5 useful gadgets for the novice eSportsman

By: Yuriy Pyatkovskiy | 22.07.2022, 14:12
5 useful gadgets for the novice eSportsman

The chance of becoming a semi-professional, if not a professional, then at least a semi-professional cyber athlete is now even higher than that of a soccer player. The myth that you can demonstrate outstanding results in Dota 2 and CSGO only at a young age has long been debunked. Many famous cyber athletes are well into their thirties. After that you can become a trainer, an analyst or just a streaming on Twitch or YouTube, receiving donations from viewers even more than tournament prizes. In addition to dexterity and mental flexibility, you need a good set of gaming peripherals: mouse, keyboard, ears, monitor, and a gamepad for FiFA and Mortal Kombat.

SteelSeries Prime Plus - dual sensor mouse

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Reasons to buy: TrueMove Pro+ main sensor for 18000 DPI, additional sensor for elevation, optical-magnetic scrolls, weight only 71g.
Reasons not to buy: If you prefer an asymmetric shape.

The SteelSeries Prime Plus is a mid-sized and almost completely symmetrical (unless you count the extra keys on just one side) gamer mouse. It fits all three grip options: claw, fingers, and palm. Weighs a moderate 71 grams, which is a good medium for MOBA games and shooters alike. It is made of slightly rough and long-lasting ABS plastic. On the bottom, in addition to the Teflon feet, there is an OLED screen for fine-tuning the DPI, without the need for a PC configuration app.

Built on an 18,000 DPI TrueMove Pro+ optical sensor, developed by SteelSeries together with PixArt, that reads motion accurately pixel-for-pixel. There's also a second sensor for detachment from the playing surface, allowing for adjustments from 0.5mm to 2mm. It's also worth mentioning the world's first Prime Prestige optical-magnetic switches with extended spring and practically zero latency, withstanding over 100 million keystrokes.

Patriot Viper V765 - keyboard with water protection

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Reasons to buy: Silent Kailh Red Box switches with IP56 water protection, metal case, magnetic wrist support, volume control roller.
Reasons not to buy: If you want clickable or tactile switches.

The Patriot Viper V765 is a full-size mechanical keyboard on silent Kailh Red Box line-switches. The Box index implies dust and moisture protection, not just drainage holes in the keyboard, but the IP56 sealing of the switches themselves. The switches have a lifespan of 80+ million keystrokes. The keyboard case is made of aluminum, and the sides of the keyboard are backlit by RGB, as are the keycaps. The glow is customizable in the proprietary Viper app.

The wrist pad is made easily removable with magnets, and the cable is wrapped in a nylon braid that protects against kinks. Additional keys are only four (membrane) - are responsible for controlling music playback. There is also a handy volume control roller, which, when pressed, completely mutes the sound. Other useful key combinations are realized by Fn + F1 - F12. Programming macros for gaming or work tasks allows the aforementioned Viper app.

Razer Blackshark V2 X - headset with three-zone speakers

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Reasons to buy: TriForce 50 mm drivers with zone separation for the woofer-midrange, breathable memory foam cushions, cardioid microphone HyperClear.
Reasons not to buy: The complete cable is slightly short.

Razer Blackshark V2 X - wired headphones, or rather stereo headphones with a microphone, made clearly with a focus on multiplayer gaming. Nevertheless, the wide frequency range of the speakers from 12 to 28000 Hz makes it suitable also for watching movies and even listening to music of different genres. Especially for that, the 50mm TriForce speakers are divided into three zones for bass, midrange and treble. The impedance is 28 ohms, which is worth considering when choosing a sound card.

The ear cushions are made of easy-to-clean eco-leather and filled with breathable memory foam. Connects via an analog Mini Jack interface. The cable length is 1.3 meters, which in some cases may require an extension cord. The HyperClear microphone is non-removable and unidirectional, with a frequency of 100 - 10000 Hz, and passive noise cancellation by foam pop filter. The headset weighs only 240 grams, so it won't tire you out even after long gaming sessions.

Canyon CND-GPW5 - gamepad with petal macro keys

Reasons to buy: Compatible with PC and PlayStation 4, separate crossbar, programmable macro keys in the form of petals, Turbo button.
Reasons not to buy: No gyroscope and no stereo headset jack.

Canyon CND-GPW5 - wireless gamepad made in the image of Dualshock 4, that is the original gamepad from PlayStation 4. It has almost all the necessary attributes: symmetrical arrangement of sticks, a separate crossbar, touchpad and LED-lighting. In addition to the game console PS4, is also compatible with desktops and laptops. Fortunately, modern Windows games support Dualshock-like gamepads without any presets.

On the back side of the gamepad there are additional programmable macro-keys, so-called petals. You can use them to perform complicated punch combinations faster than the opponent in the online game. There's also a Turbo-key that allows you to loop the press of any other key, such as infinite shooting. All these features make Canyon CND-GPW5 cybersports gamepad. The only thing that is missing is a gyroscope, but it is generally rare in gamepads, and it is used only in a very small number of games.

2E Gaming G2721B - 2K-monitor with height adjustment

Reasons to buy: Diagonal 27 inches, Quad HD resolution, IPS matrix, refresh rate 165 Hz, eye protection Flicker Free, Pivot adjustment mechanism.
Reasons not to buy: 1ms response software MPRT, not hardware GtG.

the 2E Gaming G2721B is a 27-inch monitor with gamer black and red coloring, enhanced 2560x1440 pixel resolution and 165Hz refresh rate, including FreeSync sync with FPS. This allows you to spot your opponent from afar and react to his actions faster. The matrix used is bright and contrast IPS with a viewing angle of 178 degrees. Video inputs are all digital: two HDMI and one Display Port. There are also built-in stereo speakers and 3.5mm audio output for external speakers.

Implemented eye protection technology Low Blue Light and Flicker Free, reducing the blue color and backlight flicker, respectively. Response time is claimed to be 1 ms - a software tweak MPRT. Whereas a fair hardware 1 ms GtG can only provide TN matrices, but they have narrow corners and dull colors. It has a Pivot mechanism that allows you to adjust the height above the desk, as well as rotate the screen from landscape to portrait position. There is a USB port for charging mobile devices even when the computer is off.

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