As a dedicated gamer on both PC and Console it is very important to me that I have a good headset. I need to be able to speak with clan/team mates and still be able to hear noises, alerts or prompts in the game in order to know what is going on and if anyone is sneaking up on me.
In terms of gaming headsets, if you mainly play PC games, most likely you will have something that suits your needs already from one of the major Gaming Peripheral brands.
Which Is The Right Gaming Headset For Me?
When you are looking for a headset to buy there are many questions that need to be asked. The price of a gaming headset that is half way decent starts at about £50, so you will want to select one that will suit your needs for quite some time.
The following are the major questions you will want to ask:
3.5mm Jack or USB? (USB lets you more accurately control what you hear, since you are able to set it so that music is played through the PC speakers, with skype or VoIP E.G. teamspeak coming through the headphones clearing. It is essentially all or nothing with a 3.5mm jack.)
Would you like to use it along with other devices like the Xbox 360 and PS3? These days the more expensive headsets work with all gaming systems. If you play games on a console in addition to a PC then that’s always a great thing.
Sound – Real 7.1 or 5.1 surround sound is offered by more expensive headsets by placing several small speakers inside the ears to provide you with depth of field. It is a nice feature to have. However, overall sound can suffer compared to normal, due to the fact that the sound quality is affected by the speaker size. So a regular headset that has a 50mm driver will have a better sound than a 7.1 or 5.1 set when surround sound is not needed. If you are playing an FPS and need to be fully aware of your surroundings, in my opinion a 7.1 or 5.1 can help, however MMO and RTS games don’t need this so you can just use regular speakers.
Comfort (ergonomics) and colour – I have listed this last since it is the most difficult thing to truly know prior to purchasing a headset, basically due to there being a lack of places where headsets can be tried out. When it comes to colour, that is easy. However, fit is not. A majority of high end sets have ear cups or an adjustable headband to ensure the fit is right for you. However, some of the less expensive ones don’t. So that can greatly affect the quality of your gaming experience. That is why it can definitely help to read reviews. Reading reviews like these from Ironhorsetrading is possibly a good way to start.
Astro Gaming Headset
Recently the gaming peripheral market has grown tremendously, with a majority of companies offering everything ranging from gaming glasses, to mouse mats, headsets, keyboards, mic and just about anything else you can imagine. That has led to even more companies coming out with things that are specifically intended for gaming. Turtle Beach is one of the more popular companies currently for headsets. They manufacture headsets for console gaming and the PC in fun designs, that are themed around all of your favourite games.
Astro Gaming is another popular headset manufacturer that has made its appearance over the last couple of years. This is a high-end company that caters more to professional and serious gamers. The flagship headset costs £249.00 and the base headset starts at £149.00, so their products don’t come cheap. However, they are quality products and the main equipment sponsor for Major League of Gaming event series. These headsets work on all of the platforms (PC, PS3 and Xbox), so if you are serious about comfort and gaming, at the moment these are one of the best available.
Tips And Hints On Selecting A Headset
I am not expecting most of you to want to spend a lot money on your headset. For casual gamers, usually £60 is more than they want to spend. For the masses, I think the best companies offering headsets are the Turtle Beach X12 for console nuts, the Razer Orce or the Steelseries Siberia V2.
If you would like to spend a little more money to get something that can do everything, I recommend that you get the Astro A40 with music system.
Final Thoughts About Gaming Headsets
Hopefully this article answered a couple of questions you may have had regarding gaming headsets and might have shown you there are plenty of choices that are available out there. So many different manufacturers make these products these days, so it can be difficult to select one based on just price.
