I've been eyeing the Sony WH-1000XM3 or XM4 wireless headphones and they seem to be very well reviewed. However one common thing which is brought up is the latency can affect movies and video games. I have never tested bluetooth headphones on my PC but wondered if it actually causes an issue when playing games?
Is latency an issue with BT headsets and games?
- Thread starter OZONE
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Cant say I have noticed any issues, I have XM3's, however I mostly use them for music. In the current heatwave they are just too sweaty to use though so I use some wired AKG headphones instead.
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Would you be buying them for mainly gaming though?
If so, I don't think they'd be a good choice. XM3/4 headphones don't support AptX LLC codec, which would be much better for gaming than the standard codec. I think unless you're playing games really casually and just for a bit of fun, the latency would be too much. A guy on Reddit confirmed the latency was too much when playing Rainbow Six Siege.
Best scenario for using XM3/4 for gaming, would be if buying them for music and occasional gaming use with wired connection.
If you're looking at wireless headphones specifically for gaming, Audeze Mobius would probably be the ideal choice. I think they are an extra £100 more than the XM3/4 though.
I don't play games competitively - mainly single player experiences.
Would the Steelseries Arctic Pro Wireless be a better shout? The Audeze Mobius are simply way too pricey!
yeah latency has an effect. The XM3's are around 200ms for PC gaming which is too much for any twitch style games. I have a pair of Sennheiser Momentum 3 and they are fine down near 60ms. Not seen any latency test for the XM4 yet but it's probably poor as aptX-LL is missing.
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm3-wireless
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/momentum-3-wireless
If I use the momentum's with an IPad up at 390ms, it's so bad you can't even watch youtube, games are worse, everything is out of sync
Currently have paired the momentum's up with a ModMic Wireless which is great for meetings. Can just walk around the room and do other things
The other thing is sound quality. I have some XM2's at work so not sure what improvements the XM3 & 4 have made, but for music the Momentums' are much nicer.
Tbh they all suck compared to wired headphones, the difference is huge even to wired headphones at half the cost.
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm3-wireless
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/momentum-3-wireless
If I use the momentum's with an IPad up at 390ms, it's so bad you can't even watch youtube, games are worse, everything is out of sync
Currently have paired the momentum's up with a ModMic Wireless which is great for meetings. Can just walk around the room and do other things
The other thing is sound quality. I have some XM2's at work so not sure what improvements the XM3 & 4 have made, but for music the Momentums' are much nicer.
Tbh they all suck compared to wired headphones, the difference is huge even to wired headphones at half the cost.
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IIRC they support APTC-LL, so latency should be reasonable provided your rig supports it. Movies usually delay the video slightly so the sound stays in sync, but gaming really needs APTX-LL to be viable with bluetooth. I use the WF-1000XM3 with my Switch (which don't have APTX-LL) and the lag is definitely noticeable (though not a deal breaker given the convenience).
Having tried a few Bluetooth headphones with different codecs - yes, latency can be an issue. AptX HD has very noticable latency when gaming. It's acceptable for slow-paced game, but if you're playing a shooter it's high enough that you can hear it easily, and I find it bad enough to significantly affect how well I play. Standard AptX is better - I can put up with it. AptX LL is much better, though it compromises sound quality to achieve that.
They do not have aptX-LL (Sony XM3's).