The Best Hardware Set-Up!

It seems the adage "It's not the arrow, but the indian" holds true more often than not. There are a few examples of where that doesn't really work and this is one of them. Many will argue with me over does this really matter, that is until they try a new set-up themselves. I did the same. I didn't think I needed all this stuff either, but once I tried it I'll never go back.

So what I am going to do here is tell you exactly how to get a dominating hardware set-up, so your dominating skill can be truly dominate! In each category of item I'll give a couple options and a couple price points. I'll tell you why you need what and how much/little you need to spend on it.

The Basics

Of course, as anyone knows (and probably already have) you will need an xbox 360 and a copy of the game. Need the game? Get that here. This is your starting point. For the beginner's sake I'll break down the different type of 360's available. There are only three and there really isn't any drastic differences between the three.

The Arcade version of the 360 is the cheapest and therefore probably your worst option to go with if you need a box. It comes with everything you need, except a hard drive. A hard bargain to drive for a serious gamer, the hard drive is important. So unless you are likely to only play arcade games spend a little more on something with a hard drive.

$199 Buy

The Pro version is the 360 I would recommend. This is the white version of the box and includes everything you need to start playing. Upgrading from the Arcade unit is the 60GB hard drive, which with all the new things you can do on Xbox Live (XBL) will come in handy.

$299 Buy

The Elite version is the most expensive of all the models currently available. It does also give you the most stuff. Do you need all this stuff? No, not really. Upgrades from the Pro are a 120 GB hard drive, and HDMI cable, and a sexy black finish. Are any of these necessary. Not in the slightest if you take my advice. Unless of course you want the black finish. It is pretty cool.

$399 Buy

That pretty much wraps up the basics. I assuming that anyone reading this already has these things and plays them on a television. Moving on!

Controllers

Think that the new red wireless controllers are the best thing ever. They aren't. If you are serious about playing you won't be picking up one of those. If you want to compete with the pros there is only one controller necessary to buy. The wired controller. Yep, I know wires are lame. Unfortunately, though, when you take the wires away you add latency to your set-up. This slows down your game play and gives someone with a wired controller an advantage. Two benefits to wired controllers? They're cheap and they are the only controllers allowed by Major League Gaming (MLG).

$29 Buy

Television

When you look at tvs, you want to look primarily at the refresh rates. This is what will give you the most responsive picture and the most advantage. Also, as many know you want to check out size. Funny thing is though, bigger is not better. What you want is something between a 19" and 22" tv. Anything bigger slows down the picture, so keep the 60" for the home theater it doesn't make the cut for gaming.

The other thing you want to look for is the input the tv uses. Your best bet for gaming would be a VGA. Yes, I know HDMI is all the rage. But VGA is better, and it allows you to split your audio to another source, which I'll touch on in a minute. My recommendations are

1. ViewSonic NX2232w- This is the official MLG tv. It's 22", which is as big as you need, and has a quick response time at 5ms. This is all you will ever need. We'll at least until MLG updates their set-ups, or until something new comes out. I don't suspect that will happen anytime soon though.

$250 Buy

2. AOC Envision 22"- Another 22" tv with a 5ms response rate, pretty much the same as the ViewSonic. Either or really.

$230 Buy

3. Samsung 2232BW- If you would like to go the monitor route, which I recommend. (I mean who really is going to want a 22" tv for anything other than gaming? Why waste the money.) I would go with this Samsung. A 22" display like the tv but has an insane 2ms response time. Not to mention this will multi task for use as your computer monitor if you're into PC games, or just have a PC.

$230 Buy

4. ViewSonic VX2233wm- Another monitor, rather than a tv. Again, 22". Again, 5ms response. More of the same. Just pick one and go with it!

$170 Buy

Remember you will need to pick up the VGA cable to go with your Xbox. It's cheap. Stop complaining. Get that here.

I must also mention that MLG does play with another tv. It is a Envision L20W421, I'm not recommending this one because it doesn't quite match up with the others I have recommended, a little slower, a little smaller, and costs just as much. But I wanted you guys to know that MLG does use another tv.

Another must mention, is that if you don't feel like spending money on a brand new flat screen you don't really have to. Just use that old 20" tube tv, CRT as their known, and it will work just as fast. Just make sure that if you do go with a flat or non-CRT tv make sure you check the response time.

Headset

Ah the headset, possibly the most overlooked aspect. Ever wonder how you can figure out if some is creepy-crawling behind you. I did. The answer is? You put headphones on. With headphones you get better sound and a better sense of direction of where things are and are coming from. This is an immediate advantage.

When it comes to headphones, you really do get what you pay for and unfortunately this can get a little expensive. Remember, though, there are alternatives and the things I am going to recommend are only the things on my radar, there may be other products that will function just as well.

Anyway to my recommendations. For the best possible sound you are going to want something that will fit over your ear and will block some of the background noises. For myself, I like to immerse myself into the game and I really hate to hear my dog barking in the background (which if you play with me, you might hear barking in the background). If you are playing on XBL you might want to also consider buying a wireless headset, as the one that comes with your Xbox becomes pretty much useless when putting headphones over top. If you think you want that, you can pick that up here, but wait until you finish reading the post.

This is why. Many companies, with the increase in MLG popularity, have started to make premium headsets. These are what you really want, and what I will recommend. Any way enough babbling.

1. Astro A40 Audio System- This is what I will be buying soon and is about the best set up you can buy. Made by gamers, for gamers and the official headset of MLG. Sweet speakers, crispy microphone, and everything you need to set it up and play. One cool feature, you can wire them together and cut out the middle man so no more scratchy feedback on your voice. $250 Buy

2. Tritton AXPro w/ True 5.1 - Another sweet headset. Good sounds, good voice, and everything you need to make it work. A good second if you don't want to spend the money on a A40.

$160 Buy

3. Sennheiser HD-555- This is just a straight pair of headphones, but they provide some of the best sound around. You can do just about anything with these, like the others I have recommended minus the speaking priviledges. Remember, if getting these you will want to upgrade to the wireless mic, here. With these you will also need a headphone output on your tv or a mix of some sort. Don't forget that?

$109 Buy

That's going to pretty much wrap it up with what you will need to dominate. With a set-up like this you will no longer be able to blame it on anything but yourself. Well I guess your internet connection can bail you out sometimes!

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