Control Freaks: The 101 on Gaming

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Control Freaks: The 101 on Gaming Accessories

Even weekend gamers can benefit from quality gaming accessories. We explain
why and provide tips on what’s hot on the market today.

Hate it or love it, the coming of age of computer gaming has well and truly
passed. Once the realm of geeks and bored university students, games are increasingly
garnering mainstream appeal and, believe it or not, their growth rate has outstripped
that of the DVD market.

According to figures recently released by market group GFK Australia, in the
first half of 2006 the local games industry grew 8 percent, compared to 6 percent
for the DVD market. This growth is set to continue at an increasing rate, hot
on the heels of cinema box-office’s growth of 9 percent.

At the recent Austin Game Conference in the US, Michael Dell, founder and chairman
of Dell Computers, attributed the games industry’s growth to the growing
popularity of competitive play over the internet. And Dell would know –
his company is the world’s leading personal computer maker with $US55.9
billion in revenue for 2005.

If you’re one of those people Dell’s talking about who’s
recently jumped into the online gaming fray, or even if you enjoy the occasional
solo battle, owning the appropriate accessories can tremendously improve the
experience, not to mention your skill level.

Mouse

As much as we’d all love to physically enter the game world and blast
Nazi storm troopers and alien scum to smithereens with all manner of weaponry,
until virtual reality technology improves, the mouse is the most important interface
between you and the game.

Clearly, in order for your experience to be as rich and realistic as possible,
you want your mouse to be an extension of your hand, not a hindrance. That means
it must boast an ergonomic shape, fast response time, lightweight chassis and
tangle-free cord.

A favourite among the gaming fraternity is the Razer Copperhead, which EYO
currently sells for $106.70*. Its greatest asset is the 2000 DPI laser engine,
which results in a speedy 1ms response time compared with 8ms on conventional
gaming mice. DPI (dots per inch) is a measure of sensitivity, and the higher
the number, the faster the mouse responds to your movement.

Another aspect to consider when purchasing a mouse is the number of programmable
buttons, which can prove very useful mid-game. For instance, many players of
first person shooter (FPS) games bind these buttons to their most-used weapons;
enabling them to quickly switch between them should the environment change in
the heat of battle. The Copperhead offers seven programmable buttons, one of
which enables users to adjust the DPI sensitivity on-the-fly. This is a particularly
handy feature as some weapons – such as sniper rifles and railguns –
are more accurate with a lower sensitivity.

The Copperhead and its younger sibling, the Diamondback ($66), are both extremely
light, enabling you to glide across the surface with apparent ease. Interestingly,
some mice, such as Logitech’s G5 ($99) even offer multiple swappable weights
to allow for maximum customisability.

Mousing surface

You don’t slip on a pair of thongs and expect to have a comfortable jog,
so why would you expect to make the most out of your high-end mouse whilst using
it on a sub-par surface, such as the cloth pad that came with your PC or even
your desk? The answer is simple – you can’t!

Aside from hindering the movement of your mouse, poor quality mousing surfaces
collect dirt and dust, which quickly becomes stuck to the teflon feet on the
underside of your mouse. Once this builds up over time, in the gaming world
you’ll be left as competitive as a one-legged man racing in the 100m hurdles.

Many professional gamers swear by the Steelpad, which comes in many shapes
and sizes. The newest model, dubbed Steelpad 5L, retails for $55 and offers
a massive 380x280mm, five-layer cloth surface.

Another popular surface is the Icemat, which is crafted from frosted glass
and offers gamers both smooth movement and a durable, attractive design.

Believe it or not, but in addition to quality gaming mice, Razer also manufactures
a gaming surface – the Mantis ($37.40). It’s even larger than the
Steelpad at 444x355mm, allowing gamers to play at a low sensitivity for improved
accuracy, all the while removing the worry of their mouse slipping off the edge
of the pad.

Headphones

Once your mousing needs have been catered for, it helps to have a decent sound
setup to aid in determining your opponents’ movements before their avatar
is visible on-screen. This is particularly important in games that required
twitch reflexes, such as Quake 4 and Counter-Strike.

While speakers offer an enthralling DVD viewing and music playback experience,
for gaming, headphones reign supreme as they allow for both enhanced in-game
immersion and better 3D sound positioning. High-end sets enable gamers to pinpoint
the number of enemies, the direction their moving in and how far away they are,
before they’re even in full view.

Aside from high quality sound, other factors you should consider when purchasing
a set of headphones are comfort (particularly if you play for long stretches
at a time), noise cancelling capabilities and an attached microphone.

*prices indicated on this article are subject to change without notice


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