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..
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 ^_^
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.
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
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
I can only say what I've learned from my short lived counter strike pro gaming career, so here it goes:
Mouse - I'd say pay extra for great mouse, it will reflect to your play, since speed and accuracy are priceless, and not only for shooters, I'm sporting Logitech MX500 (or maybe newer 5xx model) for couple of years and it's like my second nature, back in the day that baby went through several big lan events with me, and after a lot of daily play she died at the age of 7, got new one the same day
Keyboard - I've allways used the old style white keyboard with high buttons, I'm used to it and hate the low profile - soft press ones, it's just what I'm used to tho
Headphones - Do you go to LANs? If so, invest into some profi gaming headphones (with Mic?), there isn't anything worse than the outside noise interfering with your game, I've used KOSS UR40, great headphones, light and yet perfectly isolating all the noise
Surface - I've bought my fUnc surface 1080 (really old pro gaming mat) back in 2000 or so, I have it till this day, it really made a difference back than, but maybe today you don't really need precision mat anymore thanks to the new laser sensors
There is a lot of other things, like mouse skatez, hand warmers and what not, but I don't consider these as important.
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
Remember to have a decent chair and desk. Slouching like a slumps while you play probably will have a significant negative effect on your apm.
i see so many pictures of peoples gaming setups where the desk/ chair looks terribly constricting and uncomfortable.
I actually want to get a footrest foor under my desk, so that i can sit high enough for my arms to be slightly elevated, without my legs being uncomfortable.
On April 23 2010 00:06 ExecutioN wrote: 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).
I don't think this applies to all of the gaming gear. I'm fairly certain that there are actually cheaper and higher quality equipment that is not labeled as gaming. nowadays alot of equipment is labeled as gaming just so they can increase the price and have people buy it. The samsung dt35 is not labeled as gaming, yet its known as the best "gaming" keyboard in south korea. And in terms of games like fps where you might think mouse is important, most high level players end up using low sensitivity and low dpi.
If you are used to crap equipment you wouldnt think getting some 'fancy' gear would matter much... but once you are used to quality gear there is no turning back. After getting used to a mechanical keyboard... you just cant understand how u used a rubber dome keyboard all those years... rubber domes feels like walking in 2 foot of mud. This thing is the best thing ever :
This is basicly a das keyboard but from the manufacturer .. so you cut the price in half
For the mouse / mousepad there is a huge difference too... but mainly for FPS, for rts a lightweight mouse is all you need. I just recently bougt a razer salmosa to replace my microsoft mouse 1.1a and im in love with it.
Razer Abyssus mouse Audio Technica ATH-AD700 headphones (The best positional audio possibly ever) Some crappy $20 dell keyboard I had for years, I can press more than 5 buttons without it spazzing out and it hasn't broken on me yet.
No. It is not necessary at all. Expensive gaming gear is basically just stuff to make people feel like they're better when they aren't.
I use mini opticals for everything, even games with pretty high resolution it works totally fine and is very comfortable to use. Besides, having massive DPI is only actually useful if you want your mouse to move incredibly fast round the screen with no pinpoint accuracy for some reason.
Keyboards, buy a cheap one you like, and get a few of them. I use some cheap logitech one.
But no, its all about player comfort as theres very little equipment that isnt technically good enough to play with.
Athlon 64 3000+ and x800 GTO. Not pro gear and loses me some games. Pro gear really matters!(at least pro enough to run the game smoothly with no hiccups)
Kidding aside, the most important "pro gaming" piece of gear is the mouse. A great mouse will make all the difference in the world. I've been using the MX1000 for a long time with the fUnc 1030 'gaming surface' and it blows away the standard mice you find. And it feels better to me than the second gen G5 that I have as well.
Mouse: Get a Razer Salmosa. Do not buy any other mouse, especially not a Logitech G5 since it weighs about 90 kilograms. The Salmosa is lightweight, feels ergonomic, tracks well, slides easily, and has no doodads or LEDs.
On April 23 2010 04:48 Zealotdriver wrote: Mouse: Get a Razer Salmosa. Do not buy any other mouse, especially not a Logitech G5 since it weighs about 90 kilograms. The Salmosa is lightweight, feels ergonomic, tracks well, slides easily, and has no doodads or LEDs.
Although you might also want to check out the Abyssus too, it's supposed to have better tech but mainly I found the Salmosa to have an awkward to hold shape, I found the Abyssus to be much more comfortable.
All that gaming gear is nice to have and it does have its perks, but it's really up the player's own preferences. As long as everything works you are good to go.
comp, mouse, keyboard, screen, hell you don't even need speakers.
However, rather than getting "pro" equipment invest in getting a vent server and headset if you plan to play 2v2. That actually makes a big difference.
I've got like a 5 euro mouse that I think is awesome and when I sometimes go to this internet cafe that has much more expensive mice I feel unconfortable. so its really down to what you're used to and more familiar with. if I was used to the more expensive mouse instead I REALLY doubt I'd do better in games.
use whatever you feel comfortable using. it is more about what you are used to, not how flashy it is. however, if you play team games a lot, i suggest you get a good headset/mic. it is absolutely horrible dealing with bad mics.
On April 23 2010 00:39 bodysnatcher21 wrote: LoL most of those "progaming equipment" made my people like Razor is trash for Starcraft. They are just trying to prey on silly consumers.
The koreans progamers favourite mouse and keyboard (logitech mini optical and samsung dt35) cost like $10 and $5 respecitvely...
if u can find these products for these prices 100% link them here cos that sounds unreal!
"Gamer" branded headphones such as Steelseries, Fatal1ty etc are overpriced. KOSS, Sennheiser, AKG, Denon, Audio Technica are some good makers of headphones.
On April 23 2010 00:39 bodysnatcher21 wrote: LoL most of those "progaming equipment" made my people like Razor is trash for Starcraft. They are just trying to prey on silly consumers.
The koreans progamers favourite mouse and keyboard (logitech mini optical and samsung dt35) cost like $10 and $5 respecitvely...
if u can find these products for these prices 100% link them here cos that sounds unreal!
Well I think Amazon has the logitech mouse he is talking about, $20 though.
I think if you are going to buy anything specifically for gaming, I'd have to say buy a high quality mouse. The greater DPI + comfort + sensitivity really changes the game for me.
Saying that gaming grade gear gives you an advantage is a bit like saying that pair of $250 Nike sneakers will make you a better basketball player. Sure you can make an argument about comfort, but in reality the sneakers you wear generally have little to do with your performance in the sport.
As far as headphones go, "gaming" headphones I've seen were all overpriced crap and certainly not necessary or worth it even for FPS games. There are much better headphones for the price if you look around.
I've been using my fUnc for seven years now, it's dirty, the smooth side is just dead and it doesnt really look great when you watch it....but i just love it - it is just so vintage and cool to have a good old original fUnc :D
switching mouse is just a pain because i need to re-adapt : i've been playing all the games the creator quoted (exept useless cs:cz) and i think everybody here who played FPS competitevly will agree on that.
My keyboard is an apple keyboard since i use my apple computer to play - wich is the same i use to work. it is verry thin, good looking and have 2 usb that are not suitable to wire a mouse for playing. The great thing about this keyboard is that it fits in a regular bagpack so i can have my computer + keyboard + mouse + mousepad with me when i go to LAN The bad thing is, as every apple product, it is expansive for what it is...
Something disturbing me is that the creator didnt mentioned the one thing that could get me buying these new fancy hardwares : god dam it they're looking good and these brands are giving plenty of money for supporting esports (wich is obviously something they have to do) so let's support them also ! Since i'm an half-time working student....not gonna happen any time soon :D
I think what alot of people are over-looking with the Gaming mice is the fact that they're programmable and put another 5-10 "hotkeys" on your mouse so you can effectively increase what your mouse hand is able to do by quite a margin.
The other thing obviously being that the Gaming mice (like razor etc) are so programmable that you can configure the mouse to do something like this:
In the middle of a battle, click mouse buton 5. This selects a unit producing building at home, makes a certain type of unit and then re-selects your army that you were controlling, all within 0.5 seconds ... now program a few of your mouse buttons to do this and you can effectively contniue to macro during fights with almost no loss in efficiency cause as you're fighting you just spam mouse buttons 5,6,7,8 intermittently ... and this is just the 1st use, there's about a dozen others I can think of (like using things like psi-storm, emp etc, bound to these mouse buttons, essentially reducing 3-4 clicks/button presses to 1)
This then leaves this issue of this being so close to cheating imo, I'm fairly certain I won't program my mouse to do stuff like this because it just feels so wrong. Obviously the gaming keyboards etc are also capable of all of these features.
Of course not, still repping Logitech Mx500(so glad I bought a few of them before they were discontinued I don't care for the rest of the 5xx series, they just don't feel right) from nearly 10years ago and a $10 keyboard
Tried some of the expensive "pro gaming" products and was not impressed with any of them
prioritize comfort over everything else. as long as your keys/buttons aren't physically broken then the only thing that matters is how comfortable everything feels in your hands. there is no fucking way that some dpi setting or whatever is going to limit your skill cap.
EPT
so thanks for asking.
