Even this late in its life cycle, Sony PlayStation 4 users are still often wondering if it’s possible to use Bluetooth headphones with the console. The answer still remains no, but with caveats. There exist very few “native” ways to connect a Bluetooth device to a PS4, but there are some workarounds that could make chatting with friends wirelessly much easier.
The Sony PlayStation 4 shipped with a flimsy, mono earbud which was intended to represent that this console would be a huge step toward accessible multiplayer gaming for Sony. That headset is at least worth its weight since it ensured that each one of the console’s 100 million-plus users can voice chat online. However, online gaming and social interaction (through options like PS4’s built-in party chat) have become far more popular than they were when the system launched in 2013, and overall audio immersion has crept to the forefront of a game’s production qualities, as seen in games like The Last of Us Part 2. The average gamer’s need for a great personal audio device is hard to overstate.
Sony itself revealed that PlayStation 4 wouldn’t use standard Bluetooth headsets before the platform’s release, so we’ve known about that missing option for a long time. Instead, most players are expected to use the 3.5mm headphone port on the bottom of the PS4’s Dualshock 4 controller to connect wired headsets. Despite this being a respectable choice, for people who still happen to own Bluetooth headphones, it’s still a letdown. Fortunately, there are alternatives that even Sony itself has employed.
Ways to Use Bluetooth Headsets on a PlayStation 4
The simplest solution to the PS4’s lack of Bluetooth headset support is a dongle. The PlayStation 4 may not work with most direct Bluetooth connections but it’ll support a massive range of USB audio devices. Sony’s own official PS4 headsets have used a USB dongle to allow a wireless connection between the console and the device, and other companies make hardware with similar features. That means even a generic USB Bluetooth adapter can get the job done and have your PS4 connected to any Bluetooth device that will work with that adapter.
The most common dongles plug into the console’s USB port and also have a receiver that connects to the controller’s AUX port. This setup will give a pair of Bluetooth headphones all of the sound options built into the PS4’s operating system, and since it’s based USB and AUX, which are both universal ports, it should work with the majority of devices. Most major headset manufacturers have designed products specifically for the PS4, so they’ll include both a dongle for wireless connectivity and a 3.5mm cable that can connect to a controller.
However, one of the biggest caveats to the PS4’s lack of Bluetooth support is that the restriction is lifted for select devices. The range of options is small, but companies like Turtle Beach and Steelseries have wireless headsets that will function with PlayStation 4’s Bluetooth natively. These devices aren’t headphones per se, but they offer remarkable sound quality, double as gaming headsets, and “triple” since they can connect to most other mobile devices that accept Bluetooth like smartphones and tablets.
