Gaming Peripheral Hardware Guide

For the gamers who do not sit at desks or their computers are hooked up to a digital Television, a reclining gaming chair is one of the best and comfortable chairs you can use.  Trying to crane your neck if sitting on the floor can be harmful and lead to sore neck muscles which can last for days.  The chair allows you to have an optimal viewing angle and newer versions put subs and speakers right into the chair for a true 3D sound experience.

For the gamers that use mice and keyboard, a chair designed specifically for gaming will really help.  Extra padding relieves muscle pain and fatigue, and the reclining action allows for a more natural position.  Gaming chairs usually also offer built in speakers and subs for the total immersion effect.

A keyboard is great in theory for gaming because it allows to access to an almost infinite amount of different buttons to perform an almost infinite amount of actions in a game.  The downside is that s a standard keyboard is lousy for gaming for less than tactile buttons, bad button placement for gaming, and cramped keys.

A gaming keyboard features a different key layout specifically for those FPS players that have to use the WASD keys.  While a gaming keyboard may not work like an everyday keyboard, it allows for much better gaming.

A gaming mouse is mainly suited for the FPS gamers, as a mouse provides much quicker and more accurate aiming than any gaming pad could offer.  Mice specifically built for this category offer different resolutions on the fly for either wide angle or precise sniping aiming.  Also, certain gaming mice allow the addition of weights, to allow a certain heft to make the aiming more natural and easier.

Also, more buttons on the mouse allow for changing weapons or setting with less dependence on keyboard keys so you can keep your fingers on the movement keys more often.

A joystick is designed for gaming from the ground up.  Mainly in use for flight simulators, these are the de facto standard for simulation and realistic games.  Cheap joysticks do not offer the 3rd dimension of Yaw, which is being able to twist the joystick.  It is absolutely necessary to be able to adjust Yaw in a flight game, so be sure to get a high quality joystick with this feature. 

Unlike the vibration technology in gaming pads, some joysticks feature force feedback which resists the motion of the joystick using small built in motors.  It is more realistic than vibration, and provides resistance much like real controls in an airplane.

A gamepad is much like the gamepad in use for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  It is suitable for a wide range of games, and is very comfortable to hold.  Unlike the other devices which need a desk to work or rest on, a gamepad is perfectly fine without any need for a desk or lap to sit in.  However, the mini thumb stick is only so accurate, and is not well suited for certain games such as FPS and driving games.

If your gamepad for your console is USB based, there is usually a driver for it that will allow it to work with a computer.

A steering wheel provides the same feel and tactile feedback very much like a real car does today.  No other controller offers the same amount of sensitivity for racing games as this controller.  Certain racing games rely on precise car movements, and if the controller is not precise enough, a person can become frustrated and quit the game.

Also, this type of controller also employs force feedback technology.

For the true FPS experience, nothing can beat a HMD with head tracking capabilities.  For years, the technology was just too expensive, and getting it to work with consumer games was painstaking.  Then a company called Trimersion, created a device with such technology and sold it at a price which was affordable.  You aim by tilting and moving your head, which is a much more natural approach than using a mouse.

You may look somewhat weird and you also may bump into something while playing.  You literally have to turn completely around to get at an enemy behind you.

If driving or flight simulations is your thing and you want the most realistic experience, a customized seating and control arrangement is needed.  I have seen many die hard flight simulation fans build their own cockpit with work dials and gauges and more buttons than a normal keyboard.  It may be expensive, but it is much less than spending time in an actual real flight simulator.

Most of these ready to buy seats and equipment provides mounts to place controllers, monitors, and either a computer or gaming console.  If gaming with friends, this may be impossible to use unless you buy two.  It is more or less for the people that game alone or online.