The Best Gaming Accessories

Over the years, gaming has become a beloved pastime and even a career for millions of people worldwide. Video games specifically have come a long way in the past few years, and with their evolution has come the progression of gaming accessories. Every gamer needs a handful of accessories to get the most out of their gaming setup. Read on to find out which accessories every gamer should have and how they help make gaming even more fun.

Which Accessories Should a Gamer Have?

Whether you play on a gaming console, a gaming laptop or a gaming desktop, you're going to need a good screen to play on, a gaming headset, and a comfortable chair. Having these essential tools means you can kick back comfortably while playing games at the highest level.

TV or Gaming Monitor

The best way to determine if a gaming TV or a monitor is going to be good for gaming is to check to see if its refresh rate is 120Hz or better. If your TV or monitor meets this minimum refresh rate, it should be able to keep up with most modern games. That is the only real requirement when it comes to this particular accessory, but next-gen consoles and some high-end desktop computers can run games in 4K quality, so it may be worth investing in a TV or monitor that's able to display 4K content if that's important to you. Using a screen with a high refresh rate is one of the best ways to ensure that you'll be able to game at the highest level!

Gaming Headset

A gaming headset gives you an edge over the competition by allowing you to hear everything going on around you in game, not to mention it makes gaming more immersive. When it comes to finding a good gaming headset, you should primarily be looking for full-on headsets, rather than an earpiece or headphones. A full headset will give you that full environment sound coverage you need to hear your enemies creeping up on you. Most headsets like this will also provide you with a microphone so you can talk to your team or friends when playing online. There are both wired and wireless headsets out there. A wireless model may be helpful if you want more freedom to move around as you game, but you should try to find a model with low latency. A headset with low latency will have less of a delay between what's on screen and what you're hearing. You're going to want your wireless headset to have a latency of 20ms or less for gaming, and surefire way to ensure that your headset will be low latency is to get a wired headset.

Gaming Chair

Anyone who's really into gaming knows that a session can sometimes go for a few hours or more if you're having a lot of fun. When these sessions cross over into becoming multi-hour adventures, you need to make sure that you have a good quality chair to sit on. If you settle for any old chair, then you may find yourself getting uncomfortable at certain points while playing. This discomfort can escalate into aches and soreness even after you finish up for the night, not to mention it might make you play worse. A quality gaming chair will provide you with lumbar support and comfort for your whole body that will last you all the way through any session, no matter the length. Of course, there are many styles you can choose from for your chair too, so it should be easy to find one that matches the rest of your game room.

What Do You Need for a PC Gaming Setup?

Though many of the accessories that have been listed thus far also apply to desktop gaming, there are a few accessories that are absolutely essential. The two main things that a desktop gamer needs that a console gamer usually doesn't are a keyboard and a mouse, and there are many things to take into account when looking to get them for yourself.

Keyboard

Don't be fooled by RGB lights and fancy keys - there is so much more to a keyboard than its looks. Many will have special key caps that can completely change how they feel when you use them. Also known as mechanical keyboard models, these keyboards are usually more sensitive to a press, making your in-game actions happen faster. You can also find a keyboard that is laid out differently than the standard QWERTY keyboard, which can be helpful for some people when it comes to working and gaming. There are also wireless keyboard options to give your setup a more seamless look, plus you'll be able to move it around more if you're not restricted by a wire. As mentioned, always be careful with wireless accessories, and watch out for their latency before you commit to any of them. A high-quality gaming keyboard can easily help you get an edge over your competition in many popular online games that require you to think fast and type even faster.

Mouse

Right alongside your keyboard should be your computer mouse. Computer mice can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Many gaming mice will come with additional functionality other than just being able to move your cursor across your screen. They will typically have multiple additional buttons built in that you can bind to certain actions in all of your favorite games to create a control layout that is unique to you. Most gaming mouse models also usually have a built-in sensitivity scaler that allows you to change how sensitive your mouse is to movement, letting you turn around faster in-game. There's no shortage of choices when it comes to style either. Many gaming mouse models from popular brands come with built-in RGB lighting, and they can come in a variety of colors. They can come wired or wireless as well. Again, beware of the latency of any wireless mouse before you commit to it. You will also need to invest in a mouse pad to make sure you can properly move your mouse across your desk. The mouse is where many of your in-game inputs are going to come from when you game on a desktop computer. Getting a quality one could be the difference between winning your games and losing them.

With so many gaming accessories to choose from, you shouldn't have a problem finding them for your setup, whether you're a computer gamer or a console gamer. Having high-quality accessories can give you an edge over the competition, and it can make your game room look even better. If you follow the advice in this blog, you should have no problem getting the accessories you need. Once you have what you need, have fun playing all of your best games at a higher level.