I recently tried to explain how dial-up internet worked to my preteen child. He was fascinated and horrified by the idea that YouTube didn’t exist because the internet took 10 minutes to download a picture. Xfinity remembers those days, and they also know that the bar for internet performance is much higher now. That’s why they’re rolling out new ultra-low lag internet connectivity for real-time applications like gaming, video conferencing, and mixed reality.
Ultra-low lag internet means that when you’re FaceTiming, playing a game, or using interactive applications, your connection will be more responsive and smooth. High latency can cause delays and disruptions, which is especially noticeable when gaming online, using virtual reality, or video calling. Comcast’s new technology is designed to minimize lag, making these activities feel nearly instantaneous. You can read more about latency in this Comcast blog post.
Xfinity’s ultra-low lag experience is built on an open standard, which means content and app providers can choose to leverage this technology to improve real-time responsiveness. Right now, Apple’s FaceTime, Apple Vision Pro, Meta’s mixed reality headsets, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and Valve’s Steam platform are among the first applications to support it. As more companies adopt this open standard, even more applications may benefit from lower latency.
Not everyone has access to Xfinity’s ultra-low lag internet yet, but if you live in Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Philadelphia, Rockville (Maryland), or San Francisco, you’re among the first to experience it.
Comcast is rolling it out to more locations in the coming months, expanding access to its customers nationwide.
via Comcast
Internet should be affordable and accessible for all. Low-lag internet would be needed for my work conference calls.
As a child of the good old dial-up days, ultra-low lag internet sounds amazing for gaming and work video calls. Hopefully, Florida will be added to the list soon… fingers crossed!