January 4, 2023PC and Console Gaming Setup Essentials (Ultimate Guide: 2023)

 

Photo Credits to Makayla from Pinterest

Your gaming setup will serve as your gaming sanctuary. This is due to the fact that both PC and console gamers spend a large amount of time playing in their own gaming rooms. That being considered, creating the best gaming setup for you is important.

As we’ve said, your gaming room and setup are your gaming haven. It’s what makes or breaks your gaming experience. You might think that making console gaming setups is an unnecessary expense—which is true if you don’t have the budget—but take note that your gaming setup is what sets the mood.

Building your gaming room setup may be a difficult task at first. With numerous ways, gaming accessories, styles, and aesthetics, there’s no doubt that you might get confused with everything, especially if you don’t know where to start. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered.

We’ll walk you through all the things you may (or may not) want in your gaming room and on your gaming setup. But, regardless of the aesthetic and style you want to decorate your gaming room in, you have to get the right products first.

Now, let’s get into it!

What Makes the Best Console Gaming Setup?

Regardless of the aesthetics, what makes the best console gaming setup will entirely depend on personal preference. Everyone is different, with different needs and wants. Some gamers believe that a simple game room is the best setup, while others believe that an extravagant game room is the best gaming room.

So, when you’re first starting out, ignore what others say and focus on what you want for your setup because, at the end of the day, you’ll be the one spending hours upon hours inside your game room.

Things You Need for Your Console Gaming Setup

Here, we’ll go over the majority of the things you might want to buy for your gaming setup. Remember that what you buy for your setup is entirely up to you, whether or not you want to buy it. Everything that is listed below is just to give you gaming room ideas. So, with that said, let’s get started!

Gaming Monitor or TV

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Photo Credits to Digital Trends

The very first thing you’ll need is a gaming monitor or a TV for gaming.

Unlike console gaming, where you can plug the console into your home TV, PC gaming requires more specialized hardware, making it pricier. But that was before the PlayStation and Xbox series were created.

Now, the latest consoles are able to match PC hardware that provides you with high resolution, faster response times, and frame rates. Not to mention that, because of the current technological advancements, TVs are now able to meet the needs of PC gaming.

Before, PC gamers were more likely to opt for a gaming monitor, while console gamers would more likely use a TV. But with these advancements in technology, you can now use your TV for PC gaming, your gaming monitors for console gaming, and vice versa.

You can opt to use both if you want to play on both gaming PC and gaming consoles. But, not everyone is able to have both. So, all you have to do now is to choose one that matches your needs and budget.

Keyboard and Mouse or Controller

Most PC gamers would typically choose a keyboard and mouse combo when gaming, whereas console gamers would typically choose a controller. But with the current advancements in technology, you can now use a keyboard-mouse and controller for both PC and console gaming.

There are a variety of Bluetooth controllers for you to connect to your PC, and the same goes with a keyboard and mouse for your console.

Most consoles also have USB ports, so you can use a variety of wired or wireless gaming keyboards and gaming mice.

If you want to check out PS4 games that support keyboard and mouse, check out our article here.

Gaming Headset or Speakers

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Photo Credits to Amazon: HyperX Cloud Alpha

Both wired and wireless gaming headsets have been around for a while, delivering a variety of features and benefits to both PC and console gamers.

They improve your gaming experience tenfold. You can also experience even more great features, like true surround sound and noise cancellation or isolation, depending on which gaming headset you buy. Not to mention gaming headsets’ amazing sound quality, which will provide you with crisp and vivid sounds, designed to make you feel as if you’re truly inside the game!

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Photo Credits to Sound Gallery

However, gaming headsets are not for everyone. If that is the case for you, then you can get high-quality speakers to enjoy your games’ sound effects and music. Speakers, while not providing the same immersive sound experience as a gaming headset, are still a better alternative than your PC’s built-in speakers or your standard TV speakers.

Console Gaming Chair

Gaming chairs offer a different experience than when you use your couch or floor to play games on your console. Since gaming sessions can take long hours of sitting or lying down, you might experience a lot of discomfort. This could be the start of long-term conditions like back pain, spinal dysfunction, joint deterioration, rounded shoulders, or even developing a potbelly.

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Photo Credits to Amazon: X Rocker Surge Wireless Bluetooth Gaming Chair

Many gaming chairs are ergonomically designed to alleviate discomfort. Using a gaming chair will provide you with numerous advantages, such as maintaining good posture and minimizing backaches or neck pain, which will improve your gaming experience. They’re also built to withstand a wide range of body weight.

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Photo Credits to Amazon: GTRACING Gaming Chair

There are both PC gaming chairs and console gaming chairs. However, if you play more PC games than console games, we highly recommend a PC gaming chair because they are more versatile. Console chairs, on the other hand, are comfier in our opinion.

There are a lot of gaming chairs available on the market that range from budget-friendly to expensive. There are also different types and added features. Some gaming chairs have speakers, some are cute, and some are affordable. There are a multitude of chairs to choose from. So, find the best gaming chair that will enhance your experience while you’re playing your favorite games.

Gaming Desk

Any gaming desk is a definite must-have for all serious gamers. A gaming desk with ergonomic features is especially great if you combine it with an ergonomic gaming chair. This is important for all PC gamers.

An ergonomic gaming desk not only creates a relaxed and uncluttered gaming surface but also helps to increase your comfort level and reduce discomfort during long gaming sessions. These desks provide all of the space required for multiple screens or monitors. This also allows gamers to rapidly move from one keyboard to another.

For console gamers, it’s also important to give your console enough space to breathe. You can place your console near your TV if it’s connected there. It’s more important for console gamers to invest in a gaming chair, but nevertheless, you also have to give your console a gaming station.

Gaming Console Shelf

A gaming console shelf is not really necessary unless you have multiple consoles and games to display. However, if you do and you don’t just want them stuck in a storage box, then displaying them can be a great idea to showcase all your games and consoles.

But, displaying your consoles and games means that you have to clean and dust them frequently since dust can accumulate on them, causing damage.

Gaming Console Storage

If you have multiple consoles, it’s important to have console storage to place all of your consoles when not in use.

It’s important to store your consoles in a secure place, especially if you’re not going to use them every day. This is because dust and other particles might cause damage to your console. If you want to keep game consoles in long-term storage, make sure you properly place them in a dustbin cover. Then put it in a snap-lid storage container.

In the event that your console has accumulated dust, you must immediately clean it, especially its internal components, since it can damage the fans.

If you want to learn how to properly clean your PS5, check out our article here.

Console Gaming Room

If you want to have separate rooms for entertainment and sleeping, then having a gaming room is a must. Game rooms are quite useful since they provide much-needed entertainment space. A gaming room is a great area for providing healthy enjoyment for everybody you love. But, it can also be your safe haven to play all your games in peace.

If you have an extra room in your house, you can begin clearing it out in order to gradually develop your game room. However, if you’re building it from scratch, it may cost about $3,000 or more.

One tip when you’re building your gaming room is that it should be in a cool location to prevent your gaming console or PC from overheating.

Other Accessories

Cable Rack/Organizer

Most consoles require multiple cords for your gaming station, including cables for your monitor, laptop, console, speakers, and anything else you use to play. Those cords can get really messy and could easily get damaged if not organized properly. Plus, it degrades the look of your gaming room and setup.

So, you should buy cable organizers, racks, or trays to help you organize your cords and cables. Not doing so can make you more likely to trip or fall on your cables, as well as lose, tangle, or confuse them.

RGB Lights or LED Strip Lights

One of the best ways to spice up your gaming setup is to place RGB lights or LED strip lights.

Without futuristic, customizable lighting, no gaming setup is complete. Put LED strip lighting along your ceiling, under the rim of your desk, and along the TV or monitor to combat the darkness generated by your curtains or the night sky.

These lights will allow you to alter the overall ambiance of your room. Getting these lights for your gaming room may help you have a more immersive experience no matter what game you’re playing.

There are also lights that can be programmed to light up at the sound of your game, which adds a lot of flair to your setup.

Factors to Consider When Building Your Gaming Setup

When starting to build your overall gaming setup, there are factors you must consider. These factors include how big your budget is, the aesthetic you’re going for, whether you’re building it from scratch, and so on.

Here, we will be discussing some of the most important factors you should be considering before you start to slowly build up your gaming setup. Let’s get started!

Budget

Regardless of how much we enjoy playing games, there is one inescapable reality: gaming consoles, gaming laptops, and gaming PCs are not cheap. So, the very first factor you have to consider carefully is your budget.

Aside from gaming consoles, laptops, and PCs, you should also consider how much money you will spend on game titles, controllers, keyboards, headsets, and any other gaming peripherals you will need and want to use to play. Several packages include a console along with some games and peripherals, but you will definitely want more things to improve your setup in the future.

If you have a tight budget, then we highly recommend you get a Nintendo Switch. It’s portable, has a wide game range, and can be connected to your TV. But if you’re more of a PC gamer, there are a lot of individuals who prefer building their own desktop PCs. You can also get a prebuilt gaming PC if you’re not confident with your skills, but they’re a bit pricier.

You can also get a PlayStation or Xbox if you have a mid-range budget. But if you have more money to spend, then a gaming laptop is highly recommended.

So, before anything else, have a set budget for your gaming unit and a different set budget for gaming peripherals.

Gaming Space

Another factor to consider is how much space you have in your gaming room to build a nice setup.

A smaller space means that you won’t have enough space for a huge setup. You’ll have to settle for the basics. But with a larger space, you’ll have enough room for multiple consoles, dual monitors, gaming chairs, and heck, even a mini fridge if you’d like.

Build around your space and never buy more than what you can handle, because gaming in such a cramped space isn’t a good experience.

Aesthetic

Do you already have a setup idea in mind? Then purchase gaming peripherals that will complement your ideas.

Before gaming setups were even popular, you would only get a limited amount of choices in colors, sizes, and designs with your gaming units and peripherals. But now, you can go as crazy or as simple as you want because it’s your gaming setup.

Now, we have a lot of choices to choose from. Whether you want a white or rainbow aesthetic is all up to you and your imagination.

Type of Gaming Unit/s

You also have to consider the gaming unit/s you’ll purchase for your gaming setup. Will you buy only one or multiples? Will you buy consoles only, PC only, or both types?

Your gaming unit will help determine some of the gaming peripherals you’re going to purchase, so it’s good to consider the gaming unit when making your gaming room setup.

An excellent example is when looking for the best chair for your current setup of a console and PC. Having both a PC chair and a console chair might be too expensive. So, you’ll have to choose one that is more versatile to save money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Gaming Console?

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Photo Credits to PlayStation

As of date, the best gaming console is Sony’s latest PlayStation 5. The PlayStation 5 has lightning-fast loading speeds, phenomenal resolutions, the all-new DualSense controller, a great game lineup, and a lot of exclusive games. It has powerful hardware that can match even the best gaming PCs on the market.

How Much Does a Gaming Setup Cost?

The cost of a gaming setup will entirely depend on numerous factors, such as the game unit and other gaming accessories. A gaming unit in itself will already cost you a few hundred dollars. What more for the other peripherals?

A gaming setup that already includes the unit, the games, and peripherals can cost anywhere from $500 to $3000 or more. That being said, it would be best to set up different budgets for your gaming unit and your gaming peripherals.

But remember, you don’t have to have an expensive setup to enjoy playing your favorite games.

Is a Gaming Setup Worth It?

Whether a gaming setup is worth it or not will entirely depend on you. We can speak for ourselves and say that it is, but the decision will ultimately depend on you.

This is because you have to think of how much you’ll spend. The time and effort spent researching the stuff you’re buying will also come into play, whether it’s worth it or not.

In terms of mood and overall gaming experience, we definitely think that a gaming setup—whether simple or over the top—is worth every penny.

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap! It may not be easy to build your gaming setup, but it is not impossible. You just need to be patient while setting things up. The end result will undoubtedly be rewarding! So, go ahead and customize your gaming setup to your liking!

Good luck, have fun, and happy gaming!

If you want to check out our individual reviews on gaming chairs, keyboards, laptops, and other gaming-related peripherals, check us out here.

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