shotgunbob04
Member
UPDATE 4/18/16 TOWARDS BOTTOM
I haven't seen any mentions here, and thought it was worth bringing up. My first thread, so please let me know if I need to change anything.
So most of us have been aware of problems with newer DS4s
First off, I believe many of us have discovered that the newer Dual Shock 4 controllersAnniversary edition and onwarddon't support third-party microphones (anyone know of exceptions?).
When people first found this out and shared their concerns (like in this thread), others on here immediately dismissed them as dumb Apple earpod users. No, people have tried tons of different headsets, which all worked on the launch/old DS4s just fine.
And on the issue of Apple earpods specifically, they DID work on the old controllers, they'd just have a buzzing noise that your friends may or may not complain about. They still allowed your voice to reach the ears of your friends, and to many, that's good enough.
Anyways, I know this problem to be true through first-hand experience. I bought a new Dual Shock 4 recently because *surprise* my launch controller's L2 randomly decided to give out. And please, spare me any comments telling me I must be too rough with my controllers, or that the eight launch controllers you own all work fine.
But now, through software, old controllers are affected as well
The reason I'm making this thread is that things have just gotten worse. As of the PS4 firmware 3.50 update, now even the older Dual Shock 4 controllers do not allow a mic signal to come through.
There has been a lot of discussion about this issue today on Reddit as well as on the PlayStation forums. There has been a quick fix to get these older controllers to recognize a microphone input: you slide the headphone connector in and out really fast 5-10 times and then all the way back into the aux port. And you have to do that each time you unplug your headphones and plug them back in.
Why it's a problem worth discussing
Because being able to use just about any headphone/mic combo has been a very enjoyable and extremely useful feature since the PS4 first launched, as well as one of several selling-points for people. Now that feature seems to be going the way of the Dodo in favor of Sony's first-party/approved headsets. Proof? Plug your PS4 earbud in on your controller with firmware 3.5 installed, and then immediately try out a pair of third-party earbuds.
So what do you think, NeoGAF users? Is this a second step in removing third-party microphone compatibility through the DS4, or is it a bug for firmware 3.50?
Does this new issue make you think differently about the newer DS4's? As in, is the incompatibility of third-party headsets in the newer DS4s just a side-effect of slightly different hardware, or is it an intentional move by Sony? Do you think Sony will acknowledge this 3.50 issue at all?
Mute this thread if old.
UPDATE 4/18/16
Since this thread was revived today, I want to let you all know that I figured things out.
So, as people have pointed out in this thread and elsewhere, the Apple EarPods (yes, that's the official product name) have a different ring configuration than the standard 3.5mm L+R+Mic. layout. It's a digital inline mic., compared to the standard analog inline mic.
Even though my SOL Republic Tracks HD headphones don't emit a whining noise while plugged into a Dual Shock 4 like the Apple EarPods do, they still use the same digital "Apple" ring configuration that the EarPods do. This is an important observation, because the PS4 as of update 3.50 will try to prevent "Apple" mics from working with any controller.
My brother also owns a pair of SOL Republics. But his cord with inline microphone only has one button, as opposed to my cord with inline microphone which has the Apple-style 3 buttons. He plugged his headphones into my new red controller and it worked flawlessly, as well as with any of our old controllers.
So I was planning on buying a standard, one-button inline microphone cord for my pair of SOL republics. But then I decided to try the quick-fix on my new red controller with my Apple-style inline mic. And guess what! The quick fix works on the newer controllers. I'm fine with doing that for now.
TL;DR
Sony's not trying to ban all third-party mics.
"Apple"-style, three-button, digital inline microphones are what Sony was trying to prevent from working with Dual Shock 4 controllers. But you can use the quick fix, described way up above, on any DS4 to continue using your headphones. Just note that you will have to do that quick-fix each time you plug them back in.
The standard (some call it "Android"-style), one-button, inline microphones will work flawlessly with any Dual Shock 4. And I know some brands offer both "Android" and "Apple" cords for certain headphone models (SOL Republic Tracks/Master Tracks, Bose SoundTrue).
PM me if you have more questions. I'm happy to help!
I haven't seen any mentions here, and thought it was worth bringing up. My first thread, so please let me know if I need to change anything.
So most of us have been aware of problems with newer DS4s
First off, I believe many of us have discovered that the newer Dual Shock 4 controllersAnniversary edition and onwarddon't support third-party microphones (anyone know of exceptions?).
When people first found this out and shared their concerns (like in this thread), others on here immediately dismissed them as dumb Apple earpod users. No, people have tried tons of different headsets, which all worked on the launch/old DS4s just fine.
And on the issue of Apple earpods specifically, they DID work on the old controllers, they'd just have a buzzing noise that your friends may or may not complain about. They still allowed your voice to reach the ears of your friends, and to many, that's good enough.
Anyways, I know this problem to be true through first-hand experience. I bought a new Dual Shock 4 recently because *surprise* my launch controller's L2 randomly decided to give out. And please, spare me any comments telling me I must be too rough with my controllers, or that the eight launch controllers you own all work fine.
But now, through software, old controllers are affected as well
The reason I'm making this thread is that things have just gotten worse. As of the PS4 firmware 3.50 update, now even the older Dual Shock 4 controllers do not allow a mic signal to come through.
There has been a lot of discussion about this issue today on Reddit as well as on the PlayStation forums. There has been a quick fix to get these older controllers to recognize a microphone input: you slide the headphone connector in and out really fast 5-10 times and then all the way back into the aux port. And you have to do that each time you unplug your headphones and plug them back in.
Why it's a problem worth discussing
Because being able to use just about any headphone/mic combo has been a very enjoyable and extremely useful feature since the PS4 first launched, as well as one of several selling-points for people. Now that feature seems to be going the way of the Dodo in favor of Sony's first-party/approved headsets. Proof? Plug your PS4 earbud in on your controller with firmware 3.5 installed, and then immediately try out a pair of third-party earbuds.
So what do you think, NeoGAF users? Is this a second step in removing third-party microphone compatibility through the DS4, or is it a bug for firmware 3.50?
Does this new issue make you think differently about the newer DS4's? As in, is the incompatibility of third-party headsets in the newer DS4s just a side-effect of slightly different hardware, or is it an intentional move by Sony? Do you think Sony will acknowledge this 3.50 issue at all?
Mute this thread if old.
UPDATE 4/18/16
Since this thread was revived today, I want to let you all know that I figured things out.
So, as people have pointed out in this thread and elsewhere, the Apple EarPods (yes, that's the official product name) have a different ring configuration than the standard 3.5mm L+R+Mic. layout. It's a digital inline mic., compared to the standard analog inline mic.
Even though my SOL Republic Tracks HD headphones don't emit a whining noise while plugged into a Dual Shock 4 like the Apple EarPods do, they still use the same digital "Apple" ring configuration that the EarPods do. This is an important observation, because the PS4 as of update 3.50 will try to prevent "Apple" mics from working with any controller.
My brother also owns a pair of SOL Republics. But his cord with inline microphone only has one button, as opposed to my cord with inline microphone which has the Apple-style 3 buttons. He plugged his headphones into my new red controller and it worked flawlessly, as well as with any of our old controllers.
So I was planning on buying a standard, one-button inline microphone cord for my pair of SOL republics. But then I decided to try the quick-fix on my new red controller with my Apple-style inline mic. And guess what! The quick fix works on the newer controllers. I'm fine with doing that for now.
TL;DR
Sony's not trying to ban all third-party mics.
"Apple"-style, three-button, digital inline microphones are what Sony was trying to prevent from working with Dual Shock 4 controllers. But you can use the quick fix, described way up above, on any DS4 to continue using your headphones. Just note that you will have to do that quick-fix each time you plug them back in.
The standard (some call it "Android"-style), one-button, inline microphones will work flawlessly with any Dual Shock 4. And I know some brands offer both "Android" and "Apple" cords for certain headphone models (SOL Republic Tracks/Master Tracks, Bose SoundTrue).
PM me if you have more questions. I'm happy to help!