A barrage of nasty, high-caliber bullets rips past your face and patter on the wall behind you. As you duck under a crumbling section of wall to reposition, the dull thump of a fragmentation grenade shakes in front of you and causes you to backpedal. You scan the scarred roadway, the butt of your rifle pressed to your cheek, just waiting to pull that trigger, waiting to unleash a hail of gunfire upon your enem-

YOU ARE DEAD

An unseen knife from an unseen foe ends your life. 

The urge to punch a hole through your screen and throw your controller into the bin is normal, don’t worry, but how did they do it? How where you so easily outmaneuvered? Your map knowledge is second to none, your aim is on point… this isn’t your first day playing the game so how where you so easily humiliated? Was there a gap in skill levels? Perhaps, but what if I told you that some players have a massive advantage and it has nothing to do with skill?

Use all of your senses

Whether you play on console or PC, the quest for the best graphics is a long and well-trodden path — new screens tout blazing fast refresh rates, promising smooth and quick action. While a beefy computer or a sleek and fast gaming television can give you a leg up in competitive play, a good quality pair of gaming headphones will transform your abilities.

Gaming headphones are specifically designed to replicate the sound field of games as accurately as possible. What does this mean? Gaming headsets will be better at making you feel like you are in the game world. Being able to locate something quickly and accurately aurally is a massive advantage in any game.

Audio cues

Today’s games run on highly sophisticated game engines that must perform mind-boggling amounts of calculations to determine everything, from player location to the number of bullet holes that have appeared during the match. Audio cues are everywhere to help players decide what move to make or what item to pick up. These cues are usually localized, meaning they aren’t reliant on a good connection to the server.

Utilizing a pair of gaming headphones allows you to pick up subtle audio cues and gives you an edge over your opponents. After playing certain games long enough, some sounds become more recognizable than say an opponent’s silhouette. Being able to hear something before you see it gives you an enormous advantage over someone using regular headphones.

Options

Adding some gaming headphones to the top of your peripherals list is a wise idea, but where should you start? Most headsets will also feature a microphone for in-game communication as well as third party voice chat apps like discord. The microphone quality varies, so if you do a lot of social gaming, opt for one with a decent mic.

For those that are addicted to immersion, a surround sound headset will bring your experience to the next level. Logitech has a solid reputation amongst gamers for build quality and a no-nonsense approach to gaming peripherals. This wireless gaming headset from Logitech offers 7.1 channel surround sound, giving you audio immersion as you have never experienced.

Surround sound headsets are not just for those that want immersion. Competitive players will enjoy the benefits that extra channels of audio provide too. As an avid PUBG player, I can attest to this. Games such as Ubisoft’s rainbow six: siege has brilliant spatial sound engines that allow a good gaming headset to shine. The difference that a headset made for my competitive play was like night and day.

If you are an avid gamer, then you might be forgiven for sipping on the gaming headphones saving your money for the right mouse or more games. It’s easy to forget that with such lifelike graphics and sophisticated game mechanics, a game can still be mastered by listening to it. If you truly love games, then you owe it to yourself to take your experience to the next level with a pair of gaming headphones.