strands puzzle, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Mint condition

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: We’re in the money!

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

GULP, GLOB, LORE, DOLL, DOLE, DOLED, ROPE, ROPER, WALL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

EURO, PESO, DOLLAR, POUND, RAND, RUPEE, KWANZA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is GLOBALCURRENCY. To find it, look for the G that’s four letters to the right on the very top row, and wind down.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Aug. 20

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 20.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has a few challenging clues (4-Down threw me off), but it’s mostly OK. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Something worn by an infant or marathon runner
Answer: BIB

4A clue: Diversion on a long flight
Answer: MOVIE

6A clue: Phobos and Deimos, for Mars
Answer: MOONS

7A clue: Join highway traffic
Answer: MERGE

8A clue: Coloring for a camp shirt
Answer: DYE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Loudly voiced one’s disapproval
Answer: BOOED

2D clue: Material in walrus tusks
Answer: IVORY

3D clue: Experience four seasons in one day, say?
Answer: BINGE

4D clue: «Delicious!»
Answer: MMM

5D clue: Opposite of WNW
Answer: ESE

Technologies

See Six Planets Line Up in the Upcoming Planet Parade Tonight

Mark your calendar so you can catch Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus in the sky at the same time.

Fresh off the excitement of the Perseids meteor shower is a chance to see six planets lined up in the sky at once. These events, colloquially known as planet parades, only occur about once or twice a year, with the most recent one in February showing off all seven planets in our solar system at once. The next one will feature six of our closest celestial neighbors, and the event starts on Tuesday.

The six planets sharing the sky will be Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Mars will technically be there at the beginning of the night, but it dips below the horizon right after sunset, so it won’t be visible when all of the others are. Of those, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye, while the others will require high-powered binoculars or, preferably, a telescope.

Even though they’re spread out across the eastern and southern skies, the planets pair up with this one, making many of them pretty easy to find if you know what to look for. From east to west, here’s where each one will be.

Mercury — Eastern sky near the Cancer constellation. It’ll pop over the horizon just before sunrise, so you’ll have limited time to view it before the sun comes up and obfuscates it.
Venus — At the lower tip of the Gemini constellation in the eastern sky, a couple of hours before sunrise.
Jupiter — Will be near Venus, also in the Gemini constellation. It rises about an hour before Venus does.
Uranus — Will be near the upper tip of Taurus, rising after midnight. This one will require some magnification. If you see Pleiades, a cluster of stars at the upper tip of Taurus, you’ve gone too far upward.
Saturn and Neptune — These two are right next to each other and will be sitting between the Pisces and Cetus constellations in the southern skies. Neptune will be closer to Pisces while Saturn will be closer to Cetus.

Since it takes a long time for planets to move through the night sky, Aug. 20 is the starting point, and it’ll run through the rest of the month. Once September hits, Mercury will be too close to the sun, which will obscure it. From that point, there will be a five-planet parade for a while until Venus sinks below the horizon in early October. So, in all, you’ll have a chance to see at least five planets for over a month.

Will the planet parade be visible from my region?

Yes. We double checked Stellarium’s sky map from a variety of locations across the country, and everything above will be applicable everywhere in the continental US. Per Starwalk, the parade will also be visible in other parts of the world after the following dates for about the same amount of time (one to two weeks).

Abu Dhabi — Aug. 9
Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Tokyo and London — Aug. 10
Mumbai and Hong Kong — Aug. 11
Reykjavik, São Paulo and Sydney — Aug. 12

The planets will move based on date, though. The above locations are where they’ll be around Aug. 20, but if you’re looking a week or so later, they’ll be in the same general area, but will shift to a slightly different part of the sky.

Will I need any special equipment?

Yes. Neptune and Uranus, especially, will require some sort of magnification to see. We recommend a telescope, but high-powered binoculars may work if the sky is dark enough. Saturn is also difficult to see without magnification, so you’ll want it for that too. Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury should be visible on their own with the naked eye.

We also recommend taking a trip out to the country, as light pollution from suburbs and cities can make it even more difficult to see Neptune and Uranus. The moon will be out as well, which may make Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury harder to see. Other factors like weather may also make it more difficult to see all of them. If you’re lucky, you may see a few shooting stars at the tail end of Perseids as well.