How to play as an e-sport pro
With the right gaming accessories, you’ll notice a difference
Text:
Carl Lindholm and Daniel Haaf
Are you after new gaming accessories for your computer? We have researched which products 60 of the world's best e-sports professionals use, to help you make the right choice.
Below you can see what equipment some of the world's best e-sports professionals use for the games Counter Strike Global Offensive and Valorant. The list comes from the site Liquidpedia and the prices from PriceSpy.
The prices for gaming accessories can quickly mount up, and you may think that some of the e-pros' choices are a bit too expensive. But don’t worry, it’s perfectly possible to choose cheaper alternatives as well.
According to the e-sports professional Fredrik "REZ" Sterner, who plays for Ninjas in Pajamas on a daily basis:
“Having good products is important as e-sports professionals, but spending large sums is absolutely not necessary if you are at the beginning of your career or if gaming is just a hobby. For those who need to buy new equipment, I would focus on the product specifications and how they feel, rather than just looking at the price.”
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Bear this in mind when choosing gaming accessories
- Gaming accessories don’t have to be expensive to be good. You can get as much joy from a gaming mouse that costs 40 pounds as one for 120 pounds. Read reviews and ratings before you buy!
- If you buy your accessories from the same manufacturer, you don’t need as many setup programs on your computer. Logitech, Razer and Steelseries all have software that works for many of their accessories.
- Don’t forget the details. A keyboard with USB ports makes it easier to connect extra accessories, while a mouse with a detachable lead is easier to change. Small things that can make a big difference.
Gaming mouse
Our survey shows that the average price for a gaming mouse used by e-sports professionals is 66 pounds. In general, most gamers use wired models, but within Valorant, every other person actually plays with a wireless model.
The most popular wireless mouse is the Logitech G Pro Wireless, while the two most popular wired models are the Zowie by BenQ EC2 and the Logitech G Pro. One tip is to choose a gaming mouse with a detachable lead. You can then choose what suits you the best for that particular occasion.
Most popular mouse models among the pros:
Mouse pad
An e-sport pro’s mouse pad costs on average 18 pounds. Some examples of models commonly used by pros are the Logitech G640, Zowie by BenQ G-SR and SteelSeries QcK+. The size of the mouse mat differs according to the gamer’s preferences.
One tip is to choose a mouse pad that is extra-large and can be used under the keyboard as well. This helps cushion the wrists against the edge of your desk and ensures the mouse doesn’t end up going off the mouse mat.
Most popular mouse pads among the pros:
Gaming keyboard
If you’re buying a keyboard for e-sport you should get a mechanical model, all e-sport pros in our survey use one. If you want to play like the pros you’re looking at a keyboard that costs roughly 80 to 130 pounds (on average the pros keyboards cost 99 pounds).
All pros have a wired keyboard. Wireless keyboard batteries need to be charged more often than batteries for the gaming mouse. In addition, the risk of delays increases at critical moments when using a wireless keyboard. If you’re buying a gaming keyboard, we recommend that you choose a wired one for best performance.
Most popular keyboards among the pros:
Gaming headsets
Communicating with team members is incredibly important in e-sports. And to do that, you need a good headset. Having a headset as good as the pros costs on average 89 pounds. The most popular model is the HyperX Cloud II. Important things to bear in mind when choosing a gaming headset is comfort, the quality of the microphone and whether you want surround sound.
Most popular headsets among professionals:
Tips for choosing headphones for gaming
- You don’t need to buy headphones with a built-in microphone. If you want really good sound quality, we recommend more hi-fi-oriented headphones and an external microphone as a complement. For example, the Fortnite profile Richard Tyler Blevins, also better known as Ninja, uses the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro music headphones.
- Many gaming headphones are marketed with support for virtual surround sound. With the power on, it’s easier to hear where different sounds are coming from, such as steps and rifle sounds. How you experience the surround sound can differ greatly between different manufacturers and headphones, so feel free to try several different models before you choose.
Gaming monitor
Apart from the computer itself, the monitor is the most expensive purchase, at least if you want to play like the pros. 58 out of 60 e-sports professionals have a monitor with a 244 Hz refresh rate, while two have 144 Hz. The most popular model by far is the ZOWIE by BenQ XL2546. All the most popular gaming monitors have a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Bear in mind that a powerful computer is required to push the number of frames per second to 244 Hz if you are running newer and more graphically demanding games. Another important thing worth noting if you are going to use the monitor other than for gaming, is that 1080p resolution doesn’t give as pleasant an image as 1440p or 2160p.
Most popular monitors among professionals:
About the survey
PriceSpy has collected information on what equipment 60 of the world's best e-sports professionals use, 50 from Counter Strike Global Offensive and 10 from Valorant. Examples of teams that the players represent are Astralis, Team Liquid, Fnatic, Dignitas, FaZe Clan, GODSENT, Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team SoloMid and Immortals. Information about the players' equipment was collected via Liquidpedia on 5 August 2020, and prices from PriceSpy on 30 August 2020.
This article is written by PriceSpy's editorial staff. No one else has influenced the content of it. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations. Carl Lindholm can be reached on [email protected] and Daniel Haaf can be reached on [email protected].