I was casually enjoying Marvel’s Spider-Man this weekend when I found what’s probably the most impressive thing about the PlayStation 4: Bluetooth audio. I wish all my consoles had it.
See, the thing is, though the boombox is dead, the mentality it created hasn’t died out. I have visitors over all the time, and some of these visitors have a habit of loudly listening to music through the speakers on their phone as if no one else were in the room. Blast some NERD while they’re fighting a supervillain and they’re pissed, but it’s ok if they do it.
I was looking through the console’s device settings last night during one of these jam sessions when I found a toggle for pairing Bluetooth devices. As I’d picked up the console used — don’t judge me — there was no manual or setup guide to alert me to this feature beforehand. Within minutes, the Gear Icon X 2018 headphones I use on my tablet and phone were drowning out the horrid sounds the other person in my house mistook as music.
I’m sure, Xbox’s custom standard offers better sound and less latency than Bluetooth. On the other hand, there’s something to be said for something working the way everything else does: without buying a special pair of wireless headphones.
Hey Sony, I find your PS4 software unattractive and unintuitive, but this Bluetooth accessory support is top notch. Well done.