School has started again, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop gaming. Whether you’re going to college and living in a dorm or you just want a more portable gaming setup for the school year, there’s great tech out there to make your gaming experience great this year.
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While these products alone (with the exception of the Asus ROG Ally) don’t offer a full-fledged gaming experience, they all make a great addition to any gaming laptop and will complete your gaming setup for the year.
The best technology that makes college life easier for a gamer
Choosing Technology for Gaming in College
Choosing the accessories that make the most sense for your college gaming setup will depend mostly on what you want your setup to look like. If you’re looking to outfit your dorm room into a full-fledged gaming battle station, you’ll probably want to buy many of the products in this guide. But if you just want to add a little more gaming flexibility to your laptop, a good gaming mouse is probably your best bet.
Even if you choose other products, these are the three most important things we look for when choosing a gaming accessory for students.
- Budget-friendly: Most college students don’t have a lot of money to spend on gaming products, so it’s important to find options that offer the best balance between price and performance.
- Easy to transport: While not everything needs to fit easily into your backpack, it’s nice to have gaming products that are easy to pack and ready to play on the go when needed.
- Works well in shared spaces: In college life, you don’t usually spend much time alone or have a ton of space to yourself, so it’s nice to have products that are not only nice to your roommates, but also help you immerse yourself in the games and not get distracted by your surroundings.
Best budget gaming technology
Logitech G305 Lightspeed Mouse
While it may not be the flashiest or most powerful mouse on the market, the Logitech G305 is still undoubtedly one of the best budget gaming mice, despite only being released in 2018. In our extensive review, we found that the G305 far exceeds its price and seemingly boring exterior.
Its smaller form factor makes this mouse easy to transport to and from class. While it only connects wirelessly with a 2.4GHz receiver, which may be a bit of a hassle for some laptop users, it more than makes up for it with its incredible battery life of 250 hours on a single AA battery. Even with regular use, the G305 can easily last for several months at a time without needing to replace the battery.
Best premium gaming technology
Asus ROG Strix GL502VW
At the time of writing, all the hype in handheld gaming revolves around the Steam Deck OLED and the Asus ROG Ally. While these are super exciting, the original ROG Ally offers great value for gamers who want a premium handheld gaming experience but still want to save a few bucks.
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Not only is the ROG Ally a more affordable option, but it’s also a slimmer and more portable option that can hold its own against its bulkier competitors when it comes to gaming performance. Whether you’re playing AAA titles on the go or just want to relax with less taxing games, the ROG Ally handles it all beautifully. With Valve confirming that it will support the ROG Ally with SteamOS, now is as good a time as any to pick up the Ally.
The Editor’s Choice
Arzopa-Z1FC
A portable monitor isn’t essential for a great gaming experience, especially if you’re gaming on a laptop that already has a nice display. However, if you’re using a laptop that’s locked to a 60Hz or 75Hz refresh rate, the Arzopa Z1FC is a great way to boost your gaming performance instantly and at a very affordable price.
This portable monitor offers an impressive 144Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, and HDR support on an incredibly slim 16-inch screen. With two USB-C ports, it can easily be used with laptops and the Switch with one cable. However, the mini HDMI port is not particularly durable for long-term use.
One of the biggest plus points of the Z1FC, however, is that its stand is quite intuitive and stable. This is unlike many other portable monitors whose stands take a good five minutes to fold up to hold the monitor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What percentage of college students are gamers?
While it may seem like you may need to change your gaming habits in school, 70% of college students say they play video games in some form at least once a week, and 65% of college students said they play regularly or occasionally.
Q: Are there eSports at universities?
According to NACE, the National Association Collegie eSports, there are currently 170 member schools with over 5,000 student athletes participating in university eSports programs across the United States.
