By Darren Murph Posted 07.20.2012 at 2:14 pm 7 Comments

The Unstoppable Gamer Sam Kaplan

The average length of an Xbox gaming session is 4.2 hours. For PC gaming, that jumps to 8 hours. To stay competetive, players need a serious setup--one that can help them see more, hear more, and game for the long haul.

SPEAKERS

Most surround-sound systems have five or seven speakers. LG’s has nine. The receiver’s processor analyzes the location of 3-D objects on a screen—enemies, aircraft, machine guns—and sends the accompanying audio to whichever speaker best corresponds to that spot. LG BH9420PW 3-D capable Blu-ray disc home theater system: $749

TOWER

Computer components are designed to slow themselves down if they begin to overheat, an act that will bring any gaming session to a crawl. To ensure that the 4.8-gigahertz processor and 256-bit graphics card on the Aventum tower don’t fail, Digital Storm engineers flanked the internals with a pair of 16.5-inch radiators that circulate subzero coolant, while the system’s 13 fans channel excess heat through a rear exhaust vent. Digital Storm Aventum: From $4,959

MONITOR

The BenQ XL2420TX is the first monitor to give players a competitive advantage. To help highlight items hidden throughout dark scenes, the 24-inch panel’s processor adjusts the color balance. Viewers can also make manual adjustments by hitting a button on a controller box attached to the monitor. BenQ XL2420TX: $549

CHAIR

A rigid chair frame can dig into a player’s back and shoulders as he sits and shifts in his seat. Designers at Knoll made the entire backrest of the ReGeneration chair out of a semirigid elastic polymer that bends to cradle the changing contours of a gamer’s body. ReGeneration by Knoll: From $676

7 Comments

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democedes
07/20/12 at 4:05 pm

Not sure how more discrete audio channels is going to help you game longer.

In fact, the only legit item on this list is the chair. Not that I have ever used the ReGeneration, but without question a chair can make or break a marathon gaming session.

Digital Storm Aventum: I am weary of any cooling solution that cools components below ambient temperature. The reason: condensation. Little drops of water forming on the inside of my computer makes me nervous. Particularly when said computer put me back $5,000 or more. No thank you, I am happy with my 4.2 Ghz overclock. But if you don't mind paying $4,000 for a ~10% increase in performance, then such things probably don't bother you.

BenQ XL2420TX: I can save you $549 with two words: Gamma correction.

Here is my recommendations for the list.

These glasses will dramatically reduce eye fatigue.
http://www.gunnars.com/advanced-gaming-eyewear/

Using the standard WASD setup can give you cramps in your hand. A good game pad can eliminate that. As well as make it possible to game comfortably on a couch.

http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.221675100

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ikwilgeen
07/21/12 at 5:31 am

I don't understand why you use a monitor if you have that kind of money to spend? Why not wear wearable high res glasses to experience it with a screen like 60"? I'm happy with my 27", but if I would spend so much on my system to play games, I would buy glasses which give you wearable screen. I'm also someone who stopped shooting games because I was turning corners so fast it made me dizy. Perhaps I totally don't understand.

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Clifford Cannon
07/22/12 at 5:49 pm

in this case the word subzero is the name of a product, not something that actually cools below room temp, subzero makes water coolant with addatives to help prevent corrosion in the componants among other things but without special componants like a Peltier Thermoelectric water cooling cannot reduce the temperture below room temp, it's just very efficiant about removing the build up of heat from the componants.

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xstaind
07/23/12 at 1:27 am

Does anyone else feel like PopSci is being paid to post articles like these?

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antaro
07/23/12 at 10:01 am

They have to make money somehow. Maybe they're getting into selling computers since their non-invasive ad with the hammer and ruler that fills up most of the screen isn't making them money.

I love reading article on Popsci but some of these ads are just annoying.

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democedes
07/23/12 at 10:35 am

@Clifford Cannon

The Cryo-TEC Aventum, which is the top tier offering ($8,907) does (according to the web site) keep the cpu below zero Celsius. The other versions, however, are indeed water cooled. It was the Digital Storm web site itself that misled me to thinking all versions featured Cryo-TEC.

Still, five grand for a gaming PC is a massive waste of money.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/aventum.asp



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