Hear your PlayStation 5 games as they were meant to be experienced with PlayStation’s Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.

Delivering lossless audio via studio quality planar magnetic drivers the Bluetooth or 2.4GHz connected buds optimise both gaming and other media audio, with crystal clarity.

The Pulse Explore buds come with a PlayStation styled sliding charging case, USB-C charging cable and a USB-A dongle.  Connecting up to your PS5 is super easy and you have two options. Bluetooth or via the near-to zero latency 2.4GHz dongle.

Similar to the PlayStation Pulse 3D headphones released back in 2021.

The Pulse Explore wireless buds are a bit more portable and great for those that are not a fan of full sized over the head headphones.

Offering a similar sound experience the Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are 3D audio equipped for compatible games.

And this is other worldly. Giving a whole new feel to your gameplay.

PlayStation’s Pulse Explore wireless earbuds can be used with your smartphone too.

Connecting up either to Android or iOS you’ll be streaming the best hits from your playlists with HD quality sound.

Uniquely designed, the curvy winged Pulse Explore are a comfortable fit, even for long durations of play or general use.

I found the best time I had with these was when using them with PSVR2. Placing the buds in, pulling the VR visor down and boom you’re totally submersed in the world of PlayStation VR.

And although it is still to be released the Pulse Explore will be a must have when using the PlayStation Portal Remote Player.

Battery life will give you up to 5 hours playtime from a single full charge.

The case however is a bit low on the charge capability, giving you two full charge cycles, or 10 hours.

My first run with the PlayStation Pulse Explore was bang on around 5 hours total. The case itself, also fully charged actually only gave me around 8 hours, a full 5 hour play then after a charge up, 3 hours.

Second time round it exceeded the two full charge cycles giving 12 hours total. So it tends to fluctuate a bit.

Nonetheless if you’re planning on doing a 5 hour VR, on screen or a future Remote play you’ll be fine.

Either at home or on the go the PlayStation Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are a studio experience you can put in your pocket and play or rock out with.

The post PlayStation Pulse Explore Wireless Earbuds Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Streamers, gamers and content creators let yourself be heard at a professional level with Thronmax’s MDrill Pulse microphone.

Connecting via USB the small form factor mic comes with a mini tripod stand that has a minimal footprint on your desk.

Being plug and play on Windows the MDrill Pulse is ready immediately with it’s superb noise cancelling, which actually works.

Zero’ing in on you voice the MDrill Pulse dramatically reduces any background noise.

There are two recording settings, the noise cancelation and another called Cardoid, which is a more directed zoning for capturing audio.

Myself using the MDrill Pulse for voice-over worked exceedingly well, better than i expected, given that at times of the day I can have unwanted background noise living near both an airport and train station.

In-game all I needed to do was wear a non-gaming, audio headset for output audio and let the MDrill Pulse do it’s thing for chat.

It was perfect.

For content creators the MDrill Pulse will record in full 360 degree, HD studio grade @ 96khz / 24 Bit.

Thronmax have produced a high calibre microphone but have not made it top shelf price. For around a hundred bucks or less one these tiny beasts can be yours.

Serious to casual streamer, creator or singer – Thronmax MDrill Pulse gives you the highest quality audio recording for pocket change.

The post Thronmax MDrill Pulse USB Microphone Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Pulse is more of an experience rather than a game. It engulfs the player in a cocoon of warm, rich tones hindered by undulating optical stimuli, without providing much gameplay more complex than walking and jumping.

The Canadian studio, Pixel Pi Games published this ambitious game with the help of Kickstarter. Their choice of name is quite apt as the game pulsates with excellent ideas and concepts, however, some are poorly executed and these flaws take away from its overall enjoyment.

You play as Eva, a blind girl who has developed the ability to see the world around her using sounds. She is portrayed as a silent protagonist who is more pulled along by the story rather than driving it. There is very little character development and it is difficult to identify with any of the characters. This creates an uninteresting story that adds a real sense of detachment from the game.

The plot is divulged to you by a one-eyed crow in piecemeal and vague sentences which appear to be nonsensical. It is not eminently clear what is happening in the story as the crow’s words flash on screen in short sentences, which dissolve faster than they can be read and are often lost in the background.

Pulse includes interesting gameplay concepts which revolve around sound and vision. The base gameplay is quite simplistic, with very basic and easy puzzles. The player does not interact with the world in any substantial way. You will spend your time moving forward, walking between each check point. The only interaction comes in the form of picking up and throwing these small creatures called Mokos. These creatures are used to solve puzzles and help to open doors.

The real challenge comes from the visual aspects of the game. As the main character is blind, the world materialises around you in pulses of colour as you walk.Winds howl round structures, footsteps echo and reverberate off walls, slowly building the world around you as you move. To stop is to let the world dissolve into darkness punctuated with red eyes ever staring, ever watching you.

It is an intriguing concept as it attempts to model the concept of sound waves painting the world around the vision impaired player.

The downside to this idea impacts gameplay and the player’s enjoyment quite considerably. One consequence of the visuals appearing and dissolving in waves originating from noise sources is that it makes the environment difficult to see. I constantly lost my way, bumped into terrain and had difficulty traversing obstacles all because I could not see or judge distances due to flashes of colour.

These flashes of colour had a secondary negative effect.

These pulsating waves regularly gave me headaches after short periods of play. I can see this causing problems for people with epilepsy. I do not suffer from epilepsy, however, I did feel a lot of discomfort from this visual effect. They could have lessened the impact of the flashes by slowing down the frequency of the pulses and increase the time the images remain on the screen before dissolving to blackness.

The sound is most definitely the highlight of the game. Rich tones permeate and resonate throughout. From your footsteps, to rain drops and the wind howling through openings in some of the environments structures, these lavish and profound tones produce and engrossing and enriching experience. Upon booting the game, I sat listening to the sound of water dripping onto a cave floor for about 5 minutes. I was completely blown away by the intense sound as it reverberated within my headphones. This is one game that must be played using headphones. Speakers do not have the same effect as the beautiful tones are diluted by background noise.

I cannot imagine playing through this game again. While the sound is fantastic, it is overshadowed by the boring gameplay and nauseating visual effects. There was very little that kept me engaged with the game and it became a struggle to finish it. The game could be more engrossing if the visuals didn’t cause headaches. It broke the immersion of the game and prevented engagement with the story.

Pulse is a game of positives and negatives. Small facets of the game are exceptional and will leave you wanting more.

However, the interesting and exciting parts are eclipsed by the unpleasant visual effects and insipid storyline. If you do not get nausea from pulsating lights, colours and images, you may be able to find more enjoyment from this game then I did. However, I can’t recommend this game to people who suffer from epilepsy or sever motion sickness.

The post Pulse Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

As the land shudders and quakes, a blind girl named Eva sets off to take an ancestral rite of passage once denied to her. Walk forbidden paths, commune with spirits, and discover ancient secrets in this fascinating first-person journey of survival. Lay your eyes on a gorgeous new trailer as Pulse launches on Steam now.

Having learned to make do without sight, Eva relies on an ability similar to echolocation to perceive her surroundings. Through sound and touch, the world, or at least Eva’s interpretation of the world, is revealed in fleeting glimpses. In this land on the edge of collapse, understanding reaches far deeper than what the eye can see.

Featuring an evocative soundtrack and sound design by Joel Corelitz (Hohokum andThe Unfinished Swan), Pulse promises mesmerizing gameplay that will have you paying close attention to the echoes of the sacred ground as well as the dangerous creatures that inhabit it.

What began as an ambitious student project grew into a labor of love for the team at Pixel Pi Games who joined to continue development on Pulse after earning their degrees from Vancouver Film School. The IGF finalist and Unity Award winning prototype later went on to amass more than $80,000 in a highly successful crowdfunding campaign.

Now, players can finally experience Eva’s poignant tale as she faces the unknown to pursue her pilgrimage and unravel the mystery of the earthquake-shattered land.

The post Listen Up as Pulse Releases appeared first on Shane the Gamer.