Has your mic got cut off at a crucial moment in a game, leaving your teammates confused? Did you miss your 360 no-scope because you ran out of mouse pad space? Does your back hurt like hell just an hour into the game? Was that an enemy flanking you or were you hearing things? These issues shouldn’t cripple your gaming experience – and performance – should you have proper gaming peripherals.
Everyone thinks gaming mice are what make the difference between winning or losing. This means you’ve overlooked the small but no-less important aspects of gaming. Gaming peripherals like microphones, mouse pads, headsets and even chairs can make a difference between success and defeat in a gaming session. Here’s a quick run down.
*All peripheral prices are estimates based on what we found*
Microphones
You may not need a mic in single player games, but multiplayer games like CSGO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) or League of Legends require strategy, and communication between teammates is paramount to implementing it. Even if you don’t win a game, effective communication makes for a better experience overall.
You may argue that in-game chats already let you do this. But consider how disruptive and time-consuming typing a whole chunk of instructions or strategies can be in the middle of an intense firefight. A microphone makes your life much easier, as it allows you to communicate detailed plans to teammates while still shooting or casting spells in the game.
That same, not all microphones are created equally. In multiplayer games, it’s not uncommon to hear teammates with barely-functioning microphones making call-outs. The result is either a garbled mix of static and robotic voices or eardrum-rupturing screeches, among other unpleasantness. Whether you’re streaming, doing in-game commentary or verbally trying to coordinate actions, a decent mic is strongly recommended.
Average
Price: $169 on Lazada
No-holds-barred
Sony C800GPAC Studio Condenser Microphone
Price: $9,990 on Sweetwater
Mouse pad
The function of a mouse pad is self-explanatory. It’s literally a piece of foam or rubber for your mouse to move on to work. And honestly, that shouldn’t cost more than $15.
With that being said, it’s a little different for gamers, where material and size can make a world of difference. Some players prefer hard-surfaced mouse pads for the extra speed and ease of movement it provides. Others prefer the support and accuracy of a cloth-based one. Obviously if you’re someone who likes to swing your mouse wide, a bigger mouse pad means you won’t miss a hit from having run out of the mouse’s perimeters.
Don’t start out getting the best mouse pad money can buy. Because what is best really depends on your play style. And finding what’s best for you is still a matter of trial and error. Start with a modest one and move on from there.
Average
SteelSeries QcK Gaming Mouse Pad
Price: $9.88 on Amazon
No-holds-barred
Logitech G Powerplay
Price: $179.10 on Lazada
Gaming chair
A gamer’s chair is akin to his throne. Not any chair will do if you’re a serious gamer. It takes more than just a normal chair with a backrest for one to sit comfortably for hours. Because gamers typically spend hours in front of their monitors, they need a dedicated chair that allows for them to do their thing for long periods without being affected by backache or neck strain.
Besides allowing you to game in maximum comfort for hours on end, a gaming chair can also help with your sitting posture. A proper posture can ensure both better health and comfort while making your session more productive in general. This means that your backbone should be perpendicular to the seat of the chair and straight. Failure to do so can affect your spine in negative ways in the long run and the effects will then be felt with age. The structure of a gaming chair’s backrest ensures that you’re able to maintain the best posture while also experiencing maximum comfort for an extended amount of time.
If you feel like indulging, consider getting yourself a gaming chair with built-in wireless speakers as well for an incredibly immersive experience.
Average
UMD 4D Leather Gaming Chair
Price: $139 on Lazada
No-holds-barred
IW-R1 Zero Gravity Reclining Workstation Game Chair
Price: $3,599 on Imperatorworks
Headset
Out of all the peripherals mentioned, the headset’s importance should be the easiest one to grasp. As a gamer, plenty of us rely on audio cues in order to identify a certain character, lead the way to a hidden objective or pinpoint our opponent’s location. Listening to in-game music often provides ambience as well, heightening the player’s immersion in the game.
If the sound quality of one’s headset is compromised, it should go without saying that their overall experience will definitely be marred.
Most gaming headsets offer a noise-cancelling feature as well. As I’m sure everyone’s experienced this at some point in their lives, I don’t think I’m wrong to say that there are few things more annoying than being distracted by external noises. It might seem like something you can just ignore, but let’s face it, it’s going to affect your concentration.
Gaming headsets typically boast superior sound quality as well. Be it for listening to music or using audio cues to crush your opponents in-game, the accurate highs and rich bass a gaming headset offers can never go wrong.
Most gaming headsets come with attached microphones as well so if you’re not too particular about mics, killing two birds with one stone is a great way to save money.
Average
HyperX Cloud Alpha Pro Gaming Headset
Price: $143 on Lazada
No-holds-barred
Focal Utopia Headphones
Price: $5,699 on Lazada
