Despite borrowing plenty of elements from both titles, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom definitely falls closer to the recent The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This is a traditional Zelda experience through and through, with plenty of puzzles to complete, intricate dungeons to master, and a more linear fantasy story to discover.

That might be a turn-off to some, but will undoubtedly be a huge draw for others. I can’t deny that there’s something incredibly refreshing about the return to the 2D format. As brilliant and innovative as it is, the shift to a more freeform open-world has definitely sacrificed some of the more careful, considered design of older games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Nearly every aspect of Echoes of Wisdom feels finely crafted, with the introduction of some clever new mechanics successfully differentiating it from what we’ve seen before. I think that it will be remembered as one of the best Zelda games, perhaps even one of the best Nintendo Switch games, because of this, but it’s not a title that is without its flaws.

Girl power

Echoes of Wisdom marks the first time that the series’ titular princess takes the starring role. Link has vanished, swallowed up by one of the countless purple rifts enveloping the kingdom of Hyrule and spewing out legions of shadowy monsters. The king has been replaced by a sinister clone that sentences his daughter, Princess Zelda, to death, confining her to the castle’s dungeon until her execution. It’s here that you meet Tri, a mysterious fairy who becomes your companion throughout the game.

Tri grants Zelda a suite of magical abilities in order to facilitate her escape and eventual defeat of the malevolent force behind the rifts. This begins with the power to create echoes, copies of certain objects that can be placed at will. From tables, giant crates, and beds that can be stacked to form bridges to floating blocks of water and bouncy trampolines, there are countless echoes to discover and experiment with. Any that you find are added to a growing library and can be brought out at any time, adding a fantastic collectible element.

You quickly learn Bond, which allows you to bind yourself to objects and carry them while you move. You can even activate Reverse Bond, which causes you to follow the movement of your bound object. While this whole system is not as expansive as the building of Tears of the Kingdom, these powers are leveraged in a plethora of interesting ways once you escape into the world of Hyrule and begin your quest in earnest. Puzzles frequently require the intelligent use of echoes and Bond. A large rock, for an abstract example, might be positioned on the opposite side of a grate. You can’t reach it normally, but you can use Bond to move it around.

If the rock needs to be placed in a high position, perhaps on top of an out-of-reach pressure plate, you can simply create a stack of echoes to climb as a makeshift ladder in order to drag it up. It’s all delightfully intuitive and, importantly, remains so as the complexity ramps up. Many puzzles also have multiple solutions and I found that the vast majority of the time, if I expected a certain strategy to work, it would.

This openness can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times, though. Many dungeons contain platforming challenges that, although tricky, are very enjoyable to finally crack. Unfortunately, almost all of these can be bypassed by simply stacking up long chains of beds in order to bridge across them. This is in itself a lot of fun and rewards experimentation in a way, but does feel like a bit of a waste of the otherwise superb level design.

Free roam

Although it follows a very linear story that is broken up into clear digestible chunks, Echoes of Wisdom does feature something of an open world. You’re free to wander around any accessible area as you please, though large portions of the map are blocked off until you reach about the halfway point in the story. There’s not a huge amount to do in this version of Hyrule, but there is just enough to make a little exploration worthwhile.

Hidden chests are littered throughout the world, filled with rupees and the occasional smoothie ingredient. These can be eaten raw as a quick health top-up or combined into powerful drinks with a variety of special effects such as elemental resistance at a handful of smoothie vendors. There are a decent number of unique combinations to find and the whole system is pleasantly reminiscent of the creative cooking introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You can even make your own rather ineffective ‘Dubious Smoothie’ by adding in a splash of monster guts, a detail that I found quite amusing.

There are a good number of side quests too, most of which have you collect and summon a specific echo at the behest of an NPC. They’re quick to complete and don’t offer much in the way of useful rewards, but do result in some quite amusing and memorable interactions that help the world feel that much more alive.

On top of those found in dungeons, Hyrule is also packed with enemy creatures to fight. Combat is one of the most significant areas where Echoes of Wisdom departs from previous entries, as Zelda does not possess any conventional combat abilities at first. She can toss heavy rocks to deal damage in a pinch, or create echoes of previously defeated foes to fight on her behalf. This is a blast at first but unfortunately wears out its welcome quickly.

Even with a button to direct your minions toward a specific enemy, they’re just too slow and unresponsive. I often found myself skipping running past entire fights, purely because I didn’t want the hassle of managing an army of unreliable slimes. Thankfully, you unlock more combat abilities as you progress, including a magical sword that lets you transform into a swordfighter form.

In this form, Zelda dons Link’s trademark attire and effectively gains all of his abilities. You can slash with a sword, get shots off with a bow, and eventually toss explosive bombs. Your strength in this form can be upgraded too, with special collectibles hidden at the end of dungeons or in the most hard-to-reach corners of the map.

Miniature mayhem

The whole of Echoes of Wisdom is rendered in an adorable, miniaturized visual style that makes everything from the characters to individual trees and buildings look like it was plucked from a cute diorama. It’s very similar to the look of Link’s Awakening and, sadly, means that Echoes of Wisdom suffers from many of the same performance problems.

Frame rates are a little higher overall, especially within dungeons, but are still prone to significant drops. This is understandable in particularly intense moments, especially when you’re dealing with lots of enemies and summoned creatures on the same screen, but is pretty inexcusable when it happens at random points in the world.

The particularly awful performance of one snowy area late in the game is almost unbearable in both handheld and docked mode, which is a massive shame and does spoil an otherwise attractive part of the world. Hopefully, there will be patches to address at least some of these problems down the line.

Otherwise, there’s an awful lot to like in Echoes of Wisdom. It’s cute, charming, and, despite relying on an older formula, it is packed with a handful of novel ideas that make it well worth your while.

Accessibility

There are no dedicated accessibility settings on The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. The game allows you to choose between a normal and Hero difficulty setting, with the latter designed for more experienced players, but that’s it. This is very disappointing, especially given the reliance on holding button inputs to use abilities. A few basic options to alter the control scheme to remove longer inputs would go a long way to make the game more accessible.

Should I play The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom?

Play it if…

Don’t play it if…

How I reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

I played over 15 hours of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on Nintendo Switch OLED. During that time I completed the main story and played in a combination of both handheld and docked mode. In docked mode, I played on a 1080p monitor and used a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. In handheld mode, I played using the standard Pastel Pink Joy-Con controllers and used a pair of Final VR500 earbuds.

Throughout my time with the game, I was careful to compare my experience with other adventure titles and plenty of past entries in The Legend of Zelda series including The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, plus plenty of time in the original The Legend of Zelda.

First reviewed August 2024.

A few hours into my first campaign in city-building survival game Frostpunk 2, I was asked whether I thought parents should be able to accompany their kids into quarantine. A mother had been waiting outside, desperate to sit with their unwell child. Relaxing the law could help my trust with the locals; however, it was a risk nonetheless. Ultimately, I thought it was fair to let them in. Within moments of this decision, I was notified the mother had died of the same disease with a second popup letting me hear the thoughts of their bereaved husband, who ‘wasn’t sure how they could manage without them.’

It was painful, and depressing, a fitting ambiance for the broader context of the world. In Frostpunk 2, empathy can often feel inessential, frequently undermined by the brutal but engaging task at hand. However, despite the overwhelming urge to check that feeling at the door, this complex and moreish city builder wants you to learn from your mistakes, consider the alternatives, and often fail dramatically anyway. But regardless of how it goes, you’ll never be left without a story to tell.  

For those unfamiliar with the series, Frostpunk 2 takes place thirty years after the original game, in an alternative history where a volcanic winter has left society in an eternal state of ice. With limited technological resources and a city of vulnerable souls, your job is to steward the remaining civilization to utopia through excavation and exploration in frosty outer wilds - simple, right? But of course, no. The journey is naturally plagued with problems like disease and trust issues. However, if you brave the many (many) storms, your nurtured society can thrive and live on in this eternal freeze.

My first run at Frostpunk 2 was a chaotic balancing act as I acquainted myself with the cohesive medley of systems needed to survive in the icy post-apocalypse. Thankfully, suppose you are a little rusty like myself or a newcomer to the series. In that case, developer 11 Bit Studios softens the landing with variant difficulty settings and a short but sweet tutorial that wraps up the basics of how to play. Through this opening act, you’ll learn to break the ice (literally) to explore, find, and excavate your resources and manage your society through laws and research upgrades. While the bulk of Frostpunk 2’s mechanics come later - and through harsh lessons - this introductory level was the perfect amuse-bouche to the feast that is the rest of the game.

Through this introduction, you’ll also get acquainted with Frostpunk 2’s striking visual style, which makes the most of its late-1800s-style setting with burnt orange and copper mechanized industrial buildings and parchment paper script. After spending hours staring into the quiet blue-toned abyss, I found myself leaning towards the warmer parts of my screen almost instinctively to stay snug despite the 26-degree forecast outside. It’s clear that considerable care has been taken with each detail, and I was always pleased to find and inspect the finer notes, like the graffiti details on the drawings that accompany pop-up choices or unique features on character designs.

Get resources or die trying  

Frostpunk 2’s story mode is broken into sections that unlock as you achieve specific parameters, like finding alternate fuel sources, to keep the city of New London afloat. Success leads to another goal, and failure, well, that ends in exile. Despite my best efforts, my attention span was constantly drawn away from my pressing larger goals by the more minor but equally urgent issues like food management and rising crime rates due to youth delinquency. That is, in essence, Frostpunk 2’s central ethos, though - holistically managing and considering your ever-present and ever-changing parameters and goals that come with the cost of keeping thousands of people alive.

As such, there is no easy answer, and I’d often have to sacrifice the quality of life of my workers to maintain the incoming supply of goods to satisfy the consequent demand. It was often a rough decision, especially when my mismanagement got them here in the first place. Soon enough, that would lead to societal discord, which meant appeasement and new regulations to keep them on side. 

Surprisingly, with such harrowing situations and heady topics, I never wanted to disengage from the nightmare, and instead, I fell deeper into the systems, hoping to tunnel my way to success. Where the general ambiance kept me engaged, Frostpunk 2’s off-kilter humor also worked well to lighten the emotional load. Sarcastic tannoys and schadenfreude-filled situations occur often enough that those bitter failures don’t feel so bad, and equally, triumph isn’t to be celebrated too quickly either. 

You can improve your citizens' lives, though, and that’s through innovation. The Idea Tree plays a significant part in your survival throughout Frostpunk 2, and you’ll need to choose avenues to research at a cost of currency and time. There are political factions to consider when bettering your society, too, and no group will agree wholeheartedly. Still, you can invest in projects like Asbestos lining to help keep heating costs down… if you dare.  

It’s not the end of the world  

Speaking of factions, city management inevitably includes politics, and you’ll have to manage the needs of these various groups to keep things running smoothly. This is done through the lawmaking process, where you broker deals in backrooms with certain factions to get enough votes on your side to get laws passed. As with The Idea Tree, not all factions will agree on the best course forward, and it’s your job to decide which direction will do the least harm. 

As much as it pained me to do so, I often sided with religious zealots because their ideals felt a little less harsh than the other factions and because their numbers, thanks to my tinkering, remained so strong. You can easily negotiate too close to the sun here, too, though, as on more than one occasion, I made too many promises and got myself stuck, humbled, and unable to pass any meaningful laws without compromising my vision.

An ominous soundtrack accompanies your endeavors, blending the world's ferocious howling winds with symphonic sounds. As with the visual flourishes, the score feels appropriately solemn, offering fleeting moments of optimism through its clever orchestration. The intricacy of the music speaks to the detail that extends across Frostpunk 2’s vast pool of systems that I’m barely scratching the surface on, - if you haven’t yet got this impression, it’s definitely a game that is best explored for yourself. 

Despite having so much fun with Frostpunk 2, some recurring issues with inconsistent frame rates did rear their head, muddling my otherwise smooth playthrough. Thankfully, due to the game’s slower nature, none of those issues directly impacted my playthroughs by too much, and I’m optimistic that 11 Bit can solve said issues before launch. 

Once you've tried your hand at the main story aspects of the game, you can also jump over to the Utopia Builder mode, which offers a more sandbox approach to the gameplay, allowing you to pick certain parameters of a playthrough before you dive in. Equally as difficult and just as enjoyable, this mode was a great way to throw caution to the wind and test out some of my theories without feeling too heartbroken when I’d inevitably fail.

Accessibility

In Frostpunk 2, you can access the settings menu from the main title page as well as in-game, and you can toggle most features whilst in-game or before starting a session. Here, you can find a slider to toggle the UI text size, as well as an option to slow down game time when messages appear on the screen. For audio, you can set sliders for SFX and Music. Plus, if you have a specific keyboard setup, you can rebind the keys to your preference.  Requested more here.

Should I play Frostpunk 2?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

How I reviewed Frostpunk 2

I played Frostpunk 2 on PC in both the Story and Utopia Builder Modes for around 25 hours. During this time, I experimented with various difficulty options, researched different skills in The Idea Tree, and supported a variety of the factions we were presented with.

I played Frostpunk 2 on an AOC 27-inch QHD VA 144Hz gaming monitor with a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse and a Logitech G915 TKL keyboard. For sound, I used my external Creative Pebble V2 computer speakers and my Audio Technica ATH-MX50X headphones, which were plugged into a Scarlett 2i2 interface. My gaming PC has an RTX 3080, and an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X.  

The fact that Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics exists is a miracle - a veritable glitch in the timeline. After both companies seemingly burned its bridges after Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite’s disastrous reception, any kind of comeback for the Versus series became one of gaming’s white whales.

And yet here we are in 2024, with a brand new collection that makes seven Capcom-developed Marvel games available to play once again on modern consoles and PC. Sure, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is handily the standout title here, but the other six games (some of which have never received console ports before) are plenty worth checking out for casual and curious players.

Those expecting a content-rich experience won’t find it here, though. These are your bread-and-butter arcade ports and thus lack any additions brought to various other console ports over the years. However, with casual and ranked online play support alongside in-depth training modes and music and image galleries, there’s plenty to enjoy if you want to pick up one of these fighting games for regular play.

Reality stone

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics includes seven arcade titles, and they are as follows: 

• X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994)
• Marvel Super Heroes (1996)
• X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996)
• Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997)
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000)
• The Punisher (1993)

The collection is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (and on PS5 via backwards compatibility) and PC. The initial omission of an Xbox announcement was puzzling to some, but Capcom has since confirmed it’ll be coming to Xbox One (and therefore Xbox Series X and Series S via backwards compatibility) sometime in 2025.

You might have noticed that one of the games in this collection isn’t like the others. The Punisher is a two-player beat ‘em up and released at a time when Capcom was arguably the king of the subgenre, launching around the same time as the Final Fight series, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, and the legendary Alien vs. Predator. The Punisher beat ‘em up may not be as fondly remembered as other Capcom greats, but it’s well worth a playthrough or two here, especially if you can grab a buddy for a co-op session. 

Then you have the run of fighting games from 1994’s X-Men: Children of the Atom to 1998’s Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. While Marvel vs. Capcom 2 may be the culmination of these games that came before it, I’d implore you not to write them off as novel curios here - especially as they offer plenty in terms of gorgeous visuals and compelling gameplay systems.

Marvel Super Heroes, for example, turns the iconic Infinity Gems into a gameplay mechanic. They drop into a match as collectible items and offer various buffs upon activation, such as increasing movement speed or adding projectiles to your attacks. Some characters also synergize with certain gems, offering unique abilities like Psylocke’s ninjitsu or temporary invincibility for Juggernaut.

The first Marvel vs. Capcom game is also incredibly good fun. It’s got one of the more unique ‘pre-Marvel 2’ character rosters, featuring the likes of War Machine and Venom on the Marvel side, and Jin Saotome (Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness) and Strider Hiryu (Strider) among the Capcom picks. Presentation-wise, MvC 1 is phenomenal and showcases jaw-dropping team attacks that change depending on your chosen team of two. 

Getting jazzy

The centerpiece of the collection is unarguably Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. As one of the most well-documented and highly-requested fighting games to receive the port treatment, very little can be said about it that hasn’t been already. While it was infamously looked down on at the time of release by seasoned fighting game players, it’s since grown to become one of the most beloved games in the community for a number of reasons.

MvC 2 might be a favorite among fighting game pros, but it always had extremely strong casual appeal. It was the ultimate ‘who would win in a fight’ game years before guest characters were commonplace in the genre - and with its 3-vs-3 tag team setup and massive 56-character roster, there are countless opportunities for team synergy and dazzling combos.

Now, it is worth noting that MvC 2 is infamously, comically unbalanced. As mentioned earlier, there is a very clear set of top-tier characters that handily outclass the rest of the roster. At the highest level of play, it’s extremely common to run into teams featuring Cable, Sentinel, Magneto, or Storm largely thanks to their strong full-screen abilities. And as the game is true to its arcade version without any kind of balance changes, it’s something you’re bound to run into if you jump into online ranked play.

By no means is this a dealbreaker; I anticipate that a whole new audience of casual fans - be they modern Marvel heads or Capcom fanatics - will be mixing and matching their favorite characters on either side of the roster. Hopefully, this’ll lead to a thriving online scene for MvC 2 that hasn’t been seen since its now-delisted Xbox Live Arcade port. 

Night at the museum

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a fantastic way to play these seven titles on modern hardware, but it’s also a great work of game preservation in itself. Each game has its own gallery of concept art, much of which has never been disclosed by Capcom before. It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane and provides superb insight into each game’s design. Full soundtracks are also available to listen to, which is always a nice bonus.

Other welcome extras include a range of display filters, side banners (though I prefer to play with these turned off), the choice to play English or Japanese versions of each game, and the ability to toggle the selection of secret characters. Furthermore, difficulty settings and the option to set one-button specials are perfect for casual players who just want to jump in for some solo arcade mode fun.

Lastly, each game features an authentic marquee card that’s accessible from the collection’s pause menu. These will give you insight into each character’s special moves as well as how to activate unique game mechanics. Full move lists and a brand new training mode can also be accessed if you really want to get stuck in and learn your favorite characters inside and out.

Accessibility

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is light on dedicated accessibility features, but what’s here is welcome. An option for one-button specials is a highlight, removing the need for relatively complex button inputs. Controls are also fully remappable for each title, and a variety of display options lets you choose a filter and aspect ratio of your preference. The Versus games in particular are known for bombastic on-screen visuals effects, and thankfully, there is a light reduction setting to help minimize the intensity of some effects.

Should you play Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

How I reviewed Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

I played Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on PC for around 10 hours. That included arcade mode playthroughs of all titles, a full run of The Punisher beat ‘em up game, and a good bit of time perusing gallery mode and some time in training mode, too. I primarily used the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro controller for gameplay and the Razer BlackShark V2 X to enjoy the collection’s robust audio and soundtracks.

First reviewed September 2024

PlayStation Pulse Elite: Two-minute review

The PlayStation Pulse Elite is the next official headset from Sony for the PS5, offering a more premium wireless audio companion for the current-gen console.

The new features and tech inside the Elite, its superb audio quality, depth, and detail, and its ease and speed of connectivity across the PS5 and PlayStation Portal connectivity mean it’s an easy recommendation to make and gives many of the best PS5 headsets a run for their money.  

Like its gaming earbud brethren, the PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds, there are some hugely enticing selling points with the Pulse Elite headset. The first is the inclusion of planar magnetic drivers to provide stellar gaming audio, and the second is the PlayStation Link connectivity compatibility. Both are excellent features and make for a compelling gaming headset package for those looking to upgrade their audio game, make a jump up from 2020’s Pulse 3D headset, and certainly those that are enjoying the PlayStation Portal too.

The planar magnetic drivers provide some of the best audio I’ve experienced on PS5. All the way up the sound spectrum, from booming bass, to rich middles and pitch-perfect highs, and in all game genres and scenarios the audio absolutely sings. 

The Elite’s PlayStation Link connectivity is a feature that’ll be attractive to some - though it admittedly does remain somewhat niche right now. However, what it does mean is that the Elite is a perfect companion for the PlayStation Portal and will connect directly to it wirelessly via Sony’s new proprietary wireless connection, PlayStation Link; a huge bonus given there are only two devices that offer this (officially) - the other being the Pulse Explore buds.

It’s not all roses though as I personally find the design and build strangely shaped and of a bulbous form when it's on your head. Plus the set is a bit heavy compared to its direct competition. Even though you won’t see this bulbous shape when you’re wearing it, you’re reminded of it by anyone you live with, as well as the overall weight of the headset.

The mic isn’t a world-beater but it’s still wonderfully clear and crisp and has a very tidy retractable design that means it disappears into the headset when you don’t need it. The same plus point on design impacts the controls too, all of which are neatly and intuitively positioned for interaction.

Overall, if you’re looking for a PS5 headset upgrade or something to buy that’ll service your gaming on the console and on PlayStation Portal then the Pulse Elite is easy to recommend.

PlayStation Pulse Elite: Price and availability

• List price: $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$239.95
• Faces stiff competition at this price point
• Widely available in most regions

Launching in February of 2024, the price point of the PlayStation Pulse Elite is about right for what it offers - a premium official PS5 headset with more than its predecessor, the Pulse 3D. However, it does still face extremely stiff competition, particularly from third-party brands such as SteelSeries and Turtle Beach. 

Facing direct competition from the former’s Arctis Nova 5 (priced at the same point) and the Arctis Nova 7P (a little bit more expensive) means the Elite is in a crowded room. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX and slightly cheaper Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX also provide direct matchups.

As I say, however, with the Elite offering a superior experience compared to the other official model, the Pulse 3D, the pricing feels about right - especially with those planar magnetic drivers, which are usually reserved for super-premium headsets like the Audeze Maxwell.

The Elite will also benefit hugely from any price cuts or sales - if it ever drops to the $100 / £100 mark - therefore almost the same level as a Pulse 3D - then the proposition becomes a no-brainer for PS5 owners.

PlayStation Pulse Elite: Specs

PlayStation Pulse Elite: Design and features

• Bulbous design won’t be for everyone
• Great connectivity to PlayStation Portal as well as PS5
• Neat retractable mic and button set

The Pulse Elite shares the same design aesthetic and language as the PS5 family of consoles and accessories. Sweeping white curves and contrasting black elements work together once again to make for a striking design that’s easy on the eye and very slick. It’s a solid and pleasing evolution of the Pulse 3D design and looks immediately like a worthy successor.

Overall the shape and design of the headset do mean it’s much bulkier in mass and weight than its predecessor. When wearing it on your head the Elite has a distinctly bulbous appearance which is not flattering, to say the least. While you may not see it yourself, it’s enough for me to make it noteworthy and bring it to attention. You’re also reminded of that design when examining its weight. Coming in at 12.2oz / 347g, it’s nearly two ounces (almost 60 grams) heavier than the Pulse 3D and weightier than the likes of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 too (9.5oz / 266g).

Completing the minor qualms I have with the design is a tiny note about the leatherette material on the cups. I noticed it slides around (against the harder plastic underneath) under your fingers when you hold the cups which is slightly disconcerting and detracts from the premium feel of a headset that costs comfortably north of $100 / £100 - though ultimately makes no impact on use or experience.

However, beyond these issues, the headset’s build is robust and can survive a bump, while it’s also flexible enough to find the right fit to wear for hours.

The buttons and onboard controls are also a success. The retractable mic is housed in one of the wireless gaming headset’s ‘arms’ (the narrow white plastic parts which the cups are attached too) - the slightly longer one on the left-hand side - and features slick textures in the form of the PlayStation face button shapes to give it grip. It’s also got a visible-but-not-distracting LED and a mute button. On the right-hand headset arm, there’s a dual-purpose power and PlayStation Link connection button, volume controls, and the USB-C and 3.5mm audio jack ports. The underside of the top headband also has a charging port that can connect to the included wall-mountable charging dock which is a welcome feature to have thrown in.

While it’s made for PS5 and PlayStation Portal (via PlayStation Link) it can be taken to PC too with the use of another Link dongle (or the same, if you don’t mind unplugging it and replugging the dongle in all the time) which makes it very convenient when moving between the two platforms. Note that an extra dongle would require another purchase of $20 / £20 from PS Direct or a go-to online retailer. The headset’s Bluetooth connectivity is a good bonus too for pairing with mobile devices, and there’s also an audio jack connection to make it truly multiplatform if you don’t mind being tethered.

PlayStation Pulse Elite: Performance

• Stupendous audio from brilliant planar magnetic drivers
• Neat and tidy, and crystal clear retractable mic
• Solid battery life and reliable quick charge function

Cutting to it, the Pulse Elite is a brilliant-sounding PS5 headset, and produces some of the best audio I’ve experienced on the console. There was much hype and chatter about the inclusion of planar magnetic drivers in an official PS5 gaming headset, and the move is something that has paid off in spades. 

The smallest environmental details in Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl - a game rightly praised for its audio work - were beautifully and hauntingly conveyed to me. Meanwhile, the comic book-like sounds in Assassin’s Creed Chronicles were crisp and punchy; and the bombastic soundscapes of sci-fi adventure Star Wars Outlaws and power fantasy bullet-fest Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 were out of this world. 

Of course, neodymium drivers from brands like SteelSeries, Razer, and Turtle Beach sound spectacular too, especially with tuning via each set’s dedicated apps, but there’s something extra rich and detailed about the planar magnetic ones in the Pulse Elite which always had me coming back for more.

In terms of multiplayer, and the microphone, I was treated to similar joys in Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Saints Row with weapon noises, voices, and vehicle roars sounding beautiful while my voice easily carried over them to my teammates. On that note, the mic is very solid but unspectacular - it won’t blow your teammates away or have you recording podcasts with it, but it’s easily clear enough for flawless communications, even in the busiest of Diablo 4 encounters.

In terms of comfort and use, the Pulse Elite shines brightly too. On the latter, being an official set has its advantages, and using it with the PS5 and Portal is easy, seamless, and so intuitive. Everything from changing EQ settings on the PS5 to connecting to the Portal via PlayStation Link is super easy. Even using the mic is easy given those aforementioned grips ensuring you hold it a particular way, away from the mute button.

Comfort-wise, I did notice my ears getting a bit warm in the Elite’s cups in the hotter weather recently, but otherwise, I never had to take off the headset due to ear or headache and could keep it on all day happily.

The battery life of the Pulse Elite won’t win any prizes, but its quoted 30 hours is a decent and very welcome improvement on the Pulse 3D that’ll easily have you covered. From a full charge on day one of my testing, I easily reached the 30-hour mark and had juice to spare. The quick charging feature is a welcome addition too and can get you back up and running in minutes - I experienced more than two hours of juice when charging the headset for just 10 minutes to test Sony’s quoted numbers.

All in all, the Pulse Elite is a very capable and attractive headset for PS5 users (or prospective PS5 Pro owners) - and especially those who also use the PlayStation Portal. If you’re after the latest in gaming headset driver tech and something to cover those two devices the Elite is a great fit. It’s simply a superbly easy, convenient, and excellent PS5 headset to use on both the console itself and the handheld Portal, and combining that with some of the best audio available on the market is a truly winning combination.

How I tested the PlayStation Pulse Elite headset

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

If you’re still not entirely sold on the PlayStation Pulse Elite then check out these two excellent similar products for comparison and consideration.

How I tested the PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds

• Tested for around two months
• Compared it directly to other headsets and earbuds
• Tested across game types and compatible devices

I’ve used the Pulse Elite headset for a couple of months now, and have learned to live with it as my daily driver for gaming and work purposes. 

For gaming, I have embraced it as a single-player companion and have put it through many game types including the first Stalker game, a full playthrough of Assassin's Creed Chronicles, my full review playthrough of Star Wars Outlaws, and some parts of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. It was in these games that I also tested the headset directly with the PlayStation Portal. I also used it online with friends playing Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Diablo 4 and the Saints Row reboot.

Elsewhere I used the headset for work regularly, both in meetings and calls, and music listening throughout the day. I also tested the Bluetooth functionality with my phone and listening to music and have been able to compare it to other headsets in my setup such as the Pulse Explore earbuds, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X, and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.

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First reviewed July to September 2024.