This is the era of multiplayer games and the increasing number of appealing games are inviting more and more players to join the gaming platform at a rapid rate. High performance gaming consoles are becoming a trend these days. But what is taking the online gaming platform to a whole other level? What is promoting the team-play alive in the games? Yes, it’s the ability to communicate! And how do you do that? By engaging in in-game conversations with the team members and plotting the necessary strategy to win the game.
Sound has always been a vital part of games and the gaming companies have been improving the user-experience in terms of audio along with the high-definition graphics. So, in order to get the best gaming experience, you have to invest in good gaming headphones along with a powerful console.
But what are the things that you need to consider before buying a gaming headphone? What are the factors that a good gaming headphone should possess? That is exactly what we are going to discuss today.
Lets walk you through the necessary pointers you have to be aware about before getting your hands on a gaming headphone:
1. Sound Quality
Sound is what matters the most in gaming headphones as a lot depends on the minute intricacies and detailing. Preferably, go for headphones that offer a surround sound feature. You can hear sounds coming for all directions and that recreates a realistic audio imagining.
This becomes really helpful in first-person shooting games or games involving a stealth mission as you can determine the direction of the bullets being fired or approaching footsteps just by listening to the audio, even if you don’t have a clear visual of the source.
2. Wireless or Wired Headphones?
This is by far the biggest dilemma faced by gamers while selecting a headphone. Both the types have their own pros and cons. While wired headphones are limited to a particular cable distance while wireless headphone need to be charged.
What we would recommend is going for a wireless headphone. Most of the gamers have a more active “body language” and sometimes, they might accidentally pull off the wire from the console. That’s never a good thing!
On the other hand, a wireless headphone with a good battery backup can last up to 8 hours on a single charge. And that’s more than enough to be honest. Plus, you have the liberty to move about as freely as possible. Don’t forget to check its operating radius though!
3. Comfortable and Ease-of-wearing
You cannot possibly afford to compromise with comfort when it comes to gaming headphones for the simple enough reason of being exposed to hours of gaming. You don’t want the headphone to bother you or cause you any discomfort as that might cause you a serious mirror; you might as well end up dying by a headshot!
Make sure the headband isn’t too tightly clamped to your head that it starts paining; also it should be so loosely held that it falls off by the minor disturbances.
Next up – the padding. Always go for well-padded ears cups that offer a good grip without compromising comfort. See if the padding is soft and feels good on the ears.
As for the overall build goes, a metal body is preferable but a hard plastic might do the trick as well!
4. Compatibility
Always check for the compatibility when you are doing the background research for the headphone. It is quite an essential factor more than we can think as not all headphones work with all gaming platforms. Some are compatible with all games while some are supported by only few games.
So if you look over the credentials, it might cost you your money!
5. Microphone
A microphone is an essential component in any gaming microphone as it is only means to converse with your teammates. Most headphone microphones are either omnidirectional or unidirectional.
Omnidirectional microphones tend to pick up sounds from all possible directions and that might be a little disturbing. So, we recommend you with a unidirectional microphone that produces a more crisp and clear audio quality.
6. Addition On-Body Buttons
Convenience is what gamers look for. The easier the controls, the better is the overall gameplay. After specially customized gaming mouse and keyboards, if the headphone features several buttons that enable the audio control process, it’s a paradise for any gamer!
With these added benefits, you don’t have to go through the whole process of checking audio controls on the console as you can do them on the headphone itself!
7. Ruggedness and Durability
A headphone with a strong physical build ensures longevity. The material used matters a lot in this regard. A more rugged headphone will save you the trouble of buying new headphones every once in a while. It can withstand a few drops and occasional blows.
So if you are investing big bucks on a headphone, make sure its durable enough so you don’t have to worry about it breaking or getting damaged for the longest possible duration!
8. Open or Closed Headphones?
This is something many buyers get confused about. The gaming headphones are usually overhead and quite bulky. But just looking at it, you can’t tell the difference whether it’s a open or closed headphone.
You might think what is the difference? Let us clear it out for you.
Open headphones are designed in such a way that it leaks a significant amount of sound. Meaning, whoever is around you will be able to hear quite a lot of what you are hearing. Similarly, if you are in a noisy-environment, you too will be able to listen the outside sounds that can be very annoying at times.
On the other hand, closed headphones have a more concentrated sound. They have minimum sound leakage and in addition to that, it blocks the sound coming from outside as well. So according to us, a quiet room and closed headphones are the best combination for an intense gaming session!
9. Price
Last but not the least, what’s very important before you buy anything is the price range. It is highly recommended on our part that you prioritize quality over price.
There are hundreds of varieties of gaming headphones out there in the market and it’s pretty obvious to get lured towards the pricy headphones. However, it’s not always necessary that the costliest headphone would have the best quality.
So before you add a headphone into the cart and proceed to the payment, do the proper research; do a lot of research. It’s never a good idea to rush!
Bottom-line
Does making the right choice seems like a little less oblivious now? We’re sure it does. Always consider these factors, always compare different products and brands, always keep your choices open.
We want to help you choose the right pair of gaming headphones and if you stick to these few points strictly, we can assure you wouldn’t regret your final choice!