Maybe it’s one of those crises inspired by a major life event, but once I knew I was about to have a baby, I made up my mind: I’m going to build my ultimate game and home work setup, build an all-encompassing nerdy goblin bunker so that My hobbies and work wouldn’t spread to the rest of the house, where there would soon be a tiny human tearing apart.
I knew my office would have to move to make way for the nursery anyway. We’re going to have to make the house bigger, which gives me a blank slate. After build work, PC upgrades, technical wrangling, and over a year of deciding to go all-in on gameplay, I finally understood a dark truth: The industry and technology are moving so fast that no one can stay the course.
Having said that, I wanted to talk about what I learned while building this room – hopefully any of you making game caves can learn something from my experience, for better or for worse:
I think the PC case industry sucks
Man, how hard is it to find a good gaming PC case? It’s really, really hard to find a box that complements size, airflow, and design. Often times, the case is overdesigned with ugly “edgy” gamer accessories. Other times they’re beautiful, but when you look a little deeper you see they’re basically zero airflow, basically an oven with a four-figure graphics card, if you can’t find a stock you can try.
I am proud of my computer. I like it. But man, finding a case that sits perfectly in airflow cross-section, aesthetics, and durability is a nightmare.
I ended up going with the Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL, an oversized square case that’s really nice and stays cool – but honestly I’m still not entirely happy with it as the brushed steel finish is a year and a half later , the wear in some places already looks worse.
I don’t know what the solution is here; maybe liquid cooling it all so that airflow is no longer a concern? I have no idea. I continue to search for the perfect case.
Smaller OLED screens aren’t coming fast enough
I didn’t even realize the limitations of OLED screen size until I started looking for a new device for my office. We have a full fat OLED in the living room, a huge LG C1 – but I can barely play games 24/7 – my partner wants to watch TV after all. So I need to install another gaming-capable TV in the office. However, I also have limited space in this room, and I have other hobbies to indulge – so if I were to choose between a large TV and squeezing in more LEGOs or other arcade cabinets, I’d go for the latter . Here’s where I’m stuck: OLED TVs bottom out at 48 inches.
My office TV is strictly limited to 43 inches, and I ended up going with Samsung’s QLED TVs – they’re lovely on their own, but not as good as OLED either. I did rate this Samsung model, though – it’s one of their “frame” models, which means it looks more like a picture frame than a TV when mounted on a wall.
For me, this might actually be a wise decision – OLED is more prone to burn-in, and I often leave games idle on that screen for extended periods of time while doing other work. But my opinion is valid; the sooner 43-inch OLED comes out, the better.
good news? They are happening now. LG has a new model, the C2, coming later this year, and it comes in a 43-inch model. Mind you, it’s still almost twice as expensive as an equivalent Samsung QLED, and at this size, it’s hard to justify…but at least the technology is shrinking.
Sit-Stand Desks are a game changer—not just for work
This job has many benefits, but one of the negatives is that you spend a lot of time on your butt. The problem has been exacerbated over the past two years, as the pandemic has put an end to some events, and traveling to and from them has given a nice small uptick in activity. Honestly, if the lockdown made me feel worse in one key way, I’d point it out.
So one of the biggest upgrades in the new office setup is getting a high-end sit-stand desk. I had one before and it proved so popular that my partner requisitioned it when she started working from home – so I decided to up the spec. I ended up with the Flexispot E8 Standing Desk, which is basically a set of sleek sit-stand legs to which you can add a table top.
It’s not the cheapest model, even from this company, but the quality and strength of the mechanics does make me happy with how safe it is – it has a collision detection system and if you put it under it, it Won’t crush the trash table, I’ve done it a few times. Of course, it’s electric – so you plug it in and it moves up and down without assistance, rather than a table where you have to shake it yourself.
Anyway, I like this. I have a good, comfortable chair – also picked from the same company’s line of office chairs because I believe a lot of gamer chairs are double decker in a broad sense – but this desk is in use Naturally stands out in a standing position, which can be adjusted for comfort regardless of your height.
I know I will be using the standing desk for some work activities. In my opinion, podcasts and Zoom calls are best heard standing up. Also handles site statistics and databases. But what amazes me is that I’ve actually completed a fair amount of game rankings as well. It’s cool to prop up an arcade stick on a table for Street Fighter to give a standing arcade feel. I’ve also played short-term games like Halo Infinite multiplayer. I’m not saying it made me better at the game, but it certainly didn’t make me worse — and healthier.
The pedals are Rad, you don’t have to pay the king ransom to Elgato to have the pedals
Don’t get me wrong here; I really like Elgato, a streaming device-focused gaming hardware company owned by Corsair. I’ve actually been using their Stream Deck for a quick desktop shortcut, although I’m not really streaming. I’m also interested in their FaceCam webcam – it looks high end and neat. But I did scoff when they showed an $80 footpeg — which seemed, um, kind of rich.
To be fair, yes, you pay for the ability to fold th is new three-button foot pedal into the excellent Stream Deck software, which is compatible with many games, streaming tools, and even Discord, allowing you to create shortcuts even more easy. Adding footrests is very easy to use – it’s just a little pricey.
Having said that, I’m a huge fan of foot pedals in gaming settings. Even if you don’t stream, it’s a godsend if you like to take screenshots or clips of gameplay to send to friends or post on social media. If you’re playing Halo online and live in a house with mad dogs barking and screaming babies, you can use it for push-to-talk on Discord. You can even bind key in-game inputs to it, like the back button that checks the leaderboard in an online Halo game. If Elgato pedals are a little rich for your blood, you can get cheaper pedals on Amazon for less than half the price – they’ve honestly made a huge difference to my work and play process.
Also, combined with Sinden Light Gun, it allows you to simulate Time Crisis accurately. You are welcome.
The solution for outputting PC sound to two devices at the same time is terrible
This might be a very unique problem, but I like to output sound to two devices at the same time. First, I have my speakers, but I also have my headphones. Rather than switching devices at random in Windows, I’d rather physically turn the knob on one of them down while using the other…but that’s really hard to do.
In the end I got this very weird, messy solution, I used an Astro game mixing amp with a pair of Steelseries headphones and then used the Windows Sound Manager by using “echo” to the main speakers of the headphones “What do you hear” and the “listen to this device” setting. This causes lag, but that’s the best I’ve gotten when using the headset in USB mode to use its mic and stuff. It’s a niche question, but I’ve been working on it This problem, trying to find a solution for…
The official Xbox wireless headset is the best first-party peripheral on the market
In this job, you’ll be buying and fiddling with many different kits — of all the purchases I’ve had in recent memory, I’d like to highlight one console accessory in particular — Microsoft’s official Xbox headset.
I touched on this when I reviewed it when it was new, but it needs to be repeated later. These things are sturdy, comfortable, feel great to wear and hold, and have a really good range.
During the NFL season, I’ll hang out into the kitchen for another beer while wearing headphones to listen to ongoing commentary on any game I’m watching through the NFL Game Pass app on Xbox. The headset will stay connected through considerable distance and several single-brick-thick walls. I can also keep it comfortable for almost any ten hour football marathon on a Sunday. I’m pretty impressed with it, so… shout it out, I guess.
I got over my fear of wireless mice and everything is fine
For years, I refused to buy a wireless mouse. Maybe my RTS player who wasted a lot of college time becoming a world-class Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 master. But I always worry about connection issues, delays and changing batteries.
Apparently, the days when these things were truly worrisome were over a few years ago. Technology has advanced a lot. During my home office overhaul, I got over myself and ordered a wireless mouse. To solve the battery problem, I bought a battery with a charging base that will keep the charge as long as it’s on the base…this is also the mouse pad for it. It feels no different; seamless, even–but getting rid of that damn cable is, surprisingly, a revelation. I also don’t feel any sluggishness in the RA3 – or rather, being in my 30s makes me feel that way.
Almost every HDMI switcher I’ve tried sucks
I have a lot of devices and ideally I want to have them all plugged in because I’m lazy. But man, technology doesn’t make this easy. Every HDMI switcher I’ve tried, or read reviews, seems to be either bad or not compatible with the highest resolutions and frame rates.
In the end I had to switch cables manually when needed, but I’d much rather just push a button or have a remote, especially when my TV has three HDMI inputs and I have six different devices I use it semi-regularly. I’m really hoping someone can make a bulletproof, top-notch – if you know one, please let me know.
IKEA is God
Last but not least, I have to give IKEA a shout out. Their cheap, cheerful, and often eco-conscious furniture is perfect for a playroom, and honestly, you’re not exactly aiming for a super high-end feel. With the exception of the aforementioned table and chairs, pretty much everything here is from IKEA, and I can’t fault it.
Here’s one company that got it — they even have shell versions of the consoles when you go to the store, so you can see how they fit into various cabinets and units. Plus, their cheap stuff means…you don’t have to be afraid to mix things up. Or knock on furniture. If they’re a fraction of the price of a competitor’s product, cut them in half or screw them into them and you’ll feel less bad.
I do consider myself handy, but I’d love to saw the shelves down to fit tight spaces or corners to get the items together perfectly. And there’s always a cabinet that’s the right size if you’re looking for something that fits the height and shelf depth of your NES games, or somewhere to store your growing collection of game acoustic vinyl records.
Don’t forget that IKEA now has a range of real gaming furniture. I didn’t end up getting any of these things myself – but that’s an option now too.
Table of Contents
