You know what wireless headsets need? That's right, near infinite battery life, and we're one step closer to that goal with 3M's solar powered comms headset which has just been announced at CES this week.
While there's a tendency for those of us in the PC gaming space to see CES as a place to check out the latest advancements in gaming hardware, it's important to remember CES is a show for consumer electronics in general. And over the course of the week there'll be all sorts of tech demonstrations that may give us clues as to where our hardware goes next.
As a case in point, 3M has announced that it'll be unveiling a solar charging "protective communications headset" with a patented new solar cell technology at the show, and I can't help but wonder if it's a sign of where our gaming peripherals might go next.
3M has partnered with Swedish tech company Exeger to optimise what the company calls its "Powerfoyle" solar cells by using 3M's solar film technology to create a communication headset that turns any kind of light into solar energy. This energy is then used to continuously charge the integrated lithium-ion battery, although there's been no mention as to whether the headset is expected to require top up charges or whether the tech is efficient enough to allow it to operate without ever needing to charge from the socket.
Regardless, solar technology seems to be advancing at a rather rapid rate, and there are already some implementations of the tech in PC peripherals available to purchase today. Logitech has had solar powered keyboards on the market since way back in 2010, and with continuing advances being made to the portability and power efficiency of solar panels and device efficiency, it's not a huge stretch to imagine that more power hungry peripherals, like gaming headsets, might be next to receive a dose of super-green solar based energy.
Best wireless gaming mouse: ideal cable-free rodents
Best wireless gaming keyboard: no wires, no worries
Best wireless gaming headset: top untethered audio
After all, when looking at the spec sheet there's not a whole lot of difference between a gaming headset and the comms model being unveiled here. The 3M device features Bluetooth connectivity, a noise-cancelling mic and push-to-listen tech using the ambient microphones built into the cans, just like many of our top gaming headsets we recommend today.
It might be a little on the chunky side in terms of form factor, but providing the sound quality and volume levels are reasonable there's nothing on paper to suggest you couldn't use it as a gaming headset right now, although obviously it'd be nice if there was a 2.4GHz wireless connection to eliminate any potential audio lag.
While there's still a question hanging in the air about whether you could truly use this headset without ever plugging it in the wall, the fact that the technology is workable now to me suggests a coming future where our wireless headsets may simply need an adequate light source to keep going all day long. Sets like the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless are already capable of delivering 300 hours of battery life on a single charge, but with the addition of some highly efficient solar panels it seems possible that we could be looking at future peripherals we never need to worry about charging again.
Anything that cuts down the number of cables clogging up my desk is good news to me. We seem to be marching towards a truly wireless future, and it may be the little cable that goes into the wall is next on the list for disposal in the rubbish bin of out-dated tech. I look forward to the day future generations will surely laugh and point at our current cans, a look of thinly-veiled disgust on their faces:
"You had to plug it in?" They'll say. "That's like a baby's toy".
_____________________________________
PC Gamer's CES 2024 coverage is being published in association with Asus Republic of Gamers.
