Does the PS5 have Bluetooth?

At first glance, it might seem like a really obvious question, with a really obvious answer. Of course the PS5 must have Bluetooth, otherwise how can you play with a wireless controller? But dig a little deeper, and you start to realise that the answer is a little bit more complicated than it first seems.

While the PS5 does support some wireless connectivity (which we'll go into in more depth shortly) it is not the case that you can simply pick up any wireless peripheral, and expect to have seamless integration. Read on, and we'll fill you in on exactly what the situation is.

What is Bluetooth and why does it matter?

Bluetooth was developed in it current format in the 1990s. Created by Ericsson Mobile, it was named after a Medieval king named Harald Bluetooth, who unified the tribes of Denmark. The implication being that Bluetooth is a technology which unifies communication.

But leaving aside the history, Bluetooth is a short-range, wireless technology standard, which is commonly used in communications devices today. Mobile phones, smart-watches, smart fridges, are a few examples; games consoles and their wireless peripherals are no exception.

So in terms of the PS5, what exactly can you use Bluetooth for?

Does my PS5 have Bluetooth?

As is so often the case, the answer is "yes, but...". Yes, the PS5 definitely has Bluetooth. According to Sony's own Ultimate FAQ, the DualSense controller runs wirelessly using Bluetooth 5.1. They also confirm that wireless keyboards and mice will be supported at a system level. It is down to individual games developers to decide whether to support them in their games. And finally, they state that wireless headsets made by third-party companies that rely on a Bluetooth connection, will not be supported. This is almost certainly because Sony have released their own Pulse headset, and they want to sell as many of these as possible. These headphones are designed by Sony to work wirelessly with the PS5, via Bluetooth.

So are my wireless headphones useless then?

Sony have stated that third-party wireless headsets are incompatible with the PS5. But once again, this isn't the whole story. We've put together a handy guide here to explain how you can connect virtually any Bluetooth headset to your PS5. Essentially, if you have a Bluetooth adapter, then this will allow a non-native headset to play audio for you. We won't go into the nuts and bolts of that here, but you can rest easy, knowing that if you already own an expensive headset, or wanted something other than the Sony pair, there is a solution for you.

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