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Note: I am not in the beta yet, so i may miss a few points. Also, English is my third/fourth language (alongside German), so bear with me
I have played competitively (amateur level, hardly ever won any prizes) for a decent amount of time in different games (CS: Condition Zero, CS:S, WarSow, Quake (3 & LIVE), WarCraft III: TFT, StarCraft: Brood War). Started from CS (like any other person of my age in Latvia) -> Got into competition -> Fell in love with RTS games -> Decided to try StarCraft (was playing WC3 at the time) -> Fell in love with SC and will stay with the franchise.
At the time only FPS games were big (competition wise), so there was a delay before i found my genre. But, for the last ~3 years i never played a game except SC.
On Topic:
Does one need Razer/SteelSeries/<insert brand here> equipment to play effectively? Does pro gaming equipment make that big of a difference?
Well, it depends. The thing you really need is skill. No gear will ever give you as big of an advantage to beat a player who is clearly better then you are.
Is it in second? No, you mental state is.
Third? Perhaps, perhaps not.
The big argument is that some say: "Gear does not matter", while others: "It makes a difference between a win and a loss". Where is the truth? - Somewhere in the middle.
You see, gaming gear is not important as gear in other sports (say golf). Most mice, keyboards, pads, headsets are quite similar and work on playable standards. So, you CAN play any game with any gear ( comfort aside, you can ). Size of keys on a keyboard and the ergonomics of mice is a preference, but for the most part gear does not play a huge role in gaming as everything in gaming is standardized. It's not like a cheap mouse means it will use a ball for tracking (5 points for anyone who used to game with those mice). A cheap mouse and a gaming mouse don't have as much difference between them as say a cheap small-brand car and a sports Porsche.
The fact is - many professional gamers still use mainstream home/business class mice (LMO comes to mind) and keyboards. They are simply used to their old gear and the difference is not so big for them to switch.
So why should you use gaming gear then?:
Gaming gear gives you better quality/high tech. versions of the items.
Examples: Mouse lasers are better and more accurate; keyboards are more durable and the keys press with ease. These differences are subtle and you notice them only when you grow used to pro gaming gear and return to play on mainstream peripherals for a change (say at a friends house).
A good (and in general more dramatic) example is a headset. Try playing with a cheap 5$ headset and then switch to a 90$+ 7.1 Razer. You can hear sounds that you didn't even thing were there and you immerse in the game a lot easier.
Headphones are essential to FPS gamers. As of RTS - not as much, but still are quite important to keep your concentration.
Here are some PRO's of having expensive gaming gear:
- Playing for long periods of time feels more comfortable.
- They are generally more durable (a vital point for some of us).
- Better ergonomics.
- More precise movements (mouse).
- Better response on key presses (keyboard).
- A general boost of gaming results (it may be 2-5% of you APM, but at the highest level it really does matter).
For a casual gamer it will be a waste of money. You need to be quite 고수 for the quality of peripherals to start making a difference, except for comfort that is. As of a person who plays leagues and is/thinks of becoming a progamer or a hardcore gamer in general - it will boost you results by a bit (giving you that extra edge!). In gaming the 0.02 seconds may matter (that's why most progamers quit after 25, as their reaction times slow down by that microsecond)
Things to look out for when buying peripherals for SCII (my opinion):
Keyboard: Durability (in some cases when you lose - something has to die.. and your keyboard has to be able to take a punch); The keys should be low and press easily (may just boost your apm by a bit); Macro keys (non-essential, but may help); Overall feel; Ergonomics.
Mouse: Ergonomics; Feel; Button response; Laser quality; Durability (the same reason as the keyboard).
Headset: Comfort; Sound Quality; Mic quality; Clarity.
P.S.: I am new here, so please be a bit nicer to the post then you are normally..
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I have a standard gaming keyboard with a dead flat key layout, a mid market headset, and a mid market mouse. Works well enough for me, no complaints.
That said, I am a very Silver-level player. Due to that, I doubt that I will ever be good enough to need pro-gear.
Also, a SC2/BW keyboard just looks lame, IMHO.
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You don't NEED anything.
However, if you want to feel like a baller every time you play, get the pro gear. Only get the comfortable stuff though, especially headphones.
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never have never will, its not fps or wombo combo xD its sc, where its all in the gamers comfort with his or her own mouse/keyboard/desk level
Mouse For this I would like to say that I guess it depends on the game type. I have a Dell Premium Mouse, which lags my pentium 3 till it freezes, but works on my normal comp. That being said it sucks for any game I play except for wow, because it is to sensitive and inaccurate to click exactly where I have too. Then the IBM Laser mouse I have is a beautiful creation with perfect precision and not an extreme sensitivity that kills your ability to micro/macro/ and feel comfortable about your coordination.
Keyboard The softer the better yes. Easier key press's = a more comfortable feel = a better mindset for any match.
Headphones Don't need anything fancy. Yeah 5 dollar headphones suck, they dont even have the rubber to stay in your ears. But I bought a 20 dollar MP3 player and it came with a sick set of headphones the ear bud ones. They do exactly what you mentioned. Its not a gaming headphone that lets you hear more, its just headphones have surround sound ability options in games. BY DEFAULT.
SC1/SC2/Diablo/etc.. ex: speakers - sound always comes from both speakers, unless they are leet. Headphones - usually don't matter which kind, sound will come from left if sound is originating from left, and vice versa.
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Makes sense, although I will also say that I've been using a Razer Deathadder for awhile, and I don't know how well I'd play if I -didn't- use it, since I'm used to how responsive it is.
In general, I'd say that having higher quality/more expensive (are these even mutually exclusive?) peripherals won't necessarily make you a better player, but they can certainly "enhance the experience". It's like playing SC2 on ultra vs. playing on medium or low. You may not play any better, but it'll (possibly) be a more enjoyable experience because it's prettier.
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I use a cheap USB keyboard and a Logitech optical mini mouse. I definitely prefer using my mouse over other people's fancy Razers or whatever. With the keyboard, I popped out the caps lock and windows button. I use cheap headphones.
I feel like my setup is perfect, I have no complaints about it and wouldn't spend any money for anything fancier. ~1600 platinum player.
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Get a good gaming mouse. Nothing very expensive is needed but I feel a big upgrade from a random 20e mouse to my Logitech Mx518..
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I want shit that looks cool and feels good, not that anyone is going to see my mouse / keyboard online, but i still want it
The gaming keyboards are shit though, for this i use a normal logitech keyboard(UltraX) with a flat layout.
aslong as its nice and functions well its ok, a good mouse and headset is all you need, the rest is optional
it wont make you a better player, but its nice
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http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&id=1265679
I feel like this link should be posted in every thread concerning mouses in gaming, the test is centered around fps games but it can give you a good guideline on what things make a good optical sensor. Ergonomics obviously are completely up to preference so that is left out.
Gaming keyboards however are a joke, if you want to spend unholy amounts on a keyboard just get a mechanical one, professional typists use those. Even the importance of a gaming mouse can be debated about if you're going to play on high sensitivity as then even LMO can keep up with your hands because you will never reach the requires m/s even if its ridiculously low, low sensitivity gamers on the other hand will instantly notice that the mouse just does not register what they're doing when going at high speed. I'm guessing the LMO wont reach even near 1.0m/s.
In gaming the 0.02 seconds may matter (that's why most progamers quit after 25, as their reaction times slow down by that microsecond)
I don't think anyone is going to drop from top progamer level to B-teamer just because of that in StarCraft, there are plenty of Quake players who have far better mouse/keyboard usage and far better mechanics than any RTS gamer could dream of and many of them are older.
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I use the following equipment for SC2:
Mouse: Logitech Mini Optical ($8)
Mouse pad: Razer eXactpad ($30)
Keyboard: Filco Majestouch 104-key Tactile Touch ($134)
Headphones: Audio Technica ATH-AD700 ($90)
I use these because I personally enjoy using each piece of equipment, but I'm sure I could play just as well using a cheap mouse pad, membrane keyboard, and basically any pair of headphones/speakers.
Equipment for SC2 is overrated. You don't need anything special to play the game well. You just need to be comfortable with whatever equipment you decide to use. We all have personal preferences. Some prefer flat keyboards (i.e. scissor switch keys found on laptops) to standard full sized, others can't stand them. Some prefer soft keypresses to firmer keys. Some prefer wrist rests on their mouse pads/keyboards...I don't use them. Some prefer large palm-grip mice with ridiculous DPI ratings and Laser/IR tracking. I can't see myself using anything than my Mini Optical or maybe G3. You get the idea...
Whatever you decide to get, please don't get pulled into fancy marketing tricks claiming you absolutely *need* certain equipment to excel. FYI, many gaming keyboards out there branded by Logitech and Razer use the same membrane/rubber dome key mechanisms found in cheap <$10 keyboards that come standard with desktops. Buying into them is nothing but a waste of money as you don't need fancy LCD displays and macro keys to play an RTS game.
FWIW, I'm a platinum level player with about a ~73% W/L ratio.
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I dont know about keyboard, but i definitely think that mouse like, g5, any razor and stuff like that is much better than basic mouses. Especially for lefthanders, razer's mouses are much better and ergonomically alot superior than any normal/basic mouse. So yeah, i think it has effect to your gaming.
And yeah, everyone has own opinion of headset. I like 'high-tech' headsets, just because of the sound. Couldn't imagine myself using some cheapstuff.
Keyboard doesn't really matter imo. As long as it has proper wrist support.
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spending money on good gear is a sign that you care a lot about what you are doing. I think this psychological effect may subconsciously make you try harder, practice more, or learn more.
word of warning:
in my opinion, backlit keyboards are terrible for gaming. This is because you should not be loooking at your keys. Having a lit keyboard allows you to see your keys easier, which is gooing too make you rely on looking more often which will make you get into slow, bad habits
also, people using large mice for starcraft: seriously try a tiny mouse with a ifngertip grip and give it a week. i doubt you will ever go back. and dont pull the 'i have large hands' excuse, because it doesnt make a difference. Unless you fingertips are like 3 inches wide.
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man would be epic, if someone made a USB type writer plugin or w.e, just to see a VOD recording of someone using an antique-type not the new digital ones, to play a match of sc. lol wouldn't it be REVOLUTIONARY.
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To me the mouse and mouse pad is the only thing I care about for RTS (as long as the keyboard doesn't have a weird layout or size).
And about the mouse, to me it's not about the most DPI, it just have to be really light and easy to move around. I have a Razer Dimondback that I really like. My hands are big enough that I can move it around using only my fingertips, something that I think is key. My mouse pad is a really cheap plastic one, about 2mm thick with a smooth surface that works great with the mouse. You can probably get used to just about any mouse, as long as it doesn't get stuck or is hard to move around.
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Wow, you managed to turn the question -
'Do i need Pro Gaming Gear to be pro?'
Into a bloody essay.
Mad props bro!
But in all seriousness, i was interested in the same thing  so thanks for asking.
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I use Razer Lycosa gaming keyboard and Razer DeathAdder Mose with Goliathus Alpha Speed Pad and SteelSeries Siberia Neckband headset it helps me a litle bit
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On April 23 2010 00:16 Sunyveil wrote:
I use a cheap USB keyboard and a Logitech optical mini mouse. I definitely prefer using my mouse over other people's fancy Razers or whatever. With the keyboard, I popped out the caps lock and windows button. I use cheap headphones.
I feel like my setup is perfect, I have no complaints about it and wouldn't spend any money for anything fancier. ~1600 platinum player.
I'm almost the exact same as this but i just disabled the keys in iccup/SC2 instead of taking them out ^_^
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A decent mouse like the MX518 will work great. Optical, WIRED. Thats all that really matters. Any keyboard with decent keys, will work. Most default "click-clack" raised keys work great.
A mousepad helps compared to a bare table also. I got a steelseries one for like $8, and its great.
Any of this "gaming gear" is total bullsht marketing hype.
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A lot of people get way too worked up about the "gaming gear" they use. I am pretty competitive at any game I play, and there is only one piece of equipment I refuse to play without ... that's my 5 button Microsoft mouse. It's old as the hills (I used one when I played SC1), optical, no fancy drivers, and is simply designed. In one word: pro. I'm using one right now and have a couple unopened in case they go out of production
Link (not affiliated with this site, just did a google search to find example of what I'm talking about):
http://www.pcloft.com/miusbinopwhm.html
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On April 23 2010 00:32 comis wrote:A lot of people get way too worked up about the "gaming gear" they use. I am pretty competitive at any game I play, and there is only one piece of equipment I refuse to play without ... that's my 5 button Microsoft mouse. It's old as the hills (I used one when I played SC1), optical, no fancy drivers, and is simply designed. In one word: pro. I'm using one right now and have a couple unopened in case they go out of production Link (not affiliated with this site, just did a google search to find example of what I'm talking about): http://www.pcloft.com/miusbinopwhm.html
This is respected as one of the best low/mid sensitivity mouses to ever enter this world, truly a masterpiece.
However for high sensitivity use (SC2) it's absolute garbage, especially if you're a graphics whore and want a huge resolution.
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EPT
