Gaming Peripherals, Keyboards, mice, headsets

Hey guys, long time no see.

I'm looking to buy a new set of gaming peripherals. Whats everyone's opinion on the best gaming keyboards, mice, and headsets out there? Any other nifty hardware you know of is more than welcome too! Money isnt an issue atm, as long as you dont tell me to go buy that Optimus Maximus keyboard for 2 grand. Then you're just crazy. For those of you that have never heard of it, google it. Any keyboard thats worth more than most people's entire computers deserves a googling..


Edited by Synth3tikMessiah - 06 Jun 2010 at 4:18pm

OMG I know the prices is expensive cause of all those OLED(s) but you gotta admit that's pretty cool, esp how you can display any image on the tiny screens or have it act like 1 whole screen and display 1 big image...

i suggest checking out the roccat lineup, i currently use thier mouse (kone) and headphones (kave) and i have used lots of things over my time gaming, these are without a doubt the best quality build, best looking, everything really http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Mice/ROCCAT-Kone/

I haven't personally used these, but as you asked "private companies", I could suggest "Ozone" products, please see:

http://www.ozonegaming.com/index1.php

http://www.youtube.com/user/3DGAMEMAN#p/u/39/V3vFkDSAgFI <-- 3DGameman's video of some of the products (unboxing video, there is also a review).

But I must also comment on your last post:

I have friends who use Razer (and me in 2 days) products, keyboard has the anti-ghosting + macroable keys, mouse DPI is similar (5,6-5,7k) on Razer mouses.

One specific headset I want to give shoutout to is the Creative's Sound Blaster Arena headset (http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-Blaster-Surround-Headset/dp/B002J9HCV0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1275863642&sr=8-1-spell).

I love it at least :)

Hope this helps.

I actually now started "dreaming" (damn you Synth ;) ) about new gear, and stumbled to a "promising" gaming headset:

http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/computer/gaming-headsets

youtube review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUm-lcW7-b0&feature=related

Seems the search continues indeed ;) and thank for the mionix link.

Holy #@*^$&@#^$ !!!!

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/ocz_peripherals/nia-neural_impulse_actuator

I just saw it being used in G4...it works perfectly! Amazing tech...

Razer makes some pretty decent mice, but horrible keyboards. I'm using a Logitech G-Series now.

As for the G series keyboards, The g19 is apparently total junk thats giving anyone with SLI or x58 mobo total hell. There are 50-60 page threads all over the internet of people complaining about it. If it was functioning i'd get it in a heartbeat, specs look perfect.

g15 v1 is almost impossible to get, g15 v2 (from what i hear) is a lower quality version of the first.

Which G series are you using?

I completely forgot about the G35! Believe me its on my list. That set looks amazing, it sounds perfect. Anyone know what the performance difference is between the virtual 7.1/5.1 and the headsets that actually have several speakers strategically positioned in the muffs?

Ok first thing you have to identify before choosing a keyboard or mouse is what type of games your playing.. theres no point in having a mouse with more than 3 buttons while playing a FPS game...same thing for a keyboard, Why would you want a keyboard that you can fully macro to anything for a FPS game. Identify what game(s) your playing first (FPS, MMORPG etc) and then start looking .

Keyboard: http://www.cyborggaming.com/prod/v7keyboard.htm

Edited by Patrick_DS - 07 Jun 2010 at 10:10am

About the mouse, I believe the DPI is able to be changed on the fly... and the max is 5600 if you want. I'll keep reading up on the keyboard cause so far its really caught my eye for my setup...

Not sure if any of this will help, and I have a feeling you'll use your stuff in ways I never will with mine, but here goes:

Keyboard: Razer Lycosa - Its pretty sweet.  Its held up very well for about 10 months now, no paint flaking or stuck buttons.  Macros work well, and the interface is easy to use.  Plus I think the blue lights look cool.  I used Best buy gift cards to get mine so...

http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169417800/categoryId.35156900


Mouse - MX Revolution - Not even sure they make this anymore, but its a very solid mouse, nice interface, responsive, well built, heavy, and I love the ultra spin wheel.  Its wireless, and holds a full charge easily for 3-4 days of regular gaming/use.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104015&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-InputDevices-_-NA-_-NA

Gamepad - Nostromo N52te - I use this for all my games.  Its easy to program, works with win 7 64 bit with no issues, works well for average hand size, etc.  It also goes well with the keyboard if that matters to you.  No stuck buttons yet, but the paint is wearing out on the most used buttons.  It feels solid, and does not slide around on the desk at all.  Personally I think the older version was better, only because while i said no stuck buttons, they are a bit stiff at first.

http://www.n52te.com/

Headset - Sennheiser pc350 - These are awesome.  Now I admit I am not an audiophile, but these work very well with my soundcard.  From acoustic to bass driven music...no issues.  The only drawback is that they are for a dedicated soundcard like the creative one I have in my PC.  Its not a usb/software based headset.

The microphone is the best I have used.  Its not flexible at the end, but pivots up and down.  It has great noise canceling effects, and back ground noise dampening.  Your voice will be very clear over whatever VOIP you use.  The wire is thick, and teh headset is very soild in build.  I wear glasses, and find they are pretty comfortable over the hours I play.  Lots of cushion on the ears and head, and not a lot of heat, so no ear sweat (nasty).

These come in at over 200 beans, but I found a deal on amazon for $109 about 2 months ago.  I would recommend checking these out over anything I have listed here.

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/private_headsets_pc_pro-gaming_skype-voip_502141


Not sure if any of this is in your range, you might be more high end, but it works for me, and did not break the bank.




Edited by Uruvsuurt - 07 Jun 2010 at 12:06pm

Wow the optimus is such an expensive keyboard!

Originally posted by Synth3tikMessiah And im choosing between the belkin and the g13 gameboard. Speaking of which, anyone can give me a hint as to which i'd rather have and why?

I know several people that use the G13 and after listening to them rave about it, it seems the main difference is the lcd display and the number of hotkeys you have at your fingertips.  The "fit" may also be an issue.  I would recommend heading to the local best buy type store and seeing which fits your paw better, catches your eye more, etc.  Then look online for a better deal than you'll get it there.

Both seem to be very good gamepads, and really teh rabid g13 fans I know are "logitech all the way" type people.  They would buy it even if it was inferior, mainly because "Logitech" is painted on it.

The reviews seem to be favorable either way, so go with whatever one makes you happier I guess.  ya...not much help there.



I will say that I mainly use my N52te for these games:

WoW
Hellgate: London (when it was alive)
Dragon Age
Warhammer Dawn of War 2 (both games)

So, that covers FPS, MMO, Action RPG, and RTS games, and it works for them all.  In fact I can usually use the same layout for each by just assigning the hotkeys to the correct areas.  Less file swapping, and I am lazy.

One last "bad" thing that may sway you is that the cord on the N52te seems average at best.  I find that wires on these gadgets are either way too long, or need just another 1-2 inches to be perfect.  It may be my desk layout though.

Razer DeathAdder , Das Keyboard. http://www.daskeyboard.com. Make sure you get a mouse with Hertz  and DPI Settings.

Edited by Natsu - 07 Jun 2010 at 3:21pm

Originally posted by Synth3tikMessiah As for the G series keyboards, The g19 is apparently total junk thats giving anyone with SLI or x58 mobo total hell. There are 50-60 page threads all over the internet of people complaining about it. If it was functioning i'd get it in a heartbeat, specs look perfect. g15 v1 is almost impossible to get, g15 v2 (from what i hear) is a lower quality version of the first. Which G series are you using?

using a G110 right now, it works perfect for me. picked it because I didn't really care about the LCD, seriously, I'm never gonna look down at the keyboard while gaming, OSD's ftw. and, it had backlighting, which was a plus.
i had a razer tarantula before, man, that thing had the worst key sensitivity. the flatter keys made it respond horribly in game, you have to press ALL the way down so it responds.

DeathAdders downright rock, I love mine :D


Edited by ablahblah - 07 Jun 2010 at 3:35pm

mamba, eh, I never really saw it's point. it has a little caddy that it uses as a holder and a wireless receiver, so you have to keep the caddy and let it sit there all the time. the Imperator is essentially the same thing as the Mamba, except that it's just wired. I was considering getting one, but my DeathAdder really has nothing wrong with it at the moment.