A couple of weeks ago, my colleague Matt Safford showed up to our morning meeting wearing half a headset. “Guess what,” he announced. “My headset — the one that I only use for these meetings — just snapped in half. While I was wearing it.”
I asked if he’d been putting it on, or fiddling with the adjustments, and he confirmed that he wasn’t touching it — it was on his head and it suddenly felt loose, and when he reached up to see what was going on, he discovered it was in two pieces. RIP, Razer Barracuda Pro — the included rigid carrying case isn’t quite as much of a benefit if the headset is so fragile it’s going to snap in half while it’s being used exactly as intended.
Headsets
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Matt’s Razer Barracuda lasted about 2.5 years, which is definitely shorter than you should expect a gaming headset to last (and you shouldn’t expect any gaming headset to snap at the hinge while you’re just… wearing it). But the best gaming headsets won’t necessarily last forever, depending on a few factors.
Wireless headsets tend to lose their steam faster because the battery degrades — but you should still be able to get a solid 3 – 4 years out of a wireless headset, if not longer. Wired headsets can last significantly longer if they’re well-built, but most gaming headsets are… not that well-built. Still, a decent wired headset should get you a solid 5 – 6 years of use — longer if it has replaceable parts.
Here’s what you should look for if you’re looking for a headset that won’t snap in half:
Asus ROG Delta II comes with replaceable earpads
Logitech’s G Pro X 2 Lightspeed also comes with replaceable earpads.
Replaceable earpads: Corsair’s Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT has long been a favorite among Tom’s Hardware editors. The only gripe? The earpads, which are leatherette-covered memory foam, wear out fairly quickly and are difficult to replace — mostly because Corsair didn’t sell them for a long time (though I believe they do, now). Earpads tend to wear out after 1 – 2 years of regular use (or sooner, depending on what they’re made of and whether you sweat), so you should look for a gaming headset with replaceable earpads. Some gaming headsets, like Logitech’s G Pro X 2 Lightspeed and Asus’ ROG Delta II, even come with alternate / replacement earpads in the box.
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Beyerdynamic’s MMX 300 Pro features snap-off headband padding.
Replaceable headband: Headsets’ headband padding also wears out over time (though not as quickly as earpads). A lot of gaming headsets have built-in padding, but we’re starting to see more replaceable options — such as the replaceable padding on the Corsair Void Wireless v2 and Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro. You’ll also find headsets with alternate headband options, such as the leather strap on the Audeze Maxwell or the “ski-band” strap on SteelSeries Arctis Nova series.
Analog connection: Wireless technology and batteries can fail, but a wired analog connection will basically always work. You might think an analog connection is a given on all headsets, but we’re seeing more and more wireless headsets ditch this option completely. Still, there are some, like the Asus ROG Delta II and Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed, that still come with wires.
HyperX’s Cloud III S Wireless has sturdy aluminum forks.
Not plastic: Well, not all plastic. Ultra lightweight headsets like the Razer Barracuda and Turtle Beach’s Atlas Air are comfortable and, well, lightweight, because they’re almost entirely plastic. And while this is great for comfort, it’s not so great for durability — if you’re looking for a headset that will last, look for one with a well-built metal headband, like SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova Pro, and sturdy hinges or forks, like the HyperX Cloud III S Wireless.
Keyboards
A well-built mechanical keyboard can last forever — well, maybe not forever, but at least a few decades (the IBM Model M is basically older than the internet). But while the best gaming keyboards today are mechanical, they’re probably not going to last decades (maybe a decade). I tend to refresh my keyboard every 4 – 5 years, but that’s usually because it just feels like it’s time for an update (or upgrade) — not because the keyboard itself is unusable.
Here’s what you should look for if you’re after a keyboard that will last more than a couple of years:
Asus’ ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless’ keycaps are still going strong, shine-free.
Double-shot PBT keycaps: ABS keycaps, which are prone to shine, are common on mainstream gaming keyboards, though we’ve seen double-shot PBT keycaps on several premium gaming keyboards, such as the Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless and the Logitech G915 X TKL.
Glorious’ GMMK 3 Pro series has an optional hot-swappable PCB that accepts both magnetic and mechanical switches.
Hot-swappable switches: Many gaming companies have keyboards with hot-swappable switches, but they’re not all the same. Some keyboards, such as the Asus ROG Azoth X and the Lemokey L3, have standard hot-swappable PCBs that accept any and all mechanical switches. Keyboards with magnetic (Hall Effect) switches are often hot-swappable, but most (like Arbiter Studio’s Polar 75 Pro) are only compatible with certain magnetic switches, but Glorious’ GMMK 3 series does offer a hot-swappable PCB that works with both mechanical and magnetic switches.
The Meletrix Boog75’s aluminum case isn’t going anywhere, at least.
A solid aluminum build: You don’t need a keyboard with a solid aluminum case like the Meletrix Boog75 or the Keychron Q1 HE, but a better build will probably lend itself to a longer lifespan, though perhaps not for the reasons you think (after all, keyboards don’t really move much). But aluminum keyboards tend to be better built overall and better able to handle aggressive typing or gaming.
Mice
Gaming mice tend to follow a pretty regular update cycle of about 1.5 – 2.5 years, and this is the one category where the update cycle isn’t a terrible indicator of expected lifespan. Your mouse gets a lot more wear than your keyboard does, because it has significantly fewer buttons and it’s always moving. (Also, if you are the type of gamer who gets heated, your mouse is probably the easiest thing to slam down on your desk or throw across the room.) Mouse switches and keyboard switches have similar click ratings, but you’ll reach that number a lot quicker when you only have two buttons to choose from instead of 88 or 104 (or however many keys there are on your keyboard). That said, while updating your mouse every 2 – 3 years isn’t crazy, you should still be able to stretch a gaming mouse’s lifespan to 3 – 4 years as long as you’re not excessively slamming or squeezing it.
But you still want your gaming mouse to last the full 2 – 3 years, so here’s what to look for:
Solid build: This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning — if you want your mouse to last, it needs to be well-built and sturdy-feeling right out of the box. If the sides are flexing or creaking, or the scroll wheel feels indecisive, or the switches are mushy… it only gets worse, not better.
For wired mice, a drag-free cable like the one on HyperX’s Pulsefire Haste 2 is essential
Drag-free or detachable cable: The cable can make or break a mouse’s wired experience, and most wired mice come with their cable permanently attached. If you’re shopping for a wired mouse, look for one with a lightweight, flexible, drag-free paracord cable, like HyperX’s Pulsefire Haste 2, or one that has a detachable cable — like SteelSeries’ Aerox series.
Onboard memory: You probably do want a gaming mouse that’s at least somewhat customizable, so you can adjust DPI steps and tweak various settings to calibrate the feel perfectly. But once that’s set up, you’re probably going to go back in and readjust things… never. While the execution of the Cherry Xtrfy M64 Pro’s plug-and-play isn’t perfect, the idea isn’t a bad one — nobody wants a mouse that’s forever tied to some clunky peripheral software that stops working whenever you actually try to use it. If you want your mouse to last through Synapse’s 243 yearly updates, make sure it has several onboard profiles.
The fancy carrying case and carbon fiber shell aren’t going to help the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Extreme significantly outlive its competitors.
Not made of carbon fiber: You don’t want a mouse that flexes or creaks, but that doesn’t mean you need one made of carbon fiber. The $250 Asus ROG Harpe Ace Extreme is an impressive, ultra-lightweight mouse with a carbon fiber chassis (well, half carbon fiber), but it’s going to be subject to the same problems that other gaming mice face as they age: switch issues, an outdated sensor, and connectivity and battery life issues. Splurging on a pricey gaming mouse made of carbon fiber or, I don’t know, gold isn’t going to get you nearly as far as it will in other categories.
Of course, not all peripherals need regular updates. Audio equipment that isn’t worn on your head, such as speakers and microphones, can easily last a decade or more — both physically and technologically. Logitech’s top-of-the-line 5.1 surround Z906 system, for example, is almost 15 years old, while Rode’s NT1 5th generation got a tech-y update with USB input and 32-bit float audio recording, but is otherwise largely similar to the 34-year-old original NT1. And while the best webcams are all 4K resolution now, it took a pandemic to spur that leap in technology.
