Sony Launches Limited Edition Hatsune Miku Earbuds, But PS5 Compatibility Falls Short

Sony has announced an exciting collaboration with the beloved virtual idol, Hatsune Miku, to launch a limited edition set of earbuds. Priced at $249.99, the Sony LinkBuds Fit feature 8.4 mm audio drivers and come packed with impressive features, including advanced noise cancellation and a battery life of up to 5.5 hours.

Unfortunately, these earbuds lack 2.4GHz wireless support, which means they won’t seamlessly connect to your PS5 for those late-night gaming sessions jamming to Miku’s hits in Project DIVA Future Tone. Instead, they rely solely on Bluetooth, so if you were hoping for a perfect pairing with your console, you might need to look elsewhere.

This new release, which has just made its way to the US after debuting in Japan last summer, includes a charming acrylic stand and some fun Miku-themed extras for fans to enjoy. However, it would have been great if these earbuds had been designed with a bit more flair.

The limited edition LinkBuds Fit maintain the same 8.4 mm dynamic audio drivers, 5.5-hour battery life, and lightweight 41g design as other models in the Sony lineup. But this version comes with a bundle of Hatsune Miku goodies, including an acrylic stand featuring the diva and access to her “Believe Day” song along with animations that can be viewed through the HoloModels smartphone app.

While these earbuds are not ideal for pairing with top PS5 titles, including the various Project DIVA games I’ve collected over the years, they are primarily geared towards casual music listening. Given Hatsune Miku’s extensive catalog of catchy tracks, this makes sense. However, with recent releases like the Asus x TUF Gaming Collection featuring the Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition Headset and the ATH-M50xSTS-USB Miku headset by Audio Technica, I had hoped for at least some 2.4GHz wireless capability. Not every pair of earbuds needs to be gaming-focused, and I have my reliable SteelSeries Game Buds for that purpose. Still, as a Vocaloid fan, I felt a bit let down to discover that these nearly $300 earbuds are mainly for on-the-go music enjoyment.

The disappointment continues, as despite the collaboration with Hatsune Miku, the design doesn’t evoke much of her essence. Essentially, they are just a green variant of the existing Sony LinkBuds Fit, which are available in various colors for $228 elsewhere.

It would have been nice to see some iconic elements, like her 01 tattoo or musical notes, to better reflect her character. At least the earbuds come with a limited edition acrylic stand featuring stunning artwork by illustrator Ogipote.

For those unfamiliar, acrylic stands are compact pieces of plastic with printed art on one side, allowing you to showcase your favorite characters without taking up the space of a traditional figure. While not everyone is a fan, I appreciate that these earbuds come with something that resonates with Hatsune Miku.

Beyond the stand, the package also includes access to her song “Believe Day,” along with two Holomodels of her dancing to the track. By downloading the HoloModels app, you can project Miku and enjoy her performance, which is a fantastic addition, especially for those who can’t make it to a live Hatsune Miku show.

If you can overlook the lack of thematic design and have a Steam Deck or gaming PC to connect these earbuds, you can grab them now from the Sony online store. This release is currently exclusive to the US, so fans in the UK will need to wait and see if they become available across the pond. In the meantime, there are plenty of Hatsune Miku gaming audio options that are compatible with the PS5.