most overrated PC gaming accessories?

[Braznor]

I recall a mouse pad retailing for fifty dollars or more! Heck, that's insane!

 

[ZzZGuy]

Not all mouse pads are equal. I suspect the most expensive ones have a lot of quality art on them.

For me it's the joy stick. Game pads are easer to use I find.

 

[Canai]

Overrated or over priced? Some mousepads are worth a bit. I don't have one, but I know a couple people with Icemats who love them. I just use a cheap $20 one with built in wrist support I bought at a B&M store.

Overrated would be gaming headsets. Good headphones and a desktop mic > any headset

Overpriced would be video cards.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Physics Cards.

Ergonomic keyboards - I find them less comfortable

Expensive mice - my standard Microsoft optical has worked fine for me in shooters.

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante
Expensive mice - my standard Microsoft optical has worked fine for me in shooters.

I disagree, I find those expensive mice to be more comfortable on my hand/wrists than a standard mouse and I happen to own one of those $40-$50 mice(logitech g5).

I do find those expensive mouse pads a useless accessory though, I bought on just to see if it made any difference a few years ago; used it once then put it back in the box and stuffed it away somewhere. It was a glass mousepad, Icemat. It made a really annoying nice when you would move your mouse over it.

I tend to find things like "gaming speakers" or "gaming headsets" overrated though, any quality headset or speakers will fair just fine.

 

[KeithTalent]

The Killer NIC

KT

 

[AstroManLuca]

Just for fun, one time, I went to Alienware and saw them selling a gaming network card for like $150. Claimed to reduce lag. At $280, it had better do a whole lot more than that.

But hell, slap a dude with a gun on the ad and call it the "Killer K1" and I'm sure the Alienware crowd will eat that shit up.

Ugh, just LOOK at this ad for the thing...

http://image.alienware.com/ima...st/killer_smoother.jpg

EDIT: Looks like a lot of people agree with me.

EDIT 2: Looks like I also underestimated how much it would cost. I thought it was $150.

 

[Maleficus]

KT wins, Killer NIC is so hilarious.

as for the mouse pad comments... my fUnc1030 = <3

 

[Anubis]

all razer products
anything with fatalitys name on it

 

[Schadenfroh]

Killer NIC, distantly followed by the hardware physics card, followed by sound cards with ram on them.

 

[KeithTalent]

Some fun threads on the Killer NIC (only $280!!) in case anyone wants a laugh:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ab=arc&highlight_key=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ab=arc&highlight_key=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ab=arc&highlight_key=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ab=arc&highlight_key=y

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...ab=arc&highlight_key=y

It was a very talked-about product for a while there.

KT

 

[DannyLove]

You dont need a mouse pad when you use trackball.

Trackball for life!

 

[40sTheme]

Originally posted by: Anubis
all razer products
anything with fatalitys name on it

You sir have never used a Diamondback w/an eXactMat. It's the best mouse+pad combo I've used yet.

 

[skulkingghost]

Originally posted by: 40sTheme

Originally posted by: Anubis
all razer products
anything with fatalitys name on it

You sir have never used a Diamondback w/an eXactMat. It's the best mouse+pad combo I've used yet.

I have the Exact Mat flipped over to the speed side with my g7 on it. Its so smooth.

 

[Lithan]

Originally posted by: DannyLove
You dont need a mouse pad when you use trackball.

Trackball for life!

I was unbeatable at CS back in the day when I used my $60 logitech trackball. A buddy of mine who's about on par with me as a fps'er would usually be @ 1/2 or less my performance. Eventually my friends demanded I go back to a mouse because they considered the trackball to be cheating... so I'm gonna say Any gaming mouse. Trackballs are a million times better, largely because you never run out of mousing surface.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Trackball for life!

Shame madcatz discontinued the Panther XL, best gaming controller ever (Trackball + Joystick in one unit). It had quality issues and the bearings in the trackball would get rusty and the joystick would break often ,but otherwise great controller.

 

[shortylickens]

Overrated?
Nothing. No gaming accessory is overrated. They get the right amount of accolades for what they do.

As for overpriced or not as useful as some individual fanboys claim:
Joysticks - more often than not an analog gamepad is as good or better. Same with steering wheels, pedals, and throttles.
Headsets - Very few people use them effectively in any game type. They are especially annoying in Shooters.
Physx cards - right now they arent needed. Perhaps in the future.
Super gaming mouse pads and mice and keyboards - I can appreciate the quality of a good gaming mouse, but its not really a requirement. Good mice dont need mouse pads at all. Super-duper keyboards provide no real gaming advantage and often feel uncomfortable.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Anubis
all razer products
anything with fatalitys name on it

being somebody who's owned dozens of keyboards, I wouldn't trade my Razer Tarantula for anything. Love it so much I bought a 2nd on clearance to use as a backup if my main ever fails. For music my razer sound card OWNS, razer also make one of the top 2.1 PC speakers sets you can buy.

One can argue Razer stuff is overpriced, but what they make is pretty much the cream of the crop. I can't think of an accessory company I like more than Razer.

 

[duragezic]

Most "gaming" products, where it's the pretty much same piece of hardware packaged with some junk but has gaming/fatal1ty/etc in it's name.

 

[Tim]

Windows XP

 

[Lithan]

Windows Xp lets ya run COH... so it isn't overrated... Once someone gets COH running on 2000 pro, then you can call XP overrated.

 

[Zenoth]

I always thought that any such accessories on PC for gaming were always underrated, and not overrated. I know at least that I myself have never highly regarded/considered any PC gaming accessories, I always underrate them thinking at first glance that they are either 1) useless or 2) over-priced.

The one accessory that I like and which I was very reluctant getting was my USB XBOX Controller Converter to play some fighting games on PC. I don't use it much today but I used it a lot back then. I like it. And I'm sure it'd be the same if I liked flight simulation games and got myself a nice joytick to play them.

 

[nerp]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
The Killer NIC

KT

This, by far, takes the cake.

 

[Pia]

Physics cards, "gaming" network cards. No matter how low you rate an infinitely useless product, it's not low enough, so they are overrated by default - you can't beat that.

I think "gaming" mice are, as a rule, worth it. I recommend low-end gaming mice for nongamers, actually. They are normal mice, but better - more accurate, better ergonomics. For the average user, keyboard, mouse and screen are much more important than a few megahertz or gigabits here and there.

I don't understand the little "pad" gaming keyboards. Are they actually good for something? (Never even seen one in person.)

Also, anyone know how the Tarantula, G15 and such compare to premium keyboards from Unicomp, Matias, PFU etc. that are *not* marketed for gamers?

To the OP. Even a lowly mouse pad is part of interior decoration. Many people will buy a $1000 desk that is functionally equivalent to a $20 desk, just because it looks good. In comparison, a beautiful $50 mousepad vs an ugly $20 one is a steal. It probably has a functional benefit to boot.

 

[hooflung]

I bought a killer nic for linux programming and to reduce my DSL pings. On my intel hardware nics my DSL line only affords me 70-100ping because I live in Gainesiville and my next point in the tracert is MIAMI. Then it goes to Atlanta. WTF. So, not only can I develop my own linux apps and run them in windows but I can also see a 10ping average reduction in games that use UDP. On servers in Florida I went from getting 40s to 30s, outside of that I usually now get 60s or high 50s especially to Texas and VA.

I didn't pay 280 bucks though. I got it on sale from the egg.

I also use Razor Tarantula keyboard and love it much more than my old school G15.

I'd say the PhysX card is the most ridiculous gaming accessory made.