With Black Friday just around the corner and the possibility of some great deals, I wanted to take a few minutes to go over some of my favorite peripherals of 2022. While most of these are gaming related, these are also things that I often use in my day-to-day video workflow. Be sure to hit the video below to see my favorite gaming peripherals of 2022 and what to keep an eye out for this deal season.
Favorite mouse: Deathadder V3 Pro
To start off the list of my favorite gaming peripherals this year, my first favorite mouse is the Razer Deathadder V3 Pro. The combination of ergonomic shape, lightweight design, and rock-solid build make it my favorite mouse I’ve used to date. Check out the full review here.
Quick Specs:
- 63g weight
- Up to 90 hours of battery life
- Focus Pro 30K optical sensor
- Gen-3 optical switches
- 100% PTFE skates
While some have disputed the “Pro” nature of this mouse due to features being removed, that’s exactly what makes it a pro-model mouse in my opinion. Just like the racing spec of your favorite sports car, this mouse has been stripped of any unnecessary components that don’t do one of two things – make it lighter or make it faster.
Combine that with a large redesign that still features a large ergonomic hump near the back of the mouse, and it’s one of the lightest and most comfortable wireless gaming mice I’ve ever used. And thus – my top mouse pick for 2022.
The only issue here is that performance always comes at a price. The Deathadder V3 Pro comes in at $150. That’s why we’re hoping to see some deals this holiday season.
Favorite gaming peripherals: Video
There have been other great mice this year. If symmetrical designs are more to your liking, the Viper V2 Pro is even lighter. It’s also on sale currently – down to $127 from the $150 MSRP. Check out the full review here.
Or, if you prefer a few more buttons, the Roccat Kone XP Air and Razer Basilisk V3 Pro are full-featured mice with docks.
Alternatively, given the product life of the G Pro X Superlight from Logitech, we are starting to see frequent deals on another incredible lightweight gaming mouse. Though it doesn’t share the same full-size ergonomic shape as the Deathadder V3 Pro, if lightweight is your goal, this pro-vetted mouse is worth picking up on sale.
Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Origins 65 Aqua
Another release I was excited about this year is the HyperX Alloy Origins 65 with aqua switches. The board was released before these tactile switches were available but after hearing so many good things about them, I wanted to wait to try the keyboard in this variant. Get the aqua switches directly from HyperX.
Quick Specs:
- Switches: Aqua tactile or Red linear
- 825g
- RGB
- Double shot PBT keycaps
- Full aluminum body
What I love about this keyboard and what makes it one of my favorite gaming peripherals of the year is that even though it comes from a major brand, the build quality is some of the best I’ve seen for a pre-built keyboard. Combine this with the aqua switches that have light-actuating Cherry-like specs but sound and feel better than Brown switches, and this is easily my favorite big-brand pre-built keyboard of the year. Check out the full review here for a sound test and more impressions.
What is my favorite headset?
While the mouse and keyboard were no-brainers for me, I’ve had a harder time picking a favorite gaming headset from this year. Don’t get me wrong, there have been many great releases, but there hasn’t been a single gaming headset that has stood out as the one I reach for every time I can.
I spent a lot of time this summer enjoying the high-end ANC headsets we’ve been blessed with this year. I usually game in a space above the garage that gets warm in the summer and with both a portable AC unit and a fan running, ANC can really help to knock out background noise and keep me focused on audio cues in-game.
That being said, none of them did everything perfectly for me. The Sony Inzone H9 was the most comfortable and sounded great, but the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless has more usability with the retractable mic and dock, but the comfort fell short for me.
We’ve also seen some technical marvels with the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless going up to 300 hours of battery life. I haven’t had to charge that headset yet.
For something unique, the Roccat Syn Max Air is unique with its RGB lighting and handy charging dock.
Through all of these, though, I often find myself reaching for one from last year – the Epos H3Pro Hybrid. This wireless headset with ANC sounds incredible and in comfortable, but struggles with connection when wireless and Bluetooth are used at the same time. I often ran it in a wired mode when doing our Friday live streams over on the YouTube channel.
A webcam I actually like
Another honorable mention for the year that really surprised me was the Insta 360 Link webcam. It’s gimbal-mounted camera is incredibly sharp and can physically follow you around the room.
From both 4K resolution to the auto color coming out of the sensor and autofocus performance, this was one of the first times I’ve been genuinely impressed with the image from a webcam.
The brand-new Elgato Facecam Pro also looks enticing, but I haven’t been able to try that out myself yet.
Favorite Gaming Peripherals: My favorite mic isn’t new
Lastly for my favorite gaming peripherals of 2022 – when it comes to microphones there have also been some great 2022 releases but for the Black Friday and deal season, I have to highlight the HyperX SoloCast again. It’s nearly always on sale at this point and at $35 is an incredible-sounding microphone. I’ve recorded a good chunk of my YouTube videos with it.
It can do with a couple of upgrades like a boom stand and shock mount, but those are also affordable – even more so around Black Friday. Check out my video highlighting these mods for some ideas on what to look for.
Otherwise, the HyperX DuoCast has a few more features with a built-in shock mount, and the Deity VO-7U can come with a boom arm and is ready to go out of the box. But for streamers and solo content creators who want a simple and affordable mic that sounds as good as if not better than mics more than twice its price, the SoloCast with a few upgrades is still my recommendation.
Favorite Gaming Peripherals: Stay tuned for more
Be sure to stay locked here to 9to5Toys.com throughout the Black Friday deal season and beyond as we often feature all of these products on sale as well as their competitors. If you’re looking to upgrade something in your battlestation or WFH setup, now is a great time to do so.
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