I finally found wireless earbuds that fix the Meta Quest 3's latency issues, and they don't sound half bad either

If you've tried pairing your everyday set of wireless earbuds with the Meta Quest 3 or 3S, you'll immediately understand my frustration. Sure, you'll be able to pair, connect, and listen to music or watch a YouTube video without any problems, but the second you try to play a VR game, a latency plague will absolutely kill the experience. While there are loads of Meta Quest accessories out there, it doesn't feel like there are nearly enough trying to solve this issue.

Yes, the Quest 3 and 3S have excellent integrated speakers that fire inward and really mitigate a lot of the need for earbuds, but if you don't want noises from your environment and you want to be completely immersed in one of VR's many horror or social games, I don't blame you for wanting to use earbuds or a headset.

If your regular Bluetooth earbuds aren't going to cut it, the next best option is to go for some of the best gaming earbuds that shoot for low-latency, but those can run you back a small fortune if you buy from SteelSeries, Sony, or Razer. I've finally found the perfect solution, and it comes from PrismXR. The Vega T1 earbuds have solved every issue I had with the Quest 3's audio connectivity, and for only $69.99/£69.99, they're flirting with your bank account versus the competition.

Design

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If you're gaming in one of the best VR headsets, you already have enough assaulting your senses and putting extra weight on your head, so comfort is going to be very important. You can tell PrismXR has really thought about this when it comes to the design of the Vega earbuds because they feel really lightweight and sit super comfortably in my ears. Unlike more intrusive in-ear solutions like the Razer Moray in-ear monitors, these hang down without feeling like they're applying for a mortgage in your Eustachian tube.

Available in Black and White colorways, these earbuds come in a fairly standard pillbox charging case. Functionally, it works the same as any other wireless earbuds case - charge the case with USB-C, it'll store power and charge your buds.

I do take some issues with PrismXR's case though. It's a circular puck shape, and while the PrismXR logo on its top gives it some really nice character, it's pretty tough to immediately find the opening hinge when you pick it up or take it out of your pocket. The USB-C port does act like a signpost when you learn to look for it, but it's not the most intuitive bit of design work, and almost every time I've gone to use these buds, I've fumbled around like a drunk pirate trying to open his compass.

Features

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When you open the case though, you won't just see two earbuds in there; you'll also find a small USB-C dongle. This is the secret to PrismXR's success. While normal Bluetooth connectivity you'd expect from wireless earbuds is present, a USB-C dongle means you can hook these up to a VR headset, gaming PC, or console and get latency-free audio as well.

The dongle even has a handy passthrough USB-C port, which is literally a godsend, seeing as we as humans apparently can't decide on a standard USB-C dongle shape. I can't tell you how many of these things I've slotted into a PC just to find that they block other USB ports, or the only other USB-C bay I have available (looking at you, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2). A passthrough port for the Quest 3 means you'll be able to plug in your battery-expanding headstrap, a link cable, or this brand's nifty charging belt while wired for sound.

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There isn't any ANC here, unfortunately, which really could have helped the Vega earbuds be even better for general use. The same goes for a companion app, which could have been really useful for controlling sound profiles and the like. You do get a microphone on either bud though, and there's even a way of connecting both Bluetooth and USB sources simultaneously.

The Vega earbuds do feature some basic touch controls, but these really aren't a strength. There's no obvious touchpad to aim for, and when I've tried to pause or play music when connected to my phone, it's been very, very inconsistent. Thankfully, there are some replacement rubber eartips included in the box to offer people with varying ear canal sizes a chance to get the right fit.

Performance

The moment of truth came when I was standing on the conductor's podium in MaestroVR. A few months prior, I had been testing out two different sets of wireless earbuds with the Quest 3 and had no joy due to latency. No matter, here I was. I tapped the baton on the podium, raised my arms, and on command, the virtual orchestra in front of me began playing Duel of the Fates. To my delight, they were in time, my swings were in time with them, and I could enjoy the game in even more immersive musical glory. No more playing Caravan and wanting to throw a chair at the drummer (yes, exactly like Whiplash).

Using that USB dongle, these earbuds are perfect for VR. There's no latency, and even when playing through Steamlink, the connection was really simple - my PC defaulted to using them as their go-to audio source because I even heard a few Slack message notifications pop in while conducting.

Native games on the Quest 3 also sounded great. Pistol Whip was much, much easier than it was a few months back since its pseudo-rhythm mechanics are very hard to master when you're a bullet or two behind a bass drop. The white noise of Powerwash Sim in VR was tranquil and again had no latency issues.

Steamlink was really going to be the biggest test for PrismXR's earbuds, because my worry was that even if they could handle native Quest game audio without latency, there might be a bit of a drag when streaming from a PC. I didn't find that was the case, and from now on, I'll be using these earbuds whenever I want more immersive audio than the headset can give me through its speakers.

I'm happy to say that practicality isn't the only strong suit here. I also did plenty of testing of these earbuds as a Bluetooth device connected to my phone, and as a non-VR gaming solution on PC. Playing Towerfall Ascension and Hunt: Showdown on PC went well - I felt as though I was getting a fine mix of bombastic soundtrack in the former and the subtleties of footsteps and ringing ears (in-game) from explosions in the latter. I'd gladly use these for sweatier, competitive gaming sessions in Hunt outwith testing, so I do think PrismXR's earbuds hold a lot of value for money if you're looking to consolidate your gaming audio across different platforms. I know I'll be using them from now on when I take my Asus ROG Ally X on the go with me.

Where I think audiophiles may disagree with me is when recommending PrismXR's buds as a general-use set for music. Having just reviewed the EarFun Air Pro 4, I did feel like these PrismXR buds (which have clearly been designed for gaming first and foremost) do sound a little bass-heavy. Without that added noise cancelling on top, it also feels like some detail in more treble-tilted soundscapes is missing.

Don't get me wrong, the quality here is actually a lot better than I thought it'd be for a $70 pair of earbuds that are this versatile. Out on a walk, I was able to enjoy loads of different musical genres with these in; they just didn't quite sing in the same way that EarFun's similarly priced buds did. Perhaps that speaks more to the amazing quality of that brand's APTX buds for the money.

Should you buy the PrismXR Vega T1 earbuds?

I've been pleasantly surprised by PrismXR's Vega earbuds. It'd be so easy for the low-latency features to be a crutch for them to lean on, since there are so few options on the shelves that can match them. But not once did I feel I had to accept sub-par audio quality in the name of it arriving at my eardrums on time. The Vega earbuds sound great and have a lot of versatility that lends them to wider use and gaming scenarios on other platforms.

Instead of staring down the barrel of a pricey $179 purchase for SteelSeries' gamebuds, or a $100+ buy for Razer's equivalent, I think PrismXR is an excellent choice. There are definitely features and a few perks missing if you want a general-use set of earbuds that will satiate the needs of an audiophile, but gamers looking for snappy audio that arrives when it needs to won't miss much.

How I tested the PrismXR Vega T1 earbuds

I used the PrismXR earbuds as my go-to wireless earbuds for around a week before writing this review. That means that besides VR gaming, I used them for listening to music on the go, and gaming on PC in non-VR. I, of course, used them for VR gaming too, connecting them to the Meta Quest 3 for native play and Steamlink gameplay.

I used the GamesRadar+ hardware team's testing playlist to put them through their musical paces too.

For more on how we test, take a look at the GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

For more on gaming audio, check out the best computer speakers, the best gaming headsets, and the best wireless gaming headsets.