The Importance of Getting the Best Gaming Gear (For You)
If you’re even a little bit serious about your gameplay in any competitive game, you need to consider your gear. Getting the best gaming gear for you can massively improve your performance and make you a lot more consistent in general.
On ProSettings.net, we have an entire dedicated gaming gear section where you can find out everything you need to know about what’s hot and what’s not in the current meta, but in this article we’ll briefly talk about why you need to consider investing in your peripherals if you want to be competitive.
This article will talk about peripherals (mouse, mousepad, …) and not PCs or monitors. If you’re interested in building a great gaming PC, feel free to check out our guide on the best PC for esports. We also have a dedicated article on why you should get a high refresh rate monitor for gaming.
What makes gaming gear good?
Let’s first establish something very important: a lot of what makes a peripheral good comes down to personal preference. Your favorite pro might use a certain mouse because it fits their grip style and hand size perfectly, but it might feel awkward for your hands, for example. Always make sure that you gear fits you and your preferences.
With that said, there are definitely some things we can objectively rate when it comes to gaming gear. And while it’s true that you can give a pro any random office mouse and they’ll still wipe the floor with 99% of the player base, it’s also true that that same pro would not want to compete against other pros with that office mouse.
Getting good gaming gear that fits you won’t make you a God at games overnight, but it can and will make you a better player overall.
Gaming Mouse
The gaming mouse is without a doubt the most discussed peripheral in any gaming setup. Getting a good gaming mouse will ensure that you’ve got a product that translates all of your inputs with lag-free pixel-perfect precision.
A lot of mice that are meant for office use have various features that are meant to make the life of a regular user easier. Features such as smoothing and acceleration might feel good when you’re clicking through spreadsheets, but they’re something you absolutely want to avoid when playing games as they’ll destroy your aiming consistency.
Office mice also don’t have to be ultra precise or responsive. When working or browsing, it absolutely doesn’t matter if your sensor skips a couple of pixels every now and then. It also doesn’t matter if your inputs are slightly delayed. For gaming, all of these things matter greatly. That’s why it’s important to get a mouse meant for gaming if you want to compete.
Nowadays, pretty much all mice from reputable manufacturers have a flawless sensor. Companies are still pushing the envelope by putting out new technologies such as high polling rate sensors but the days where sensors could spin out or malfunction are long behind us. Getting the right gaming mouse for you these days thus largely comes down to deciding what features and shape you like.
We have a ton of mouse reviews in our review section, and if you’re more data-oriented you can also check out our mouse specs list.
Wireless mice
Important sidenote: wireless mice are very much the norm these days. They’ve been the norm for some time now. The days where wireless gaming mice were unreliable or subpar are in the past, and the vast majority of pro gamers are using a cordless mouse. A good wireless gaming mouse is every bit as reliable as a wired one.
Mechanical/Gaming Keyboard
Ditching the office keyboard and going for a (mechanical) gaming keyboard can definitely make a difference in your gameplay. Mechanical switches simply feel much better and more consistent than rubber dome switches. There’s a reason why not a single pro in shooter games is using a simple office keyboard.
Analog keyboard switches are all the rage right now, and for good reason. Compared to a traditional office keyboard or even a regular mechanical board, these dedicated gaming keyboards are objectively more responsive. They also have a ton of features dedicated to gaming that can really make a difference.
Even if you don’t want to get a gaming keyboard with optical switches, it can pay off to shop around. Mechanical keyboards can be bought in many different sizes and configurations. In addition to this, there are hundreds of switch options to choose from. This allows you to get a board that suits your exact preferences, which will enhance your gaming experience and make you a more consistent player.
Feel free to browse our keyboard reviews or our keyboard spec sheet if you want to learn more.
Gaming Mousepad
The mousepad is the most criminally underrated aspect of a gamer’s setup. Most gamers slap anything they can find on their desk and call it a day. While 99% of (gaming) mousepads don’t have any issues tracking sensors, there’s more to it than that.
Mousepads can be made from all kinds of materials and come in many different sizes. Different surface materials can greatly affect how the pad feels. A dedicated control pad, for example, will make it a lot harder to move your mouse than a speed pad. This results in a more stable and precise experience when aiming. If you don’t like that, you can also go for a speed-oriented pad. The options are nearly endless.
In addition to this, manufacturers can also play around with foams and other materials. A mousepad with a soft foam will allow you to dig in the mouse feet by applying pressure, giving you extra control. A hard foam will offer a much more consistent glide. There are even glass pads for people who like that ‘on ice’ feeling.
The world of gaming mousepads is constantly evolving, and nowadays there are more options than ever. This allows you to find a pad that really suits your playing style and your mouse. Getting the right mouse/mousepad combo can make you a lot more consistent and can improve your aim drastically.
For our mousepad reviews, we have developed a rigorous testing method. This allows us to objectively compare different pads. Obviously we also talk about the user experience in our reviews, but if you’re more interested in hard data, you can check out our mousepad spec list.
(Gaming) Headset
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: you don’t need a gaming headset. A traditional pair of headphones paired with an external mic will do the job just fine. Most gamers opt to go for a headset because it’s a lot more convenient, but if you have a high quality pair of headphones lying around you can definitely use that.
Whatever you choose to go for: know that audio is extremely important in gaming. It’s a bit of a meme in competitive circles (where obvious hackers are jokingly said to have ‘great headsets’) but getting a good audio solution that accurately displays where sounds are coming from can net you a ton of free kills.
There used to be a time where gaming headsets were automatically inferior to traditional headphones, but there are tons of fantastic gaming headsets on the market nowadays. If you like the convenience of a headset, feel free to go for that.
Whatever you decide to go for, though, it’s important to get a mic. Whether that’s a headset mic or an external mic is up to you, but you quite simply can’t play competitively if you cannot communicate to your teammates.
Lastly, we’ll say that speakers are generally not recommended for competitive gaming. Headsets, headphones, and IEMs are much better at accurately displaying where sounds are coming from, so we recommend turning the speakers off if you want to be competitive.
We have over 120 headsets in our spec sheet, and dedicated headset reviews in our review section.
Conclusion
If you think gaming gear is just an afterthought, think again. Getting quality gaming gear that suits your personal preferences and playing style can not only greatly improve your comfort, but also your ingame performances.
We’re not saying that you need to get the latest and greatest top tier peripherals in order to realize your true potential though. There are a lot of fantastic budget options out there to consider. Getting the latest and greatest flagship peripherals doesn’t mean that they’re a perfect fit for you. As always, it’s important to do your research and find out what suits you. Our review section and guides can help you with that, but we encourage you to check out other reviewers as well to get a complete picture of your potential purchase.
In any case: if you want to be a competitive powerhouse and you’re on outdated gear or -God forbid- office peripherals, do yourself a favor and check out what’s out there right now.
