It’s not a PC without peripherals, especially a gaming PC. Even if you’ve purchased a gaming laptop, you are at least going to want a decent mouse and headset to go along with it. To that end, here are things you should be aware of when making your PC peripheral purchase. A hard and fast rule for all your peripheral purchases, you don't NEED RGB. RGB does nothing to improve performance, it’s purely aesthetic. Also, don't get fixated on a specific brand, just because you liked one product from a particular brand does not necessarily mean you will like another. There’s plenty of competition in the market so there’s no shortage of great products from a range of brands to explore.
The “best” mouse
There’s no such thing as the best mouse. There may be the most accurate sensor, or the lightest mouse or the most feature-rich mouse, but the best mouse is a very subjective term. So don’t fall for any mouse claiming to be the best. The best gaming mouse for you is the one that suits your requirements best. Are you an FPS gamer? Then you need a fairly lightweight mouse with accurate sensors and low-response time. Are you an MMO player? Then you need a mouse with plenty of buttons/macro features. So keep your need in mind when you make your purchase.
Comfort is paramount
It’s not uncommon to see gaming mice with fancy shapes and designs. But that means absolutely nothing if the mouse isn’t comfortable. You will after all be using the mouse for hours on end, and an uncomfortable gaming mouse can lead to serious health complications in the future. Furthermore, the fancy features and additions may not always be as convenient as you think, the ROG Chakram for example had an analogue stick on the right. While the theory is great, its execution made it very uncomfortable to use. At the other end of the spectrum, the G Pro X Superlight got rid of the DPI button because they found that pros don’t switch DPI mid-game and that’s the audience they’re catering to, hence it was a welcome move.
It’s all about the sensor
Sensor accuracy is more important than how high the DPI can go; just because a mouse can reach up to 25000 DPI does not necessarily mean it performs better than a mouse that only goes up to 3200 DPI. In the end, it’s about how accurately the mouse tracks, and that is what will reflect in your performance.
1000+Hz polling rate
A polling rate above 1000 Hz is pretty much a gimmick. While it has been touted to be the next big thing in gaming, anything over 1000 Hz barely makes a difference. We’re talking a few milliseconds. You would need superhuman reaction times to make use of that difference.
Balance > lightweight
There is some logic to the superlight category when it comes to gaming mice, especially for the FPS genre. However, the lightest possible mouse does not automatically make it the best choice. It’s important to find the most balanced gaming mouse for you. You might not necessarily perform better just because your mouse weighs 50g.
Wireless =/= bad
Wired being better than wireless (2.4 GHz specifically, BT still bad) is untrue in today's day and age, so feel free to ditch the wire, but keep battery life in mind if you are going for a wireless option.
A lot of gaming mouse no-nos carry over when applicable to both gaming keyboards and gaming headsets.
Membrane =/= bad
Yes, mechanical keyboards are preferred to membrane keyboards for legitimate reasons. However, this does not mean that membrane keyboards are bad. Especially if you’re under a tight budget, there’s no shame in going for a membrane keyboard.
The right switch for you
If you are going for a mechanical keyboard, don't jump on the hype train. Just because a new type of switch is out doesn't mean you have to have it. There is a pretty huge difference in experience between the different switch types. Do your research before you buy a potentially expensive mechanical keyboard.
There are two important things to keep in mind when making your gaming headset purchase.
Sound quality > features
Gaming headsets are, at the end of the day, an audio product. It doesn’t matter how many fancy features it has if the audio quality is bad.
Comfort > features
After sound quality, the next thing you need to give priority to is comfort. The importance of comfort is easy to forget in the glitz and glam that comes with all the gaming headset options out there. You will after all be wearing these cans on your head/ears for hours on end. Things to consider include clamping force, cushioning, heat retention and sweat absorption of the pad material.
We are about leadership – the 9.9 kind Building a leading media company out of India. And, grooming new leaders for this promising industry.
Email Manish Rajesh
