If you’ve got the Sony WH-1000XM6 or the newer WH-1000X ‘The Collexion’ headphones blasting tunes into your ears, you can also now use them for a better gaming experience thanks to the latest firmware update.
Usually, firmware updates tend to register on the boring side of the scale. But owners of Sony‘s flagship headphones might not think that of this update.
Who doesn’t like a free feature update?
More specifically, the 3.1.5 firmware update adds support for the Bluetooth LE Audio Gaming Audio Profile, or GMAP as the Bluetooth SIG calls it. The big advantage? Lower latency.
In gaming mode, total audio latency is supposed to be reduced to under 40 milliseconds—30ms for wireless transmission and 10ms for audio processing in the headphones. The standard also specifies that latency between the left and right channels must not exceed 100ms.
The other great thing about this update is that it’s baked into the Bluetooth standard, meaning devices could support it even if the manufacturer doesn’t have its own low-latency mode. They’ll just need to support Bluetooth LE.
To cash in on your free feature update, you’ll want to open up Sony’s Sound Connect app and download firmware version 3.1.5. You’ll need to have your headphones connected, obviously. From there, you might also need to tweak the Bluetooth settings to ensure you’re using the new profile when you’re connected to the devices you want low latency with.
For device-specific instructions, look here — WH-1000XM6 or WH-1000XX.
