Good gaming peripherals are essential for playing any game successfully, especially first-person shooters like Counter-Strike. Learn more about choosing the perfect gaming peripherals for you in this article.
Wired or No-Strings-Attached?
The first option you must make is connecting your accessories via a wired or wireless connection, which is mostly a matter of personal opinion.
Wireless installations can appear cleaner and allow free movement – especially with wireless headsets –, yet wired setups require no recharging and usually cost less. Wireless accessories used to have poor response times and battery life, but this criticism is no longer valid because of developments in wireless and battery technology.
Many wireless devices now have 1ms response times and battery lifetimes that last for weeks when charged quickly.
What You Point At
Almost all gaming mice are wired and have a greater resolution (dots per inch) than conventional mice. Some even feature a built-in memory that remembers which pointer speed you choose for each game.
Choose a mouse with more padding and wider palm rest for long gaming sessions. Ones with built-in buttons and software allow users to do much more than scroll, aim, and fire weapons with the mouse.
What You Hear
Gaming can be a rather noisy experience. Noise-isolating headphones can be beneficial. If you plan on playing for a long time, look for light headphones, have soft cushioning, and spacious ear cups.
Gamers must also communicate with one another, especially in multiplayer games. A headset with a microphone is required for them. So look for goods that feature Dolby Audio or other surround sound technology.
What You Type In
Membrane and mechanical keyboards are the two types of keyboards. Plastic domes sit beneath membrane keys, pressing down on a circuit board below to detect a key press. Every key on a mechanical keyboard has its switch.
Mechanical key switches are offered in two major styles:
Linear – The keystroke is smooth throughout the key travel, and to register a keystroke, one must fully press the key. Because of the quick actuation, this switch is ideal for gaming.
Tactile – The key is registered halfway during the keystroke; therefore the key does not need to be fully pressed down to be registered. Although these are commonly used for typing, there’s no reason why tactile switches can’t be used for gaming.
Audible feedback and faster keypresses are two advantages of mechanical keyboards, which might help you in fast-paced games. Another advantage is the significantly longer lifespan – typically about 50 million keystrokes against around 5 million on the membrane.
They also allow N-Key rollover, which means you can press as many keys as you like simultaneously and each one will be recorded. Some membrane keyboards may only register two simultaneous key presses, which will cause issues in many games.
The keys are also far more stable than those on membrane keyboards, so you won’t have to worry about accidentally pressing the wrong key during a game.
What You See
Your GPU decision will decide the best display fit for you, or if you have your heart set on a gaming monitor, it will dictate your GPU option. For more information, see the GPU section above.
1) Monitor Resolution – In a nutshell, a greater resolution equals a better image. A minimum resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p/Full HD) is required. The clearest image available for today’s monitors is 3840 x 2160 (4K/UHD).
2) Refresh Rate – measured in Hertz, this is the number of times per second your monitor image is changed (Hz). The higher the number, the better, but for gaming, you should strive for at least 75Hz.
3) Response Time – the faster you can respond, the better. It specifies how long it takes the display to turn a pixel from black to white and is usually measured in milliseconds (ms). Long response times produce motion blur while gaming or watching high-resolution action scenes.
Almost every current gaming display will have a response time of fewer than five milliseconds. It’s practically hard for most people to tell the difference between a 0.5ms and a 5ms response time.
Finally, it doesn’t matter what kind of gaming peripheral you choose, as long as it is within your price range and has the primary functions you require. However, there are so many options to choose from in today’s market that making a decision should not be difficult.
