Let’s say you’ve already spent the time and done the research to build a core gaming rig that’s right for your experience. Like your PC, the rest of your gaming tech (including your sound experience) can and should be unique to you. Because personalizing your tech is so...personal... we want to help you ask the right questions to narrow down your search. Read on for questions you need to ask about your gaming tech and some guides that can help answer them. Let’s get personal!
Incorporate a discrete mic
We’re passionate audio quality and how to make your voice sound excellent to others. The sound quality and clear communication you get from our ModMic and your preferred headphones connects you to your friends and improves your gaming experience. When it comes to headphones there are many reasons to avoid gamer headsets. A better solution: create your own headset with your favorite headphones and a ModMic. It’s easy, and often cheaper than a traditional gaming headset. Where does personalization come in? Headphones cater to certain sound types. Which type of sound do you prefer? Check out this article that goes over the basics of sound types.
Bored with your keyboard?
There’s more to a keyboard than the backlight color. There’s a ton of decisions to make here! Membrane vs. mechanical, macros vs. basic, num pad vs. not, tactile vs. linear. Despite the popularity of mechanical keyboards, don’t write off good membrane keyboards -- many people still love them. But you will need to decide the key questions: Do you use a number pad? Do you use it for typing as well as gaming? Do you want something ergonomic that will force you to re-learn how to hold your hands? And finally, how silent do they need to be? Are you using your ModMic (see above) for recording? Tech Lounge has this article that really hits a lot of the details on all these decisions, and we here at Antlion covered how each Cherry MX switch sounds in our recent test.
Mice are nice
There are three primary questions to answer before buying a mouse: What’s your grip style? Do you want wireless? And how many extra buttons do you need (AKA, do you play MMORPGs)? Check out this video by Rocket Jump Ninja, who reviewed 70 different gaming mice and lays it all out for you, whether you need to think about the type of gaming you’re playing, the size, weight, and shape of the mouse, or its features. Still not sure what you want? See what Wes Fenlon at PC Gamer has to say about the latest gaming mice. Everyone has a different gaming style, so everyone has a different opinion. Wes selects the Razer Death Adder as his favorite, which is a controversial choice.
What’s a Mouse without a House?
What does a mouse call its home? A MOUSE PAD! GET IT?! … Yeah, that was terrible. What isn’t terrible is the vast distance mousepads have come over the last decade. Today the options of size, shape, and materials are staggering, but the real question you need to ask is how big does it have to be. These days many prefer a mousepad that covers the entire surface of a keyboard tray (keyboard included). That’s why we made the Antlion Uberwide Mousepad, clocking in at 900mm x 300mm! Measure your area and get a size the fits you best, the two items you need to double check are that the mousepad you’re buying doesn’t have any raised bumps on logos or artwork and that the material is silky smooth. You can also look into advanced features like USB connections and the ability to integrate into lapboards. Replacing a mousepad can be one of the most unexpectedly impactful improvements to any setup, and one of the least expensive too.
Setup Suite
Your goal should be to make your PC space a part of your home, not some rat nest of cables and junk. Take time to watch Swashin’s YouTube channel where he’s apparently dedicated his life to making cool PC setups (and hiding wires). Some of our favorite tools are the Anchor Headphone holder and extensive use of velcro strips to keep cables bundled. For an extra trick, add a label to each power cable so you know what goes where when you’re in the bowels of your desk trying to troubleshoot.
Take Control
The last items on our list are controllers. Yeah, WASD is king of FPS, but when it comes to fighting games and action platformers… well, let's just say you don’t WASD Street Fighter unless you’re a masochist. We don’t have any questions here. Just a statement: Get the name brand controller. A wired Microsoft 360 or Xbox 1 controller is the way to go. While you can use a PS4 controller, there are extra steps to take, which can be problematic and difficult with certain games. Don’t forget to think of where you’ll put the controller when not in use though, there isn’t much uglier than the tangle of wires sitting on the top of your desk. Grab a nice controller holder and keep your cables in line!
Odds are you don’t need ALL of the items above, but hopefully, we’ve started you thinking about some of the questions you should be asking when upgrading the next piece of your setup. As always, check out more information about the ModMic or head over to our blog page to read more tips, tricks, game reviews, and tutorials!