Top equipment for e-sports: what is really needed - and what isn't?

What is the difference between a "normal" gamer and an e-sportsman? Basically it is the same as with other sports such as football. While gamers usually gamble competitively for fun and out of personal ambition and thus play like amateur soccer players, e-sportsmen represent the professionals among the players - including training plans, sponsors and the corresponding pressure to perform and - in the best case - prize money. Here, too, the biggest differences are the personal demands, talent and strong professional focus - and actually less highly specialized equipment. To stay in comparison: Soccer players also wear shoes with studs or nubs and shin guards, kick a round piece of leather and refresh themselves with water from time to time. So whether the shoe comes from Nike or Adidas does not decide between a Lionel Messi and a player who takes part in a leisurely football field tournament after work.

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So the question arises: What do you actually need to get into e-sports? What hardware and what peripherals are necessary to dare to take the first steps? Surprisingly not that much. And at the same time, basic equipment does not have to be overly expensive. A small note: We are not looking at the high-end professional area here, where tournaments often involve prize money of several thousand euros - these players are equipped by sponsors and partners anyway and often have highly specialized equipment that is explicitly tailored to their person are. Instead, we focus on which upgrades we think make sense if you want to take a first look at esports.

PC Hardware: Esports games are often undemanding

A large part of e-sports takes place on the PC - despite powerful game consoles. Especially when it comes to maximum precision and responsiveness, the mouse and keyboard are still ahead of a gamepad or game controller. It is therefore reasonable to think that outrageously expensive high-end computers are necessary for e-sports. Of course, raw computing power never hurts - not even for an e-sportsman. The more performance the CPU or graphics card brings, the more flexible and finer settings can be adjusted and the less likely technical bottlenecks are. Especially with fast shooters like Counter-Strike or Overwatch, a few more FPS (frames per second) can be game-changing.

At the same time, most e-sports titles such as FIFA, League of Legends or Fortnite are comparatively reserved when it comes to hardware requirements. Also because they are aimed at a wide audience and not just at owners of luxury systems. So if you can't "just" spend several thousand euros - which is not even unrealistic given the current prices of graphics cards - it doesn't matter. A decent mid-range system is sufficient for getting started and actually all relevant titles. A look at our leaderboards of desktop processors, graphics cards or gaming notebooks is a good start when looking for the right system for your own wallet.

Gaming monitor: more than just image quality

It gets more exciting with the hardware, which is built around the actual computer. This is where the wheat is often separated from the chaff. A good gaming monitor is definitely recommended. Compared to "standard devices", player displays have a quick response time and higher refresh rates. Normal TFT monitors refresh the image 60 times per second, i.e. they have a so-called "refresh rate" of 60 Hz. This is easily sufficient for normal PC work, but can be a decisive disadvantage when gaming. No matter how fast the system is, the panel cannot display more than 60 frames per second.

From a physiological point of view, this is of course easily sufficient, since the human eye can only perceive between 14 and 16 frames per second anyway. In practice, however, it has been shown that gaming monitors with 120 Hz or more present a picture that feels more fluid and smooth. But high-quality panels are also more flexible in use - usually better color reproduction, features such as G-Sync (Nvidia) or Free-Sync (AMD) for synchronizing the refresh rate with the FPS of the graphics card and ergonomic options such as a flexible stand can improve gaming - Make life much more pleasant. Many player screens are also not very expensive. A look at our list of the best gaming monitors shows great models at very good prices. Simply sort the list by "Price Estimate" and you'll immediately see what we mean.

Gaming Peripherals: The Last Thing

Gaming peripherals - typically a keyboard, mouse, or other controller - are a separate topic. In short: Good peripherals don't turn anyone into an e-sports talent - but it can support existing talent. The most important device seems to us to be the mouse, because this is where the differences in quality are greatest, even at the basal level. A good mouse for e-sports should have a flexibly adjustable and high sampling rate, be as light as possible and have high-quality glides. But even more important than specs is the shape of the mouse and how well it fits in your hand. And that simply cannot be judged objectively. A visit to an electronics store that exhibits a wide range of gamer mice for grip testing can be worthwhile here. Alternatively, take a look at our recommendations - there is actually something for every taste here.

The situation is somewhat different with the keyboard. The most serious difference is the type of keys. There are classic and mostly cheap rubber dome keyboards that are based on a kind of silicone mat on which the keys are stored. In general, however, mechanical keyboards, in which each individual key has its own mechanism and which are characterized by the well-known "click" noise, are considered superior - and accordingly more expensive. In the end, personal preference decides: How soft or hard should the stroke be? Need macro keys? Full size or 70 percent? As with the mouse, we recommend that you try it out live before you buy it, if possible. Or take a look at our buying guide.

Gaming sound: a headset is a must

The game sound is one of the most important criteria when it comes to equipment. If you hear an opponent earlier, better or more precisely, you can react faster or more precisely when in doubt. Sensing the direction of a shot in Counter-Strike can tell where an enemy player is. The basic requirement for this is a headset - speakers or other loudspeaker systems are usually unsuitable for e-sports (but certainly not for relaxed gaming). A headset also has the advantage that it comes with a microphone for communicating with teammates. This is where e-sports is no different than normal sports - when played in a team, good communication is the key to victory.

As with the mouse and keyboard, personal preference also comes into play with the headset. In general, comfort is key. A gaming headset should still be comfortable to wear for hours, shouldn't cause sweating in the case of on-ear or over-ear models and, of course, shouldn't slip out of the ears as an in-ear version. Precise and clear sound reproduction and a good microphone complete a suitable model. You are sure to find a suitable model in our gaming headset buying guide.

And otherwise? Gadgets to help you win

If the computer and peripherals are available, minor (but not necessarily cheap!) fine adjustments can be helpful. Above all, we recommend a comfortable seat - such as a model from our buying guide for gaming chairs. If you don't have back or arm joint pain, you not only play more concentrated, but also more precisely overall. A high-quality and height-adjustable desk can also be recommended here. This ensures that your back is always straight and you can get up briefly during breaks in the game without having to leave the action.

In addition, as mentioned at the beginning, there are countless other product groups that now have "e-sports offshoots" - including food or dietary supplements, drinks and even special clothing that are said to be particularly good for e-athletes. Granted, we haven't tried or tested any of this - so we can only subjectively say that we consider these additions optional at best. In addition, we are sure that there are comparable products in this area that simply do not have "e-sports" in the product name, but are at least as good. A balanced diet is not only relevant for screen athletes, but ultimately for everyone.

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