No matter what game you’re playing with friends on PSN, it’s always better with voice chat. A game of Madden just wouldn’t be the same without some trash talk, and good luck racking up victory royales in Fortnite without coordinating with your squad.

If you’re on a budget, gaming headsets for PS4 can be a particularly good buy because they are able to use the Bluetooth functionality of the DualShock 4 controller. This means that even headsets that use cords are a viable option for wireless voice chat. Read on to learn more about picking the right headset for you.

Choosing a Cheap PS4 Headset

You might be wondering if it’s worth upgrading to the more expensive official PlayStation Gold Headset. For a vast majority of people, this splurge doesn’t make sense. The comfort and sound quality are about the same as some others on the market, and you lose the ability to use your headset with your PC or other gaming systems.

All you really unlock with your purchase is access to the Playstation headset companion app that allows you to adjust and equalize the sound that comes through it—but, with the sound already having been mastered on the products on this list, that isn’t really necessary.

What Should I Look at When Choosing a Cheap PS4 Headset?

There are a large number of cheap headsets in the market. It may, therefore, get confusing when looking for the best one to buy for your console. Once you begin shopping for a headset of your own, there should be some parameters you should consider before buying one. Here are some of the factors you should consider when getting yourself a PS4 headset:

Stylish and Comfortable Design

When you are immersed in the world of gaming, it may take lots of hours before you take a break. What’s more, you may need in-game communication if you are in multiplayer mode with your friends. That’s why PS4 headsets need to be comfortable for extended use. The cushions on the ear cups should be soft and comfortable but should also have a tight enough grip to stay in place. Gaming headsets come with big drivers to make you feel the bass and positional sound. If a heavy headset sounds like a hassle, you can look for a lightweight headset like the Turtle Beach Recon Chat Headset.

Extended Use

The major advantage headsets have is that they offer more comfort than something like regular earbud headphones. You can have them on for extended hours without getting fatigued or damaging your hearing. But that doesn’t mean that all headsets will be comfortable for you. 

Ear Cups

To get a decent idea of how comfortable you can expect a set to be, you need to look at the materials used in the headband and the ear cups. Leather ear cups feel a bit more luxurious but can develop sweat over long periods. Something spongier won’t have that issue, though it may not feel quite as nice to wear.

Headband

The headband should not be so tight that it crushes your skull. Rather, it should just gently rest on your head so that you can play games with your headset for hours. Padded headbands are common and tend to provide a fair amount of comfort, as do headsets that use other materials for their headbands. Headsets that offer no padding and only have metal or plastic bands probably won’t stay comfortable for very long.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset, with its rotating padded synthetic leather cups and soft headband, is the most comfortable budget PS4 headset.

Wired and Wireless Headsets

People often get stuck between choosing a wireless or wired gaming headset. Both have their pros and cons. Wired gaming headsets do not need to be charged, whereas the opposite is true for wireless headsets. Having to charge your wireless headset can be problematic if you game for hours. Typically, most of the good wireless headsets take around an hour to charge fully and offer around 7-8 hours of battery life—though some, like the Steel Series Arctis 3, can last as long as 30 hours.

Surround Sound

In the case of true surround sound gaming headsets, multiple drivers are kept on each side of the earpad for different audio channels. This enables the sound to be heard at different angles. With this, the sound appears very direction sensitive. You can easily make out the direction from which the sound is coming. This is great for FPS gamers, where surround sound may be a good way to go since it offers positional audio. Most surround sound headphones are made with games in mind, and they are excellent in producing positional audio suitable for fantastic gameplay. If this is what matters most to you, you can’t beat the 7.1 surround sound of the PeohZarr Gaming Headset.

High-Quality Audio

The audio quality is one of the most important things you should consider for enjoying the games. In general, the larger the driver, the louder the headset will get, but there’s much more to it than that. You’ll also want to look for a high number of audio channels and reports of good sound if you prize audio quality.

Bottom Line

Headphones that are compatible with PS4 are a really important accessory for any gamer. It becomes quite tough to choose the best cheap PS4 headset with the large number available in the market. However, you don’t need to splurge to get a high-quality product. Most of these inexpensive headsets come with lots of features and put their design where it counts – comfort and audio quality when gaming.