Can Other Headphones Be Used with PlayStation VR?

The key to good VR is immersion, both visually and audibly. To that end, while you can use your current TV speakers, sound bar, or surround sound rig, Sony is also providing a pair of stereo headphones which you can see above (and this is everything you get inside the box). The idea is that these small, but directly-connected headphones will do a better job of transporting you to the world in front of you by tuning out some the surrounding sounds and instead let your ears focus on exactly what the developers want.

Of course that doesn’t mean Sony is providing the best headsets on the market which begs the question, can other headphones be used with PlayStation VR? The answer is both yes and sort-of-yes. More after the jump.

First, the sort-of-yes. While you can plug in different headphones to the VR rig, simply due to current design, using over the ear headphones isn’t going to be the most comfortable thing. That’s because depending how tight the headphone headband is or how big the ear cups are, they might not sit properly over your ears at all. If you have especially large headphones, it’s highly unlikely they will sit properly as they will clash with PS VR’s straps that go around your head. This is a bit of a shame though not unique to Sony as all current VR rigs more or less utilize the same design language on how they rest on your head.

This then brings us to the yes. Sony is providing a pair of in ear headphones with built-in mic, but you won’t be limited to them. That’s because they are no more unique than the headset which comes with the PS4. This just happens to be both left/right ear while the PS4 headset is designed for just one ear. That means if you want to spend the extra bucks or already have a nicer pair of in ear headphones, you’ll have no trouble using them with PlayStation VR.

So, can other headphones be used with PlayStation VR? For the most part, the answer is yes but my recommendation would be to wait till after you’ve spent some time with them instead of preemptively purchasing a pair. If you have other PS VR questions, be sure to hit us up on Twitter and Facebook.