The Oculus Rift features built-in headphones, and the HTC Vive will get them soon too, but PlayStation VR (PSVR) owners still have to plug in their own headphones or ear phones for the most immersive experiences on PlayStation 4. The Mantis VR wants to change that.
This new pair of headphones, announced last week by Torrance-based Bionik, fits onto your PSVR headset much in the same way Rift and Vive’s integrated audio solutions do. The patent pending design features spring loaded clips so you can easily attach them to your device. They fit between the rubber padding that rests on your forehead and the strap at the back that you adjust to fit the device. They’ll still be plugged into the audio out port in the tiny control panel that sits on the wire attaching your PSVR to your console.
Mantis VR will go on sale this spring for $49.99.
Audio is incredibly important to the VR experience, as you want apps to not only sound clear but also accurate in terms of the distance and position of the sounds you’re hearing in relation to your head. Using other headphones with your PSVR works just fine, though an integrated solution is undeniably more convenient and gives you the entire VR experience in one unit. You also won’t have to deal with longer wires dragging around as you play. We’re yet to go hands-on with the headphones and get a feel for their quality, however.
Though they may not be official, add-ons such as these are helping to enhance the PSVR experience. One other design that caught our eye earlier this year was this simple peripheral that combined PlayStation Move controllers with Sony’s navigation controller, giving players analog sticks to use in VR experiences. It’s a cool idea, but it looks like Sony might have a few ideas of its own on how to make PSVR even more immersive going forwards.
