DJI's New First-Person Drone Goggles Promise 28ms Latency

If your idea of fun is strapping on a pair of goggles and flying a drone around in first-person, then DJI just enhanced that experience by unveiling a new low-latency solution.

As Engadget reports, the DJI Digital FPV System improves upon the drone maker's previous best of 50ms latency by lowering it to a much more acceptable 28ms. This is achieved though a combination of four parts: the FPV Air Unit Module, FPV Camera, FPV Goggles, and FPV Remote Controller, which combine to offer a 720p/120fps or 1080p/60fps experience.

If that wasn't impressive enough, the goggles have a range of up to 2.5 miles (4km) and the system works across eight frequencies. That means up to eight drones can race each other while taking full advantange of the new low-latency transmissions.

Both the FPV camera and the FPV goggles are capable of recording video. The camera will capture either 1080p at 60fps or 720p at 120fps, while the goggles are limited to 720p at 60fps and also require a microSD card be inserted for storage. The bonus of the goggles is the fact they can instantly playback recorded footage to the wearer or share a livestream with an audience.

Although clearly aimed at drone racing and sure to become popular within that sport quickly, the promise of 28ms latency for transmission, and the added bonus of only a 7ms input lag for controlling the drone, is going to make anyone considering a new drone want this FPV system. Direct from DJI, it costs $1,007 for the Fly More Combo, although the price currently shows a discount down to $929. Shipping is free.

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I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

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