You need to consider a few factors such as the type of game you would be playing and the quality of sound you want.
Sound is a very important part of gaming. You need top-quality sound not only to enjoy the stunning environment of the games but also to notice any tiny details that you might have missed otherwise. Therefore, good headgear is very important while gaming.
Although you can go with any headgear, to truly experience the heavenly bliss of the gaming environment, you need top-quality gaming headsets.
Here are a few points to check while getting a gaming headset
Gaming Headset VS Gaming Headphone
At first glance, a gaming headset and a gaming headphone may appear the same to many people, there are a few key differences.
Pros & Cons of a Headphone
Pros
- Has a very high sound quality and accurate surround sound.
- The mics are also top quality that provides excellent communication.
Cons
- As you need a separate mic, the whole set can be expensive.
- As both separate headphones and mic are required, it can be a hassle to set them up, and moving them can become problematic.
Pros & Cons of a Headset
Pros
- Comes with an inbuilt mic system so no need for a separate mic, making them very cost-effective.
- As they can be adapted to different situations, they provide less hassle to maintain.
Cons
- They do not provide the top quality sound like headphones do.
- As they come at a comparatively lower price, they do not possess good build quality.
If you are playing games like Player’s Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG), Valorant, Apex Legends where sound can improve your play style and can influence your victory, you need top-quality gaming headsets that offer outstanding audio quality
But if you are playing offline games, or MOBA games like Dota 2 or League of Legends, then you do not need top-quality sound. But always be sure to check out Gaming headset review to get more insight before buying a headphone or a headset
Consider The Platform You Are Playing On
Many people have separate gaming consoles on which they play regularly. It can be a Windows PC, a Mac, an Xbox, a PlayStation, or a Nintendo Switch.
Although most major gaming platforms use a 3.5 mm audio jack, some platforms also have separate audio sets. Like, for the Sony PlayStation, there is a separate headset called the Sony Wireless Gold gaming headset.
These specific headsets can only be used with the corresponding gaming console, that is the Sony PlayStation. It will be very difficult to use a Sony Wireless Gold Gaming headset on a PC or an Xbox.
Getting Wireless or Wired Headsets
Wired headsets are the ones that use cables to connect, on the other hand, wireless ones do not require any cable. So, even though on paper, wireless ones are much better than wired ones, both have their pros and cons.
Pros and Cons of a Wired Headset
Pros
- Cheap & easy to get
- Has a larger variety
- Lasts long and requires no batteries
Cons
- Cables can get damaged, rendering the headphone useless
- Can only move as much as the cables allow
- Pros and Cons of Wireless Headset
Pros & Cons Of A Wireless Headset
Pros
- No restrictions on movements.
- They are getting more and more popular and many consoles are switching to wireless headsets
Cons
- Requires a battery and needs to charge daily
- Better quality wireless headsets can be very expensive
- The Build Quality Of The Headsets
The headsets can be prone to damage and the ear caps can often get torn apart and reduce the comfort of the headset. If the set is heavy, it can also put a strain on your ears.
So, you need to consider the build quality of the headset for the comfort of your ear. You also need a headphone that does not have a high clamp force that might hurt your ears, and also not a low enough clamp force that they easily fall off of your ears.
Factor In Noise Cancellation
Many games require to pinpoint sound accuracy and this can impact your gameplay. In games like Counter-Strike, PUBG where the sound of a single footstep can be the difference between life and death, active noise cancellation can be very important.
So, if you are playing these games, get headsets that have better noise cancellation that significantly increases sound quality.
In games like League of Legends where the sound is not that important, you can compromise noise isolation. Most premium headsets come with noise cancellation.
Surround Sound Can Make A Huge Difference
There are three separate types of surround sounds. The Stereo Sound, The Virtual Sound, and The 3 Dimensional Sound.
A stereo supported headset only plays sound in its left and right speakers equally and has noise depth. Virtual Sound on the other hand alters the audio and adds depth so that it appears from multiple directions.
This improves the sound experience significantly. However, the best quality is experienced through 3-dimensional headsets. They further process the sound, create a 3D map, and make the sounds appear in a way the wearer would hear it if he or she was in that place.
Must-Have Good Quality Microphone
The mics in the headphones must include noise suppression. This way, while communicating, there will be very less distraction and the communication will be much more fluid. It also should have a mute function in case of privacy.
Aesthetics Of The Headphone
Although most gamers do not put that much importance on aesthetics while gaming, it can however create an appealing environment.
Some designs, styles, lighting can even make the headset much more comfortable than generic ones, but most of the time, they come down to personal preferences.
Final Thoughts
Sound is a very important sense of humans, and while gaming, you must use the best of your hearing ability. And to have the best hearing, you need a compatible headset. Hopefully, this guide has given you some ideas about some points you need to consider while choosing a headset.