As you all might know that CES is over and a lot of new technologies were shown, however this has nothing to do with today’s post. Today’s post has to do with my curse i.e. Gaming Peripherals.

You probably have realized by now that I am far from being a professional gamer, apart from that my gaming time is diminishing as time goes by. Its not because I do not enjoy gaming anymore, but with real life errands taking most of the time there is not much I can do. However when it comes to gaming peripherals, I shop like I am a pro gamer. I have been always fascinated by the “cool-factor” these peripherals display and the more time goes by, cooler peripherals are
launched make me wonder if I should get the latest mouse or the latest mouse mat. So before I start talking about my current peripherals, I have to thank my girl friend for making sure I limit the amount of peripherals I buy.

Keyboard and Keypads

Logitech G15

I bought the first version of the Logitech G15 (blue lighting, 16 extra keys) which was one of a kind due to the LCD screen and the amount of extra keys it contained. The fact that I was playing World of Warcraft like there was no tomorrow, this keyboard gave me a competitive advantage. Apart from the fact that it made some tedious grinding easier to deal with. The problem with this keyboard? It makes you realize that you are gaming way too much. After one month the WASD keys were stripped out of their paint. A recall was made for these keyboards and since I live in Malta I thought that there was no way I can get this keyboard replaced.

I sent an email to logitech which told me that they will replace my keyboard. They also told me that I had to ship the keyboard, back to them. I was really unhappy that I had to spend money on sending the keyboard back, considering the keyboard is like a small piano and shipping charges in Malta are not that cheap. I was told that I could send the LCD screen on its own, which meant i had to break the keyboard LCD screen and ship it to them. Again I was unhappy due to the fact that this was bloody ridicolous. Finally they accepted and I recieved the new G15 (orange lighting, 6 extra keys) for free and I have been using it since.

To conclude this keyboard is amazing, I really do not want to replace it although signs of wear and tear are clearly visible, but unless logitech come up with something as amazing as when they launched this keyboard, I do not see myself spending money to have a keyboard which i can view youtube videos on the LCD screen.

Razer Nostromo

Have no idea why I bought this!!!! Well let me explain, I am not hating on this device, however you have to understand that when you buy something that require a learning curve to use it you might end up not liking the product. Well I love the product its comfortable, the design is spectecular but my learning curve is still a straight line. Reason is simple, you have to configure everything to work with this device, and it is very easy to go back to the “normal” way of playing i.e. using the keyboard.

I believe that once you get used to playing with this peripheral, you will never look back because even just the feel of using this keypad is amazing. The guys from Razer took some time to come up with this.

Mice

Razer Imperator

I used to play with a logitech G5 which I loved and the only reason i decided to go for something new because I was feeling way to comfotable with 2000 dpi and wanted to experience the beauty that is 5000+ dpi. The Razer Imperator was my choice due to the fact that it had the side buttons customizable, and things like this win me over. One thing I hate when it comes to pheripherals is that sometimes companies assume that everyone is the same. I used to find it hard to click the side button of the G5, I got used to it after a while but the fact that now I can just move them forward so my thumb can find the keys easier to use, well thats something I look for in gaming peripherals.

Razer Naga Epic

Same as the razer nostromo, I bought this mouse not because I needed a mouse but because I always wanted to try the Razer Naga and also I got a good deal from the local shop. This mouse was the latest release from the naga series in 2011 (Note: 2012 Razer announced the Naga Hex). It is a wireless mmo gaming mouse, with 5600 dpi, 12 additional thumb keys and other features, which makes this mouse as effective as it is beautiful to look at. However as the Razer nostromo you need to take in consideration the learning curve to start using effectively this mouse. I think that using the naga with the nostromo can be something that gives you a competitve advantage due to the fact that you can divide the amount of keys being pressed in a game like world of warcraft between both hands (peripherals).

Mouse Mats

Razer eXactMat

This is an old mouse mat by Razer, however since it is a hard mouse mat and I tend to clean my desk very often, this mouse mat has survived to still be my number one choice. I am thinking of retiring this mouse mat once and for all but I am still not sure if I should go for a hard mouse mat or a soft mouse mat.

Razer Mantis – Control

I bought this when I decided I should try the soft mouse mats, I love this mouse mat as well however when it comes to cleaning a soft mouse mat, it can get tricky. I love the fact that soft mouse mats are normally found in differents sizes and I normally go for the largest size. Reason is quite simple I just do not want to be limited to a certain space and also you can use it to put the keyboard on it as well to reduce the chances your keyboard slides. However when it comes to cleaning this mouse mat it is very hard, and after a while it can get too dirty to be able to use it effectively.

Headsets

SteelSeries Siberia Neckband

I love this headset for two main reasons. First it is very comfortable, because it rests on the back of your neck and because of the retractable mic. These reasons might be stupid for some people but I hate the fact that I have the mic in front of my mouth when I am not using it. Also having a comfortable headset is very important especially if you plan to use ot for long hours. Now (in 2012) the only thing I do not like about this headset is that there are so many new and improved headsets that the sound quality is lacking compared to the new headsets.

Turtle Beach X31

I bought this headset last December, I love the sound quality and the fact that it is wireless it is amazing. However since it is an Xbox headset, to use the mic you need to use a wire. And since the xbox controller requires the microphone to be a 2.5mm jack to use it with your pc you need to have a 2.5mm to 3.5mm convertor, which may cause some issues with the sound quality. Apart from the fact that having a wireless headset, which requires a wire to use the microphone sort of spoils the buzz of having a wireless headset. Having said that it is still a great headset and the sound quality makes up for these small issues.

Conclusion

So there you have it my current gaming peripherals (Keyboard, Mice, Mouse Mats and Headsets), as you can see I like to keep up to date with gaming peripherals (within my limited budget) and one advise I can give to those looking to upgrade any device is to read reviews and try your best to try it out prior to committing yourself. These might seem obvious but when it comes to gaming peripherals it is important that what you buy will make your gaming experience enjoyable and since these peripherals are not that cheap you do not want to buy something that you just leave it on your desk without ever using it.

Ruben Gatt

Ruben has been into gaming since he was 9 years old. He first started off as an avid pc gamer and later expanded his horizons to xbox gaming. Follow his blog and his youtube channel.

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