If you are a casual gamer, or haven’t gotten into gaming at all, you might be wondering where to start. The console wars might well make you dizzy, or you might want to upgrade from consoles, or simply see what else is out there. There might be elements of gaming you haven’t given attention to yet, like headphones, because you never wanted to play with friends until now.
Well, we’ve got you covered. We’re taking a deep dive into the equipment you’ll need for gaming in the year of 2022, and there are a few surprises tossed in.
The PC/console
The console wars still rage on, with the newest batch of consoles battling it out for your money. You can argue the merits of the Xbox Game Pass versus the superior quality and power of the PS5 with its superior-reflecting price tag, but there are more players in the arena now. Nintendo has cemented its place in the gaming hardware market with the Switch, which offers a hybrid of handheld and monitor-mounted play as you see fit.
And then there is the PC. The stoic, unbeatable silent leader of the gaming platform wars. The massive amount of power, games, and the convenience of hooking it up to everything else you can do on a PC makes a gaming PC’s price tag just about palatable. For comparison, a Nintendo Switch will set you back about £260, an Xbox or PS5 between £350 and £450 depending on the model, and a gaming PC reaches into the thousands.
It all depends on your budget and what you want to get out of the console. If you’re a casual gamer, you’re not likely to spend thousands on a gaming PC, but you might if you intend to get into streaming.
It’s worth pointing out that you won’t need all this expensive hardware to play online casinos and iGaming products. If you’re looking for something simple to play that will keep you engaged for days without springing for a top-of-the-line PC or console, check out this Borgata online casino review to get started.
The headset
You need to be able to communicate with your other players if you’re a fan of MMORPGs. Games like World of Warcraft, Fortnite and other multiplayer games will have you foaming at the mouth if your teammate is making an obvious mistake that you can’t tell them how to fix.
This means that getting a decent headset is a given. The good thing here is that headsets can range depending on your budget. If you want to grab a set of wired earphones from your nearest bargain store and you’ve made sure they have a mic in them, you’re set. Plug them into your controller or your PC and get to work.
If you’re looking for something wireless, however, you might need to invest. If you’re playing with a console your headset might need to be of a certain brand to make it compatible with the console.
And while we’re on the subject of headsets, you might want to look into virtual reality headsets. The VR gaming market is exploding. It’s not all entirely Beat Saber, you know, and they are getting more sophisticated by the day. There is a good range of classic favorites like Skyrim and Batman Arkham games available in VR form, as well as new games to the plate like Wanderer and Vertigo 2.
The chair
The chair has been unfairly forgotten when it comes to gaming hardware, in favor of the glamourous tech. But, come on. The image of the life of a gamer isn’t one of an epitome of health. The stereotype says you are likely to be in that chair for hours, drinking energy drinks like aqua in the desert, with little sleep. Your chair might as well be comfortable, and supportive. Your mum’s discarded dining chair is going to kill after half an hour. You need the swivel, you need the support, and you need the squishy feel, or your back will end up aging to 80 while your face stays in its 20s.
Invest well when it comes to chairs, and perhaps keep the mini fridge loaded with water instead of energy drinks.
