Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes: How to Improve Your Gaming

Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode is brought to you by Samsung Galaxy. Ever captured a great night video only for it to be ruined by that one noisy talker? With Audio Erase on the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can reduce or remove unwanted noise and relive your favorite moments without the distractions. And that's not all. New Galaxy AI features like NowBrief will give you personalized insights based on your day schedule so that you're prepared no matter what. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra now at Samsung.com. Hey guys, welcome to this Quick Take episode. We're so excited to have you here with us. In the past, these Quick Take

Starting point is 00:00:35 episodes actually were only available to those who financially supported the show through Apple subscriptions and Patreon. But due to popular demand, we have decided to shake up the perks for our supporters and we'll be releasing these Quick Takes on Saturdays to everyone, giving you all some extra free content that was previously unavailable to the public. And these Quick Takes are a little more laid back and they're hosted by just one of us. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this Quick Take episode. Shazam! Boom! Hey everybody, it's Josh and I am back with another Gaming Quick Takes bonus episode, just our way of saying thank you for supporting the show and subscribing

Starting point is 00:01:25 on Apple Podcasts. Today, I am mixing it up. I am not going to give you guys a game recommendation today. What I'm going to do is I'm actually going to talk to you about a few things that can enhance your gaming experience. I started thinking about what are some of the things that I just don't think I could live without at this point. And sometimes they're not as obvious as you'd think. So I figured I'd share those with you all today. Okay, so you've heard me mention them before, but a gaming keypad is absolutely life changing. It's a small one handed keyboard that fits under your left hand. They come in various sizes, but the one I use has 15 keys on it, plus a directional pad that recognizes eight different directions.

Starting point is 00:02:05 It's got a space bar and a little button that I use just for push to talk. But that's 25 keybinds that are available without even stretching your fingers. It's amazing what this can do for your equipment or enjoyment and skills in games. Plus, if you're like me and you play a lot of different games, it helps because you can customize controls and rebind them to whatever you want them to be. For instance, no matter what game I play, forward on the D-pad is always a grenade. Back is always melee. Down is crouch. My left ring finger is always reload. You get the point. They can be whatever you want them to be, but when you set them in each game, because they're always the same,

Starting point is 00:02:46 I don't have to learn new keybinds on every game that I play. Paul picks on me for never knowing default keys, but having that instant muscle memory built into any game is honestly incredible. I can't recommend one enough. They take a little bit of getting used to, but once you are, you'll never go without one again.

Starting point is 00:03:03 I currently use the Razer Tartarus 2. Razer makes another one that's an orb weaver. Logitech makes a few of them, but definitely look them up. They are a little pricey, about 80 bucks, but honestly, I rarely touch my keyboard in gaming unless I need to chat. I will not ever go without a gaming keypad ever again. You can set up macros for them. Again, any key on the keypad can be anything that you want. They've got great software. I just, I can't live without one. And if you get used to one, I don't think you could live without one either. Okay, moving on. The next best thing you can do for your gaming enjoyment is audio. Okay, stop buying gaming headsets. That is the best advice I can

Starting point is 00:03:48 give you right now. Gaming headsets might look cool, but they are way overpriced for what you're getting. Most are terrible for audio quality and are only popular due to name brand awareness and LED lights. You can't see your ears, so why do glowing lights there matter? For the price of a good headset, you can get a pair of studio headphones, which are light years above what Razer, Logitech, and Still Series make. The one downside is they don't come with a built-in microphone, but don't fret, those are cheap and can be had for about 20 bucks or so. For the price of a decent gaming headset, you're going to end up with audio that is way above what you're used to, sounds crisper, has a bigger soundstage, and is going to truly blow you away. Games are about what you see and

Starting point is 00:04:30 hear, so quit neglecting the hearing part and focus on that aspect. Okay, if you are a PC gamer, get an SSD. That stands for solid state drive, if you don't already have one this is the single biggest most noticeable upgrade you can make to your pc for not a lot of money ssds have significantly faster load times take up way less space in your computer case use less power and if you're booting from one can make your pc boot up in seconds rather than minutes a 500 gigabyte gigabyte SSD right now runs about 50 bucks, but it's the most noticeable significant upgrade you can make. I know everyone wants to talk about processors and RAM and graphics cards and all that stuff, but trust me, that small little $50 cost will give you the biggest wow factor once you've made the switch. Okay. And finally, the best thing you can do to improve your gaming experience is a comfortable

Starting point is 00:05:28 place to sit we're going to talk about chairs for a second gaming chairs might look cool but they suck in regards to comfort i know what you're saying everyone uses them and they look comfy or you love yours and it was comfortable at first. As someone that has gone through about a half dozen different gaming chairs, and don't worry, yes, I tried the good name brand ones, I'm here to help you out. Stop paying tons of money for something that looks like it belongs in a race car. That's not good for long gaming sessions. They may be ugly, but the proper chair is an office chair. Okay. Office chairs are meant for people that sit for long periods of time and are designed solely for comfort. Don't get me wrong. A cheap

Starting point is 00:06:11 office chair is still going to suck, but price wise, a hundred dollar office chair versus a hundred dollar gaming chair is going to save your back. The best option, if you can afford it, is to look for a high end office chair. Now these normally retail for a thousand dollars, but don't worry, you can find lots of them on sale on Craigslist or through used furniture companies that buy them when offices go out of business. I picked up a Steelcase Leap V2, which is normally a thousand dollar office chair for 150 bucks. Yeah, sure, it's ugly. Oh heck yes it is. But does my back feel good even after a four-hour gaming session? Absolutely. I know it sounds goofy, but comfort while you're gaming is something a lot of people overlook, and the gaming chair craze is honestly a sad one, because people are paying a lot of money for something that looks good, but feels terrible.

Starting point is 00:07:05 Okay, I know that all this was a bit all over the place, but I wanted to talk about some of the things that I don't think I could go without, and some of the things I see people spend too much money on for only a little return. If nothing else, keep it in mind and think about what your next upgrade might be, because a lot of times we miss the important stuff that's right in front of us and helps out our enjoyment of gaming. All right, I've got plenty of other suggestions, but again, I got to keep these episodes short. Thank you for supporting the show from Paul and I both. We could not do this without you. You all are amazing. We appreciate what you do for us and we hope you enjoy these

Starting point is 00:07:43 bonus episodes. If you do wind up looking into any of these suggestions, let me know, hop on our discord. I'd love to chat about them with you. Honestly, I love to chat anyway. So just hop on our discord and let's hang out and have fun together. All right, guys, I am out. I'll see you on the next bonus episode. Have a good one.

Video Gamers Podcast - Gaming Quick Takes: How to Improve Your Gaming

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