Do You Use a Headset?

[Moonface]

I dunno why but @Dragon Lord's post in the Controllers, Keyboards, Mice, etc. thread made me think about headsets, so here we are.

So yeah, have you or do you use a headset when gaming? If so, what ones have you owned and do you always use it, or does it depend on the game?


My current headset is a Razer Kraken Tournament Edition which comes with THX 7.1 surround sound (although I don't think I've been using that sound option for a while now because it tends to not always transmit sound and I've never cared enough to look into permanently fixing that problem) which Shira got one for each of us ages ago because I guess it was on sale or something? I don't really use it very much since I don't play a huge amount of games on my laptop and of the ones I do play I only want to use my headset for games that either require it (Phasmophobia) or have a heavy reliance on sound (Dead by Daylight). For console gaming I've never used a headset and probably never will, especially since I currently have a 5.1 surround sound system installed in my living room ceiling but even if I only had TV audio I wouldn't use a headset.

I don't even really know what headsets are out there or how crazy they can get (like some of the keyboards I've seen brought up in the thread at the start of this post) since I never really care to go looking at them or anything due to how rare and situational my current headset gets used.

[Dragon Lord]

I only use a headset when I'm playing games with friends. Otherwise I just use normal headphones for everything else.

My headset is just some cheapy pair I got on sale off of Amazon for like $20. I don't even remember what the brand was. I've thought about investing into a better headset, but I'm torn if I want to do that or just go all-in on a nice desk mic set-up. I'd like to have much better sound quality when I'm gaming with friends so they don't have to deal with any issues like distortion or unwanted noise.

[Moonface]

I'm torn if I want to do that or just go all-in on a nice desk mic set-up. I'd like to have much better sound quality when I'm gaming with friends so they don't have to deal with any issues like distortion or unwanted noise.

A streamer I watch just has regular headphones and then a mic, but also given they're a streamer I expect they have sound proofing on their room to remove unwanted noise. Although even when cats or their wife come in the room it's rare any noise from them are heard even when you know their wife is talking to him, so maybe a mic that just doesn't grab a ton of noise outside of its absolute immediate vicinity could work. I guess it just depends on whether a mic like that would work out significantly more expensive than just having a headset.

[Dragon Lord]

Yeah, a nice mic setup is going to be much more expensive, but would be very much worth it, especially since I'd like to eventually give my hand at streaming. Don't want to be one of those potato streamers who sounds like they are talking through a fan.

If I'm going to be a potato streamer, it'll be because I play like a potato, not sound like one.

[Moonface]

Yeah, a nice mic setup is going to be much more expensive, but would be very much worth it, especially since I'd like to eventually give my hand at streaming. Don't want to be one of those potato streamers who sounds like they are talking through a fan.

If I'm going to be a potato streamer, it'll be because I play like a potato, not sound like one.

Would you use a webcam for streaming or would you go with one of those virtual avatar things instead?

[Dragon Lord]

Neither. I'm not interested in having me plastered on my stream, because my stream would be able the games I'm playing and nothing more. And vTubers are only cute when it's females doing it. Male vTubers are gross.

[Moonface]

Fair enough.

Also I know the thread title says headsets but since headphones can kinda fall into it in a sense, what headphones do you use @Dragon Lord?

[Frank]

I don't actually. I was gifted a pretty decent (albeit old at this point) Turtle Beach headset. I used it once and never again. I also don't do much online gaming, and when I do I just use my PC headset for Discord.

If I wanted to play the game with headphones on, I'd probably opt for a higher-end headset or pair of monitors, instead of something marketed for gamers. Audio Technica and JBL are great options!

[Dragon Lord]

My current headphones are the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. I had gotten them on sale last year for $135 (normal price $169.99). I used a previous version of these headphones prior, but they had broken. I went through some other brands/cheaper sets prior to getting the ATH-M50Xs, but every set I tried was just crap, so I eventually just said fuck it, I'm going back and getting another pair of Audio-Technicas, because I had loved the pair I had before.

I was just going to get that same pair again, but then I saw that they had pretty much every version of these on sale at the time, and after looking around, I decided that I was willing to spend a little higher to get a more updated version of them, and I haven't regretted it. They are just as great as the pair I had before. They might not be top-tier studio quality blah blah blah, but I'm not an audiophile so these sounds wonderful to my ears.

[Mr EliteL]

Mine is a Hyper X Cloud II Gaming Headset, got it on offer on Amazon. Only use it for playing Phasmophobia at the moment, had no interest in headsets before then and still don't really. Although, it's nice to finally try playing a game that requires some voice interaction with other players and the game itself.

Any other times I may use standard headphones to play a game with when I feel like it.

[Moonface]

If I wanted to play the game with headphones on, I'd probably opt for a higher-end headset or pair of monitors, instead of something marketed for gamers. Audio Technica and JBL are great options!

I feel this is the way to go for most things that are not exclusively produced for gaming, like desk chairs for example. I've rarely if ever seen a gaming chair that is actually any good or worth the price compared to just getting a decent office chair instead. I don't even really get why a desk chair needs to be tailored for gaming in the first place; you're sitting at a desk for multiple hours at a time and whether you're playing a game or writing emails doesn't change any of that.

[Dragon Lord]

I dunno, so far my Secret Labs Titan EVO 2022 edition has been more than worth the money I paid for it. After the initial break in period, it's been super comfortable and I've noticed a significant improvement in how my back feels after long periods of sitting, and I also no longer have any pain in my rear after sitting for long periods of time either.

The reason I like it as a "gaming chair" over an office chair is the tall back, which allows me to fully lean back on it when I want to relax, where as most office chairs don't allow me to do that due to the backs being too short. Also the quality of the Titan EVO 2022 is really good, and I haven't felt like I had to worry about anything breaking due to having too much pressure put on it.

I think it just goes on a person-by-person basis. Some people will find that an office chair will fit their needs best, while others may find that having a "gaming chair" will bring different perks with it that benefit them more.

Albeit this is a discussion for a different topic, I just thought I'd throw my two cents in here after having used a gaming chair for the last few month.

[Mr EliteL]

My headset is just about fine really, I would've went for possibly a better setup if I had a proper computer or whatever but it'll do for laptop and if I ever choose to use it for anything else but doubtful.

Also,
*cries in no space for an office/gaming chair*

[Frank]

My current headphones are the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. I had gotten them on sale last year for $135 (normal price $169.99). I used a previous version of these headphones prior, but they had broken. I went through some other brands/cheaper sets prior to getting the ATH-M50Xs, but every set I tried was just crap, so I eventually just said fuck it, I'm going back and getting another pair of Audio-Technicas, because I had loved the pair I had before.

I was just going to get that same pair again, but then I saw that they had pretty much every version of these on sale at the time, and after looking around, I decided that I was willing to spend a little higher to get a more updated version of them, and I haven't regretted it. They are just as great as the pair I had before. They might not be top-tier studio quality blah blah blah, but I'm not an audiophile so these sounds wonderful to my ears.

I have an old pair of Audio-Technica Pro-5000s monitors that I love, but the leather is chipping away. I also have a pair of ATH-M20X that came bundled with my microphone.