There are many manufacturers that sell headphones that, they claim, are specific – or at least compatible – with consoles. Is there a real difference between these console headsets and regular PC headsets ? Let’s find out.
If you are one of those users who like to play the console with headphones, you should know that not all of them are completely compatible, and by “completely” we mean that, even if they work, they may lose some of their functionality, especially USB headphones.
Almost all analog headphones work in console
The analog headphones (those that have a 3.5 mm minijack connection ) are mostly compatible with PS4 and Xbox One, although it does not say so in its characteristics. This is so because both the PS4 and Xbox controllers are prepared for it, and we will simply have to connect it, configure the audio output in the console options (for example on PS4 we have to go to Devices -> Devices Audio -> Headphone output -> All audio) and we can listen to all the audio from the console through the headphones without doing anything else.
Even some in-ear headphones that you get when you buy a smartphone work without a problem.
Things change with USB headphones
Now, if the connection of the headphones is via USB, things change quite a bit because not all of them will be compatible with the console. Some will work without problems, but there is nothing to assure us … except specific headphones for consoles. There, yes. An example is for example the Corsair Virtuoso Wireless , wireless headphones through a USB receiver that are fully compatible with consoles, and this is indicated by the manufacturer.
In many other cases, especially USB headphones that have virtual surround sound, they could work without problems in consoles, but in doing so they lose their surround sound ability becoming mere stereo headphones, and in fact many manufacturers indicate this in the characteristics of the headphones, such as Razer. However, as we said, this changes when the manufacturer indicates compatibility, since surround sound will work in those.
Licensing and compatibility
In most cases, headphones that are sold as console-specific are like this for two reasons: first, because they have been verified and ensure their compatibility, even those that are USB. And second, by licensing issue, or in other words, to be able to use the PS4 logo on the packaging or even on the aesthetics of the product.
An example is the Razer Thresher Ultimate for Xbox One, a headset that works perfectly on PC, but is sold as specific for Xbox One and makes use of the logo and the name of the console on the packaging, a pure marketing strategy for attract console users.
So there are no differences?
Yes, there are. In addition to the fact that specific headphones are guaranteed to be compatible with consoles, as a general rule, even those with a 3.5 mm minijack analog connector have some specific modifications , such as a shorter cable so that it does not interfere (since we will connect it to the remote control). the console that we will always have it at a short distance).
Likewise, console-specific headphones usually have optimizations when it comes to audio equalization. To give you an example, a PS4 is always a PS4 and therefore always has the same sound card, so manufacturers can modify the equalization parameters of their headphones so that they sound better on that console in a specific way, not as in a PC where there are many different sound cards.
However, we can tell you that a console headset will always work on a PC , whether it is USB or with an analog connector, but it may not be the other way around. In turn, virtually any headset with a 3.5mm minijack connector will work on consoles without issue. In summary, if you want to buy headphones for your console specifically, better buy ones that have been designed for it than ones that are not to ensure compatibility and the best audio performance.
The consoles also have drivers
The difference is that they are not installed by the user, but are installed transparently with each update.
The business is that a product with the associated console brand has more sales and greater visibility among the users of a console and the manufacturers of these pay royalties to the manufacturers of the consoles to be able to use their brand and that their peripherals as they can be the headphones have compatibility with the console.
Actually the drivers is nothing more than entering a list of peripherals allowed to be used by the manufacturer.
