Gaming Gear Showdown, Simplicity vs. Hype

Slack3r78 writes "Gizmodo is running a feature putting the gaming marketing hype to the test and seeing whether it really makes your playing any more 1337. They match up the latest products from Razer and SteelSeries along with some five-year-old Logitech products and come to the conclusion that ... it doesn't seem to matter that much. It looks like maybe you can't buy your way into finally beating that annoying 13-year-old at your favorite FPS after all."

Comments

Re:You don't say?

[VeNoM0619]

I disagree. Sure "fancy" stuff won't make you game better, but functionality DEFINITELY has a huge effect on gameplay.

The functionality of your mouse makes the greatest difference in a FPS: binding the extra buttons to prevent keyboard movement allowing you to continuously move/jump/crouch etc. to dodge instead of "press whatever key to throw grenade/use good gun". This assumes you have 2-3 fingers for movement, 1-2 for movement actions, you only have at best 1-2 random fingers lingering for a select few keys.

My personal example would be playing spy in TF2, before I had my 8 button mouse I had issues stabbing engies while placing sappers immediately. Now, I can do it with 90% success - meaning I don't die. Why? Cause all I have to do is press left click, thumb click, left click, while maneuvering with keyboard effectively.

Re:You don't say?

[keithjr]

Comfortable or not, it'll be a cold day in hell before I drop $150 on a keyboard, and another $90 for the mouse. The article really doesn't dwell on the cost factor, which for me is the major deterrent to buying "gaming gear."

Re:You don't say?

[eln]

You have more faith in humanity than I do.

You could just as easily say that no one really believes their Monster cables make their stereos sound better. And yet, that company is still in business.

I think for most people there is a psychological relationship between how expensive something is and how good it is. If these things cost $20, no one would even consider the idea that they would make anyone play better, even if they were built exactly the same. At $300, though, people are more likely to believe it.

Re:You don't say?

[Shagg]

You could just as easily say that no one really believes their Monster cables make their stereos sound better.

Knowledgeable people don't believe it.

And yet, that company is still in business.

The world is full of stupid people.

I think for most people there is a psychological relationship between how expensive something is and how good it is.

Yep, see above. ;)

Re:You don't say?

[vux984]

So, if that's what it all boils down to, than why bother calling this stuff "gaming" equipment?

Its marketing. They've identified a target demographic with:
a) interest in the product
b) disposable income

Your average enterprise manager isn't interested in equiping his team with higher quality peripherals, and is even less interested in shelling out for them. To a phb, they only reason you got an optical mouse was that they were the same price as wheel.

Why can't you get the same features and comfort on something that doesn't have that doesn't make you look like a status-whore to own?

You can actually. Razer for example has a 'pro' series of its mice that are white. And the product name is 'Click v1.6' or something instead of 'Death Adder in Biohazard Green', specifically to be more palatable to getting your PO approved at the 'office'.

Logitech and Microsoft also make decent quality mice that aren't overly garish.

But at the end of the day the big market for this stuff are teens. And they buy it as much for the status as the performance. And there is plenty of 'gaming hardware' that is ALL flash and no substance. The same 'Razer' that makes extremely good quality mice also has a 'cord manager' (to keep your mouse cord from getting out of control, pulling, tangling, etc. That little dohickey is little more than steel bolt and screw that that they charge $20 bucks for. You could improvise somethign equivalent from the hardware store for maybe $2.

Other products, like gamers computer cases are often poorly designed cheap plastic monstrosities -- while others are genuinely high end product.

Mousing around for eight hours a day is a significant part of many jobs the average /.er will take. You should have something better than a dollar-store wrist-rapist for that.

You should. Do you? If not, why not?