(Part 2) Top products from r/OverwatchUniversity

Hi there! I know you mentioned you had a standing mic, so a microphone isn't a must for you, but I've had my Hyper X Clouds for about 6 months and I've really, really enjoyed them.
 

The mic is detachable so if you don't need it, you don't have to use it. The sounds are very distinguishable, (footsteps, both light and heavy) and I can definitely hear the direction they're coming from. Another plus is that they are indeed very comfortable and light like advertised. I wear glasses, and they don't press into my ears like other headsets.
 

From a less 'gamer headset' standpoint, I would recommend Bose. Either something like this or this (since you said you'd like to spend $100 or less)
 

I've had a pair (the one in the first link) of Bose headphones for about 5 years and they've been wonderful. They're comfy, and have good sound. I used them to game with in between the time my Turtle Beaches broke and I was pleased with them.

I hope this helps some! Please feel free to ask me any questions :)

Headphones I've used the past 10 years.

• ATH-AD700 - Discontinued now, but cheap used, open back, under $50, one of the biggest soundstage, but lacks bass
  
• ATH-AD700X - updated revision of the ad700, under $100 on sale, tiny bit better bass. The stock pad made my ears sore since it touches the driver. I replaced it with memoryfoam BrainWavz pad, and they feel much better. Puts less pressure on my eyeglasses too.
  
• ATH-M50X - My go-to music headphone, but I use it for travel gaming too since they fold up nicely and closeback for noise isolation.
  
• ATH-AD900X - Better version of AD700X
  
• Philips Fidelio X2 - About $200 on sale, a little bit less soundstage than AD700X, but much better bass. If you can splurge, I highly recommend this. They are balanced type headphones. Basically replaced the the M50X for music listening and AD700X/AD900X for gaming. It feels really nice, pad fits much better than the AD700X. I forget I am actually wearing headphones. If this is too expensive, SHP9500, is a cheaper alternative at 1/3 the cost.
  
• All of the headphones listed above are low impedance meaning you don't need an amp to get good sound output.
  
• Most gaming specific headphones aren't that good for the price. You're paying mostly for the marketing. Get any decent audiophile headphone and it will be much better.
  
   
  
  Virtual surround sound I've used
  
  
• Xonar U3 - Got this to replace my broken mobo sound, but found out it does virtual surround sound. Basically simulates 5.1/7.1 sound on a 2 channel headphone. Used it for many years gaming. Sounds awesome with good headphone that has big soundstage. Nice to hear directional audio to know here footsteps are at in games. Also acts like an amp with boost mode for high impedance headphones.
  
• Razer Surround Sound - free, but the worst virtual surround sound I've heard. Things sound muffled.
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi - Upgraded to this, it has better virtual surround sound technology.
  
   
  
  Hate wired headphone?
  
  
• How to convert wired phones into wireless gaming one
  
   
  
  Microphone
  
  
• ModMic - Used this for many many years, but got tired of wires dangling around
  
• Blue Yeti - Audio quality is so much better than the modmic, but it is big. Use a mic stand or arm.

I'd suggest a pair of open-backed headphones since I've found that those headphones tend to have better soundstaging to help me pinpoint where people are.

I found closed headphones tend to have more "immersive" sound with more bass, but if you're looking for something for purely competitive performance I think an open-backed pair would do you well. There's some generalizing going on here, but in general I personally feel open-backed headphones are better for gaming.

Here's a couple suggestions around your price-point - disclaimer that I haven't actually owned any of these (except for the original AD700 which I can vouch for being great for gaming), and it's merely meant to serve as a starting point for cans to check out. Filter the reviews and find the ones where people mention the words "gaming" or "soundstage".

• Audio Technica ATH-AD700X
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 558
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  
• Grado SR80e
  
  
  I personally use the Sennheiser HD 600 which are open-backed but these are out of your $100 budget.
  

I believe framerate is dictated more by GPU than CPU but, if this makes you feel any better, you're getting the most out of your 960.

I have a 1070 and a 144mhz monitor but I don't get 144fps consistently. I usually stick in the 120 range (maybe 130s? I don't recall). And it definitely dips depending on the action.

You should put a fan on that CPU though. The fact that it's running so hot may be affecting your performance as well. These are the best and they run silently. Comes with the heat sync.

I wrote this a while ago, but I really want to highlight part IV, "Make the game less random and swingy for yourself and your friends."

IMO this is THE principle that ought to be taught, without which nothing else matters. I could write a book (or, well, a blog, apparently) on how its application can take a lot of different forms, but the core principle of reducing risk is at the center of it all.

• whenever you make a choice in game, you're making some sort of "bet" --- I bet I can stand here without dying, etc.
  
• You make bets based on the situation.
  
• that situation includes your allies, and your allies' bets include you. This can lead to (bad) chain reactions where you lose a bet, leading your allies to lose their bets, and the whole thing comes crashing down.
  
• randomness is not your friend if you're trying to be good at the game. It makes it harder to learn (you win when you make mistakes, and lose when you do well), and it prevents you from being rewarded when you do finally git gud.
  
  This isn't just a "c_a_l_m" thing---Day9 has written about this, nor is it just a "gaming" thing---Overwatch, with its many variables, snowballing, and fast-paced, impactful action (compared to, say, soccer), is a complex and unstable system, like a stock market or an ecosystem. Anyone acquainted with that space knows that the cardinal mantra is risk reduction, even if that ends up meaning things that conventional wisdom thinks are risky.
  
  Seriously, I would rank this is as the most important thing you could teach Overwatch players. If OW had loading-screen tips, at the top of my list would be a simple "Overwatch can be chaotic! Try and make it less so for your team." It doesn't make the case for why, and it doesn't explain how, but simply knowing that it is important would go so, so far.

Yea I use

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O867XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Havent had much issues yet. And I have it turned on an axis, so the bottom of mine is shorter than the length (doesnt fit well on my desk normally). Only really have issues when I gotta do a quick 360, although I think my issue is that I'm still not entirely used to having to move my mouse so far for a 360. it is much bigger than any mousepad i've ever had. I should be using it the correct way and letting my hand fall where it lies when i do a big turn, but for the moment I am quickly resetting if i move to close to the edge. Again, its only a minor issue for me, my overall performance is definitely improved.

This one is good price/performance. If you are absolutely cash-strapped, go with this. Don't go any cheaper, at that point you might as well just ferret around a thrift shop (and it would likely be a waste anyway). I use this, but only recommend if you really care how you sound.

If you haven't read it, The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey is an excellent and easy read that goes into this exact concept. It's principals are applicable to any situation -- tennis, golf, Overwatch, relationships, or whatever.

I highly, highly recommend it.

I definitely don't recommend playing any FPS with a track pad. Even a cheap sub $10 mouse will be better than the trackpad and your experience will be much more enjoyable.

Here is a mouse on amazon for $6.99.

Here is one for $9.99.

To answer your main question, I cant see any big disadvantages to using a controller to move with the left hand (to replace wasd), but there are more elegant options out there, like the Logitech g13 (linked below), or the Razer nostromo. Gives u a thumb stick plus a bunch of other buttons for your fingers to use as macros.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G13-Programmable-Gameboard-Display/dp/B001NEK2GE

Ah thank you! This is very helpful. Since my mouse has physical buttons to switch dpi to 2000/1000/500 I'm hoping it would be able to handle 2000 without feathering, but I suppose I'll have to play with it and see if I can tell a difference. I dunno if it matters but it's an optical mouse.

At this point I'm considering lowering my sensitivity further but I guess I wondering at what point does it become silly, you know? I have seen a drastic inprovement in my accuracy, I just want to see if I can get a little more. For instance my current sensitivity requires me to glide the mouse 21.5 inches to do a 360 degree turn. Considering my mouse is usually kept at the center of the mousepad and not a far corner, that would mean I would need a 43 inch wide mouse pad.

I used to run one of these https://www.amazon.com/WolfKing-DK2388UBK-Warrior-Gaming-Keypad/dp/B000IMZHL2 that I actually really enjoyed using, but over time it just took up too much space (i had to have a keyboard around usually even if i was using it for like MMOs). It definitely cut down on some of my strain hitting some buttons though (like pinky to left ctrl over and over)

Get these headphones, get these replacement earpads, and this mic.

You will have fantastic audio quality, hours and hours of comfort, and years (if not decades) of use. I have a pair of those headphones I've had for over 10 years and used extensively for audio/video editing and they are absolute Godsends

Echoing GreenChord. If you want to drop some cheddar, streamline production, and increase quality I have some suggestions.

Grab Xsplit pro - You can record system video/audio and mic audio at the same time. As well as being able to pause and restart the recordings at anytime by binding pause to a key. I suggest 0 on the num pad. https://www.xsplit.com/buy#form

Invest in a decent mic - This one served me well when I was running my YT channel (I stopped cuz you know...work 40 hours and social life ate that shit up)

https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT-USB-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00KQPGRRE/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1487108191&sr=1-1&keywords=nt+usb+mic

here's the mic stand for it

https://www.amazon.com/RODE-Swivel-Mount-Studio-Microphone/dp/B001D7UYBO/ref=pd_bxgy_267_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CGD4K9F09D1W2FVNP4YE

Also consider a subscription to adobe creative cloud for access to all of their suite. Mainly Photoshop, Premiere and After Effects.

https://creative.adobe.com/plans


I know not everyone can afford this stuff, but if you are considering a high quality channel with easily digestible content, this is good stuff.

Have you happened to read the International Spy Museum's Handbook of Practical Spying?

Your writing style is ridiculously similar to that in the book (one of my favorites).

Love your post btw!

I really like the Sennheiser HD 598s I've got. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042A8CW2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_8ZHgAbRZWRRS6

Most people have used this one for years. Steelseries QcK Heavy with the Zowie G-SR in close second. Otherwise, a lot of them use whatever their team's sponsors provide.

[Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/iMicro-IM320-USB-Headset/dp/B003RRY8ZG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1501341483&sr=8-5&keywords=usb+headset&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=bestportablew-20&linkId=881dafb2acb37ff1c4f807c3ff1b2df2) has them fairly inexpensive...

I have this mouse pad which makes it harder to play lower than 900 DPI, 8 sensitivity. Is this too much to be serious about getting better?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000UEZ37G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit: wrong link