Sony delayed its Pulse Elevate wireless speakers a week before launch, citing a “production issue” in an update on the PlayStation Blog.
Anyone who pre-ordered since September now has no date to plan around. Sony has not announced a new launch date, and Kotaku notes that it has not announced a refund policy either. According to Kotaku and playfront.de, the speakers were due on 12 November.
[W]e have identified a production issue with the product and have made the decision to delay the launch.
Sony, in its update
Sony added that the extra time will help it make sure the speakers “deliver the experience we intended for our players”. It looks forward to bringing them to players “soon”. It hasn’t described the issue. Playfront.de, which calls the speakers postponed indefinitely, points out that it’s unclear whether units already built need reworking or whether manufacturing itself is disrupted.
The Pulse Elevate speakers cost $219.99, €219.99, £199.99, or ¥37,980. They use planar magnetic drivers with built-in woofers, support Tempest 3D AudioTech on PS5, and connect over PlayStation Link or Bluetooth. They also work with PlayStation Portal, PC, Mac, and phones. They aren’t the $99.99 Pulse headset, a separate product due on 19 November.
GameRant counts the speakers as the second PlayStation accessory to slip this year. It says Sony also pushed back the FlexStrike wireless fight stick, originally due on 6 August, over “unexpected production delays”.
Kotaku puts the delay in context amid a tough holiday for PlayStation hardware. It cites “trade wars, component shortages, rising costs and AI RAM hoarding” squeezing supply, though it says what spurred the Pulse delay is unspecified. Sony’s update mentions only a “production issue” with the speakers. Separately, the PS5 stands at 97.9 million shipments after a weak hardware quarter, with GTA 6 preloads opening a week before the game’s launch.
Anyone still shopping for the console itself can start with our guide to which PS5 to buy in the UAE.
