The variety of AAA-title games available today makes gaming an undeniably exciting experience that often leads to fierce competition. When competing against friends or strangers online, split-second decisions can depend on whether you’re victorious or will try to win another day.
Having the right gaming peripherals can help boost your chances of success by offering customizable options, incredible speeds, and improved performance. For that reason, we’re looking at the various types of peripherals and how each one can be used to give you an edge. Let’s get to it!
Gaming Keyboards
Gaming keyboards have multiple advantages over conventional ones. While they can still be used for regular tasks, such as typing an email or searching to find the best casino bonus codes, they excel at elevating your gaming experience.
Among the key features of gaming keyboards are:
Mechanical Switches
Gaming keyboards often come with mechanical switches located underneath each key. In contrast to the regular rubber dome variants, these provide better feedback when pressing a button and less chance of the keyboard registering the incorrect button when pressed.
For gamers, these switches offer faster actuation and typically last longer than conventional options. Additionally, the enhanced feedback allows faster keystrokes with more confidence that the game command has been given.
Backlighting
Despite the common belief that backlighting is more about a keyboard’s aesthetics than anything else, the feature can be helpful for gamers. This is particularly true in low-light situations, where each key is easily identifiable due to the light shining behind it.
This enhanced visibility does come with greater aesthetics, with many keyboards supporting RGB backlighting that can be customized to your preferences. This allows you to highlight certain keys in a specific color, again providing better identification at a glance.
Programmable Keys
By far, the most significant advantage of using a keyboard is the programmable keys that many of these peripherals offer. These keys can be customized to complete certain commands and even programmed for macros to undertake complex tasks in popular games like Dungeons and Dragons.
These custom macros or combinations available at a single press can boost your ability in-game, particularly if you need to do something requiring multiple key presses. This can give you a distinctive edge over the competition.
Gaming Mice
Like gaming keyboards, gaming mice are designed to provide peak performance while featuring unique designs that not only look great but also feature ergonomics that let you play for hours. Operating in much the same way as regular mice, gaming mice offer some key differences:
Higher DPI
The DPI, or dots per inch, of a mouse relates to how sensitive it is and how fast the mouse can move your cursor on the screen. Gaming mice have much higher DPI ratings than traditional mice, allowing quicker responses. This can help you avoid enemy blows while providing more precise aiming in shooting games.
Ergonomics
Ergonomic mice are designed to promote better hand posture and can be used for longer before fatigue is experienced. Gaming mice also commonly use softer grips and adjustable weights, providing enhanced comfort levels.
Reduced Latency
Latency is the time it takes for a computer to recognize a command and carry it out. Gaming mice provide significantly reduced latency times, which help ensure that movements on screen are almost instant and correspond exactly with those of the mouse. For this reason, most gaming mice are wired, as wireless mice often have higher levels of latency.
Customizable Buttons
Like gaming keyboards, mice designed for gameplay feature multiple customizable buttons. These are often located in the center of the mouse (around the scroll wheel) or on the sides—providing easy access. Programming these to perform complex functions can save you time in-game and provide a few extra moments for you to take cover or eliminate the enemy.
Gaming Monitors
Gaming monitors are among the most recent peripherals geared toward gamers. They offer unique technologies and features that set them apart from regular options. Together, they work to provide a better and more immersive and enjoyable gaming experience.
Higher Refresh Rates
The most prominent feature of gaming monitors is that they offer significantly higher refresh rates. Commonly, the lowest refresh rate found on gaming options is 144Hz, which is not attained or the highest of standard monitors. For many gaming screens, this can go up to 240Hz, providing smoother motions and a reduction of motion blur.
Better Response Times
Aside from offering boosted refresh rates, gaming monitors also offer better response times—the time it takes a monitor to display the content the PC is feeding it. Better response times minimize input lag and ghosting and can ensure a true reflection of in-game activity.
Adaptive Sync
Almost all of the best gaming monitors provide adaptive sync technology, such as G-Sync or FreeSync. These help synchronize the refresh rate with your graphics card to ensure optimal operation. This eliminates stuttering and screen tearing and provides a smoother viewing experience.
HDR
Another common feature of gaming monitors is support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) and a wider array of true colors. This helps games look more realistic while ensuring that colors are displayed in vibrant detail.
Other Peripherals
Although the above are the most common peripherals that can have the most significant impact on your gaming ability, many others can also boost your abilities.
Controllers
Gaming controllers provide an alternative to using a mouse and keyboard. Many of the best ones are compatible with most games and can make gaming easier. However, some games don’t support these, which could get you into hot water.
VR Headsets
Taking you directly into the gaming world, VR headsets are the best way to experience a truly immersive gaming experience. However, while they boost your visuals, they do limit you in that you’ll no longer be able to see things like your keyboard. Therefore, they are best suited for games that have been specifically developed for use with them.
Gaming Mousepads
Commonly considered an unnecessary accessory, a gaming mousepad can boost your gameplay by providing a smooth, consistent surface for your mouse. This can help your mouse perform at its best and make it more comfortable for you while playing.
