Sometimes the sound you get from your gaming headset is as good as the game itself. What this means is that a bad headset can ungraciously spoil your gaming experience in a way you can never tell.
The main problem is that there are so many gaming headsets that unless you thread carefully, you will find yourself with one that is only good for the gutters.
Things to consider before selecting your gaming headset:
1 What kind of game you are playing
Before making a choice as regards getting a gaming headset, you need to consider the type of game you are playing. For PC gamers or console gamers, you need to know if the headphones would work on your console or if you need an adapter. Although now the problem of compatibility is much down, you will still have the problem most especially when using console.
More so, the operating system you are using is also important since it is not all headsets that work on windows that will also work on Mac OS.
Another thing here is that you may prefer Real-Time Strategy (RTS), or Action, or other things. Your choice will also depend on these.
2 Sound quality
A headset is not a headset if it gives you everything else but fails in sound. The better the sound quality, the better it will be as a choice. One thing that makes this very important is that it doesn’t matter the type of gaming you are playing or the platform, or even the make of the headset, it has to have good sound quality.
There is no single definition of good sound quality for gaming headsets because the quality may be good for one game type but not for another.
3. Convenience
Convenience is one of those things that are everything in the life of gaming. A headset has to be very convenient for one to be able to use it as one wants to use it. It shouldn’t be difficult to use.
Generally, some may wonder if there are headsets that are difficult to use. The simple answer is yes. This is not one of the things a gamer needs.
4. Wired or Wireless
This is based on your preference. You need to consider what you get with each headset and see if it is wired, whether the wire can be changed, whether the wire will last, and whether it is long enough to allow you have good gaming. Nevertheless, too long will be too bad, and the cord shouldn’t be stiff.
See Also: Bluetooth Headphone Problems and Simple Ways to Solve Them- Easy Guide
If on the other hand, what you are looking at is a wireless headset, the battery life, the connectivity, the response, are a few among many other things that you will need to consider before making your choice. Both the wired gaming headsets and the wireless gaming headsets have their own pros and cons, so it all balls down to choice and convenience.
5. Comfort
A hardcore gamer will want to spend almost every available time gaming, and even among those that only play for short periods, getting as much comfort as possible is still key.
In the aspect of comfort, you will want to look at the fit you get with the headset as well as the headband, the earcups, and even the microphone if there is one. The size is also good for you to consider as well as the flexibility of the set.
6. Type
There are different types of headphones that you can get as a gamer. There are the on-ear headphones, the in-ear, and over the ear headsets. Each of these offer a gamer different things as such you will need to go with your preference as a gamer.
7. Open or closed back
Like normal headsets, gaming headsets also come with closed and opened back. While the opened back are good for those that want to get some noise and hear their surroundings, the closed backs huts you out of the world entirely. It is better for people who are in very noisy areas.
Because it tries to keep out every external interference, there is little or no air movement so you will get your ears a little sweaty. If what you want is to take you away from everything happening around, the sweat may just be worth it.
8. Noise Canceling
You can decide to go with a headset that will either offer you active noise cancelation or one that will give you passive. Those that give active noise canceling allow some external noise to get drowned so that you do not get ant interference as you listen.
9. Surround or not
Based on the game you are playing, you will need to also consider whether you are going for a surround sound headset. For me, I think a gamer needs very good surround sound capabilities. The good news is that you now don’t need to look too hard because even stereo headsets offer that to you.
10. Impedance
I know we are talking about gaming headsets, but there is nothing wrong having one that will be able to be used on smartphones. That is where considering the impedance comes very important.
Those with low impedance are those that require less power to drive. These are the ones that can take care of your portable devices since they come with weaker amplification.
The thing though is that the performance of a headset with higher impedance is more powerfully driven and that means that the performance goes better. What is important is to consider the devices you want to use before settling on this. Note that 50ohms may be high and 150hms is low.
11. Durability
A true gamer shouldn’t have a single headset, as he may be playing different games. Hence, to pick, one must look for one that will last a very long time, because it will not make sense buying different sets that won’t last. The make of the headset you are getting, the materials used, and even the technology used need to be considered for the sake of durability and to ensure that you are not getting a gaming headset that will run out of the latest technology very soon.
12. Microphone
You don’t have to be an online gamer or a VR gamer before you will need to have a good microphone. It means a lot to have a good microphone for your gaming set. To do this, you will have to look to get a set that doesn’t easily pick noise or one that distorts. More so, you will want to get one that while performing very good, is still easy to adjust so as to give convenience.
You need a microphone with high-end noise cancellation so that as you chat with fellow gamers, it will be delivered very clear.
13. Price
The amount you are paying for a gaming set should at least be realistic enough. While there are some that are very expensive, there are others that will not ask for your hand to feed your ear.
The thing is there is no point that you can say a set is expensive or cheap without looking at what it has to offer. Therefore, it will only be wise to check what is offered as against the price it asks.
