Top Ways to Maximise Your Gaming Experience

Top Ways to Maximise Your Gaming Experience

Contents

1. Switch out your hardware
2. Tune Up Your Surroundings
3. Update Your Software Settings

Video games have come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. From pixelated 64-bit platformers to interactive cinematic epics. But all that development goes to waste if your hardware isn’t up to scratch. There’s nothing more frustrating for serious gamers than trying to play a game that loads slowly, lags during the gameplay, or glitches and freezes at a crucial point. So, in order to make sure you’re enjoying your games as they’re meant to be played, here are some important things you can do.

Switch Out Your Hardware

• Use an SSD instead of a traditional hard drive for storing and playing games. They load faster, are much quieter and come in much larger capacities – up to 100 TB. While you can replace an inbuilt hard drive, SSDs can also be plugged into USB ports, meaning they’re also portable between devices.
• If you’re a PC gamer, you can buy gaming monitors with improved FPS rates which will give you a clearer picture. The FPS rate determines how smoothly your game loads, as it determines the number of frames which can be displayer per second. Most standard monitors and laptop screens have a maximum rate of 60fps, but modern games can have an optimal fps of more than this, meaning that the games will look a little jumpy when displayed on an inferior screen. If a new monitor is out of your budget there are other ways to improve your fps https://www.ccleaner.com/knowledge/how-to-optimize-your-pc-for-gaming-and-boost-fps, for instance, including closing background programs and downloading an fps booster.
• It’s not just the graphics that make modern video games so exciting – they have cinema-quality sound tracks too. Some games, especially horror games like Amnesia: Rebirth, have a binaural soundtrack, meaning the sound comes from different directions as you turn around. It’s a really effective way of immersing you in the game, but if you don’t have a decent sound system, you won’t be getting the best from it: opt for external speakers or a top-notch headset to fully benefit.
• A good-quality headset can also work to reduce distractions by blocking out the ambient sound in your room. This will help you feel more involved in the game. If you play online multiplayer games, this is also a great way to communicate with teammates as the sound quality is much improved and you won’t miss a thing anyone is saying. 

Tune Up Your Surroundings

• If you’re going to be playing anything online, you need to make sure your broadband speed will cope with your demands. Most areas have now upgraded to fibre, but if you don’t want to lag behind your teammates, see if superfast fibre is available in your area. Contracts can get expensive, but if you spend most of your time gaming at freejackpot.com, it’s worth the investment. Superfast broadband can also improve the quality of live streaming connections. Whether you like to broadcast your performances or prefer to stream live games, having the fastest broadband you can afford will be a big advantage, at https://us.888casino.com/, for example’ you can stream live dealers, meaning a strong internet connection will really add to the quality of the game.
• If you’re going to settle in for a serious gaming session, it pays to make sure you aren’t forced to leave early because your back aches or your legs have gone numb. Investing in a gaming chair will keep you comfortable and well supported for however long you choose to play for.
• For the same reason, make sure all snacks and drinks are to hand if you don’t want to keep having to pause. A mini fridge can be a great place to store bottles of water and healthy snacks to keep you going through a whole Call of Duty campaign.

Update Your Software Settings

• Older versions of software and drivers will hamper your progress and get in the way of your playing experience. Check regularly to make sure that your drivers are up to date – especially the ones for your video and sound cards, as without these your game won’t play.
• It’s also worth giving your computer a regular tune up to get rid of unused programs which are taking up processor speed. A lot of programs load automatically and work in the background even if you aren’t using them, and this can take a lot of power away from your machine. By regularly using Task Manager to monitor your start programs you can deactivate those which you don’t need open, see https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/basic-computer-skills/disable-applications-from-running-on-startup/1, for example.  
• Most people don’t know that their computers come with pre-programmed performance settings. Usually these are set to a balanced mode which aims to save power by reducing performance. You can access the settings panel to change these before you start playing, but don’t forget to put them back afterwards or you’ll find your electricity bills skyrocketing!

In Summary

Having a great gaming experience isn’t solely down to the quality of the game you play. Uncomfortable surroundings, slow loading speeds and frequent freezing can all be irritating interruptions that pull you out of your digital world. But by using some of these tips to get the best out of your hardware and software, you can increase your chances of your gaming sessions running smoothly.