The News: Qualcomm announced it unveiled an addition to its Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform portfolio, which is optimized for gaming by combining Snapdragon Sound and LE Audio to deliver ultra-low latency of less than 20 ms for lag-free Bluetooth wireless audio and also the ability to leverage the platform to add Auracast broadcast audio functionality to dongles and adapters.

Read the Qualcomm Press Release for more information.

Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform: Lower Latency and Sharing Audio Experiences

Analyst Take: Qualcomm recently announced the expansion of its Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform, which is designed to help its OEM partners create newer generations of mobile accessories (e.g., headsets, earbuds, speakers, etc.) that offer a lag-free Bluetooth audio experience while also allowing users to share audio experiences with Auracast.

Dunking on Latency: A Better Gaming Experience

From a gaming perspective, users of Bluetooth headsets want a lag-free gaming experience like that of wired headsets. The Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound platform will have ultra-low latency of less than 20 milliseconds (ms). This functionality should delight users and help elevate the gaming experience by improving lag time, which is key for games such as first-person shooters (FPS) where a lag-free experience is critical.

This capability is valuable for users who want to make the transition from wired to wireless headset devices for gaming and calls. With the Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform getting below the 20 ms threshold, this advance should bode well for the Bluetooth headset segment in the future as more consumers would love to cut the cord when gaming.

Auracast: Strengthening the Customer Experience

According to Qualcomm’s research, consumers want the ability to share their audio experiences with one another. With the Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform, vendor partners will be able to leverage the platform to add Auracast broadcast audio functionality to dongles and adapters with source devices such as phones, laptops, and TVs.

Auracast broadcast audio is a key feature for LE Audio that allows multiple audio streams simultaneously to broadcast to an unlimited number of receivers via audio transmitters. As an example, imagine you are in a sports bar and it is too noisy to hear the TV. With Auracast, you will have the ability to pick up the stream, making your experience that much better. Also, if you are at a gym with multiple televisions having the ability to listen in via your headset device will also make the experience that much richer. Another area that will be excellent for Auracast is in multi-language support situations, whether in an airport or hospital.

The Qualcomm S3 Gen 2 Sound Platform, which is designed to make the Bluetooth gaming experience much richer, should be a boon for vendors and users wanting a lag-free experience when using their Bluetooth headsets for gaming. Also, as more users want to share audio experiences and get greater utility out of their devices, Auracast promises to be a game-changer in the future, which has implications for ProAV community since this also enhances the customer experience.

Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.

Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.