VR headsets could soon get a massive wireless boost

With the launch of the Meta Quest 3 and the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, mixed reality is very much a hot topic in the tech world. But, what’s next? It could be good ol’ Wi-Fi that enables a big step forward.

We were impressed by the Meta Quest 3 in our review but, undoubtedly, headsets focused on mobile experiences and donning mobile processors have their limits. That’s why we see devices that aim to provide high-end gaming resort to connecting to consoles or PCs using wires or, admittedly, shaky wireless connections. Now, an FCC approval in the US could give a huge boost to the latter.

A big hope for PSVR 2 was that it might be a wireless offering but that wasn’t to be, and it has to be assumed that the technology just wasn’t there yet. That may change with Wi-Fi 6GHz. Companies like Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Google have been hoping that the FCC in the US will allow them to use the superfast short-distance Wi-Fi 6GHz spectrum for wireless device connectivity – and it’s been approved (via The Verge).

Wi-Fi standards aren’t the most exciting of topics but this move looks set to enable technology companies, in the US, to offer more rich and powerful virtual and augmented reality experiences. But there are limits.

The Wi-Fi 6GHz spectrum was originally opened up for use by routers and devices like phones, laptops and more. But, AR and VR headsets were not included. The new rules enable lower power operations over a short distance or higher power operations if usage is geofenced so as not to interfere with licensed 6GHz use.

The results could be game-changing for powerful AR and VR experiences over Wi-Fi. It creates the possibility that the PSVR 3 could very well become a wireless device, as well as potentially enhancing existing streaming-over-Wi-Fi experiences. Think connecting VR devices to PCs, like what is possible with Meta Quest headsets, and boosting capabilities to connect to your Mac devices, like what we’re set to see with the Apple Vision Pro.