11 Next-Gen Console Features You Might Be Overlooking (and How to Use Them)

4. 3D Audio/Spatial Sound (PS5 Tempest, Xbox Spatial Audio)

Ever dodged an enemy because you heard them before you saw them? That’s next-gen audio at work. With 3D Audio on PlayStation 5 (thanks to the Tempest engine) and Spatial Audio on Xbox, your ears become serious tools, not just afterthoughts. Plug in a good pair of headphones or use a compatible soundbar, and games transform—footsteps sound closer or farther, storms rumble all around, and you can pinpoint direction just by listening. For competitive gamers, it’s almost like having a sixth sense. Don’t forget to head into your console sound settings to calibrate for your system—sometimes a quick tweak will make effects pop. If you haven’t experienced swinging through New York in “Spider-Man: Miles Morales” or facing off in a tense multiplayer match, you owe it to yourself. Suddenly, sound isn’t just background noise; it’s a gameplay strategy.