A guide to the best in gaming accessories to fit any pocket, so you can get kitted out this festive season
The Mad Catz's L.Y.N.X. gaming controller
It’s that festive time of the year where you can legally badger your friends and relatives to gift you expensive stuff. Create your own gaming sanctuary.
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Note: This guide assumes you already own a next-gen console or a gaming PC of epic proportions.
Gaming headsets
The parents/kids are sleeping in the next room, but you still want your full 7.1 super surround sound. Easy. Most headsets now come with advanced audio and multi-system support.
The Samsung curved monitor
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. TE
Rs 4,290
A beautiful headset at a really good price. The F.R.E.Q. Tournament Edition is stereo with amazing looks and sound quality, not to mention big 50mm sound drivers.
Creative SoundBlaster Tactic 3D Rage
Rs 5,500 (approx)
Another stereo option that uses Creative’s SBX technology which provides amazing immersive sound, when connected to the PC.
The Mad Catz’s L.Y.N.X. gaming controller
Kingston HyperX Cloud 2
Rs 8,799 (approx)
One of the best gaming headsets in the market today, with excellent packaging and superlative audio. With 53mm magnets, you can connect this to your PC for 7.1 surround sound.
PlayStation Gold
Rs 9,000+
If wires are not your thing, then this is the perfect gift for you. Sony’s own PlayStation Gold wireless headsets are fantastic. Available in stereo and surround sound options.
Budget options
There are several budget options from small brands such as DragonWar or E-Blue, which less than R2,000. However, the build is questionable as well as the durability.
A flight simulator
Gaming Mice
Nothing beats the responsiveness and speed of a well-tuned gaming mouse to give you that extra edge over your opponents in
multiplayer games.
Roccat Tyon
Rs 7,999 (approx)
The Roccat Tyon has 14 mouse buttons. All of them ergonomically placed, plus a thumb paddle for easy access weapon selection. Add to that a 8,200 DPI PRO-AIM sensor and a sexy 16.8 million colour lighting system, making the Tyon a winner.
Logitech G502 “Proteus Core”
Rs 5,000 (approx)
The “Proteus Core” is a fantastic package for its price. With a 12,000 DPI sensor that is tunable to work on any surface. You can also customise the weight of the mouse.
Mad Catz R.A.T TE
Rs 6,000+ (approx)
With an unusual industrial design that’s guaranteed to turn heads, the Mad Catz R.A.T TE does not need fancy lights to show it’s a lean mean beast. With an 8,200 DPI highly-accurate Laser Doppler sensor, this mouse is meant for tournament level gaming.
Budget options
While there are several gaming mice out there, Logitech has a gamut of budget options with good quality gaming sensors. Cheap brands have a high failure rate.
A gaming chair
Gaming keyboards
Once you get a mechanical keyboard, you can never go back to plastic keys.
Corsair Vengeance Kseries
Rs 7,000+ (price varies)
Corsair’s K-series of keyboards are almost impossible to get, but it’s one of the best keyboards in the market today. With a base of aluminum, and responsive Cherry MX mechanical keys, this keyboard looks minimal and stylish. It’s also super slim.
Logitech G10 “Orion Spark” Mechanical Keyboard
Price: NA
Just launched, the Orion Spark will take some time to reach India, giving you a saving head-start. A full keyboard with Romer-G mechanical switches and an illumination system that makes your keyboard look like the bridge of the Enterprise from Star Trek.
Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. TE
Rs 9,790 (approx)
With a 30-key anti-ghosting rollover, and hyper-quick Kalih Brown keys, this keyboard is all function.
The Roccat Tyon gaming mice
Budget
TVS-e Bharat Gold Mechanical Keyboard
Rs 2,100
Yes, you read that right. If you don’t mind the dated looks, the TVS-e Bharat Gold is a true-blue mechanical keyboard from yesteryear that gives the most expensive plastic keyboards a run for their money.
Gaming Keypads
Sony's PlayStation Gold headsets
Don’t fancy a full-fledged keyboard? Then opt for a keypad. Razer’s Orbweaver (Rs 14,000+) and Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard (Rs 7000+) are two such options.
Monitor
Your display is everything. While there are several options out there, let’s look at monitors based on use.
HDTV
Choose from 55-inch budget TVs like the excellent Vu 55k160gau which cost around R45,000, if you get a good deal, or the big curved screen Samsung options that cost lakhs.
GAMING Monitors
Asus, BenQ, AOC and several companies have gaming monitor options, either using NVIDIA’s GSync technologies or with very high response times and refresh rates of over 144hz. Both Samsung and LG have curved monitors for great surround effect.
Budget monitors
If gaming monitors are out of your price range, you can opt for any monitor as long as the response time is less than 5 minutes. With a bit of research, you can get a 27-inch 1080p monitor for less than Rs 15,000.
Gaming Controllers
Nothing beats the responsiveness and speed of a gaming mouse to give you that extra edge over your opponents in multiplayer games.
Mobile
Fancy a bit of gaming on the go? Then you can go for Mad Catz’s C.T.R.L.R and C.T.R.L.i for Android and iOS devices. Their upcoming L.Y.N.X controllers are worth the wait.
Gamepads
For your PlayStation 4, nothing can beat Sony’s very own Dual Shock 4, which incidentally you can connect to your PC too. For a true-blue PC controller, you can look at Razer Sabertooth controller, with backlighting, that familiar Xbox 360 feel, and a few extra buttons. If you own a Windows 10 PC, you could look at Microsoft’s own Xbox One controller or the Razer WildCat.
Wheels
Love your racing games? There are several options based on the platform you play. Logitech’s G27 is a PC racing wheel complete with pedals and gearbox. Thrustmaster’s T80 wheel is compatible with PS4. Several wheels are endorsed by Ferrari and popular car or racing-game makers.
Flight sims
A keyboard cannot quite bring the realism of flying commercial or military aircraft in flight-simulator or air-battle games. Mad Catz has a massive range of joysticks and other flight sim controllers. Available for PC, these controllers are expensive.
Gaming chairs
For a few thousands, you can get a floor-based gaming chair with a built-in speaker. These are decent options, in case you want sound and the force feedback of a car engine. You can even get a Nitho Freccia Flydeck Gaming Chair, with stands for your various controllers.
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