A new report from ABI Research has predicted that 84% of VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) will use WiGig to connect wirelessly by the year 2022.
Using a wired connection with VR can restrict freedom of movement and generally hamper the experience. There are wireless options, but many of them provide a sub-optimal experience, due to a lack of processing power and the necessary connectivity speeds. Even wireless add-ons for HMDs aren’t always viable, as they fetch a high price and add undesirable bulk to a VR headset.
According to ABI, chipset manufacturers including Intel, Qualcomm and Peraso are currently developing wireless connectivity for VR HMDs using WiGig technology. The report also states that the rise of cloud-based VR will be a factor in the development of wireless connectivity. WiGig offers up to 7Gbps network speeds, providing the throughput and low latency to achieve an optimal virtual reality experience.
5G networks will also play a role in VR wireless connectivity; ABI predicts that VR HMDs will use 5G networks from the year 2022, with 2.6 million HMDs connecting via 5G by 2022.
