The PS4 console specs on the official Playstation website state that the DS4 has a stereo headphone jack. I'm interested to know whether this can deliver the full game audio or whether it is just for voice chat.

It would be very useful to me if the full game audio could come through this. I do much of my gaming late at night and with headphones (since I don't want to wake others in the house). Being able to plug my cans straight into the controller would be a super convenient feature. What do you think is the likelihood of this being so?

There's been enough improvements with bluetooth 2.1 that I would expect game audio could play through the controller. But that's just a guess.

I really hope it's audio. And that multiple controllers can have headphones plugged into them.

PLEASE be audio. This would make me so happy! I hope technology has advanced to the point where I can finally just plug my headphones into my controller and not worry about sound systems and shitty TV audio.

Also, by the way they word it by saying "stereo" headphone jack... it definitely sounds to me like a full headphone jack.

From the article posted here:

For the first time, a PlayStation controller features an in-built speaker so that you can catch every single detail of the action. Plus, DUALSHOCK 4 has a headphone jack so that you can chat with connected friends using a headset.

I wouldn't say they've completely ruled it out, but I kind of think if it did work that way they would have said so already. Plus, Sony were very much about uncompressed audio on the PS3 and arguably sound has been one of the Playstation brands things since day one...

It would be nice (my recent preference of gaming on Steam where it's easy to use headphones at my desk has spoiled me somewhat), but I'm not sure it fits their MO.

They are clearly aiming to reproduce the functionality of the 360 at the very least, so you can reasonably expect a full headset jack to allow two way voice communication.

You can also expect the audio to come from the speaker, and headset, to be compressed or at least of a lower quality. I don't think there's enough bandwidth to have high quality audio pumped through there, but who knows, they might find a way.

I remember them saying something about support for dolby surround headsets through that controller connection, but I may be wrong.

ATM I believe we do not have clarification as to what audio will be sent to your DS4. Remember, though, that if you're pumping audio out of it in addition to maintaining a high bit-rate Bluetooth signal for decent quality audio, it'll be a really big hit to battery life.

I'm hoping they give us the option for all-audio, but for the default to just be voice chat.

@volemaulder said:

That was the Xbox One controller, sadly.

I have a question, will the Official PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset work with the PS4? and does it work with the Vita?

Anything at E3 come out about this?

@xyzygy: My fingers are doubly crossed for game audio! I too would imagine the use of "Stereo" in the description a key. Unless they start creating stereo microphones for gaming, all microphone audio is in mono.

That's the problems with modern electronics you need to devote an hour just to explain the controller at e3. You can say it has this or that, but THEN you have to talk about options, variables, and settings. And, that means 80% of people will never realize how to turn some of those functions on/off let alone manipulate the outputs to work in concert with their TV or sound system or 7.1 headset.

I hope it is flexible, but as I said above the more flexible it is the more likely that the average joe won't know what they hell to do to set it up correctly

Wireless headphones are pretty rad.

From Sony's press release about the Dualshock 4

In addition, DUALSHOCK®4 will come with a built-in speaker and stereo headset jack, enabling PS4 users to enjoy high-fidelity sound effects of games from both the TV and also from the controller. Combined with the Mono Headset that will be bundled with PS4, gamers will also be able to chat with friends playing online, while hearing sound effects from the controller in hand.

Sound to me like it will be output stereo sound from the game as well as chat.

@geirr: This. Plugging stuff into the controller feels wierd. And all my headsets are USB anyway, so I can use em on my PC without having to go behind it to find the right audio jack in the dark.

Game audio through the controller has been confirmed by Shuhei Yoshida.

However it has not been confirmed if you can also voice chat at the same time. One would assume, but that has not been confirmed… yet.

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/08/youll_be_able_to_listen_to_game_audio_through_the_ps4_controllers_headphone_jack

This is AWESOME. How many nights i was playing and my parents asked me to turn the volume down or even mute it? Problem solved. Thanks Sony!

I just hope it has a standard PC mic port so I can use the headphones I already have. I doubt it though.

@ll_exile_ll: is your mic like iphone and ipad ones? cuz it is supposed to work on that kind of mic..

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2013/08/youll_be_able_to_listen_to_game_audio_through_the_ps4_controllers_headphone_jack