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Original poster

Gaming set up?

12 replies

salmonlla · 19/07/2023 09:22

DS has said he would like a gaming set up for his birthday/Christmas (very close together) he is happy to combine the two as it is the only thing he really wants, however I know nothing about computers.

He has an Xbox, is it possible to connect his Xbox to a monitor and keyboard or would I need the whole computer?

He's more interested on it being a gaming desk rather than having a top of the range gaming computer iyswim and only plays Fortnite and Minecraft.

Does anyone have any advice, where to start? Good beginner equipment etc. thanks in advance!

OP posts:
mummyof2boys30 · 21/07/2023 07:56

Gaming computers are £££ for a decent one. We opted for a gaming laptop last year. Got on very black friday from 1299 to 699 i think. It was a bargain anyway for the spec

ilovetea14 · 21/07/2023 15:25

My son wanted a gaming computer. I'm not tech savvy at all but he ended up with a Lenovo as he wanted to be able to bring it with him if going to his friends. He's very happy with it. He uses it a lot more then I thought he would, as he has an Xbox, phone and vr headset.
He does coding and plays games on it with steam. We also got him a monitor, keyboard and microphone, some led lights to put around his room and a Bluetooth speaker shelf. For Christmas this year I bought him a lifetime coding subscription for Roblox and Minecraft.

Universalcreditconfusion01 · 21/07/2023 16:29

In answer to your question, yes it is possible to connect the xbox into a monitor and keyboard. My son has his like this, only because he shares a room with his brother who has his own xbox connected to the tv and theres no space on the wall for 2 tvs so he has a desk, monitor, keyboard and xbox

Original poster
salmonlla · 22/07/2023 07:55

Amazing thanks everyone!

@Universalcreditconfusion01 that's exactly the kind of set up I was hoping for.

He doesn't have a tv in his bedroom and I would love to get the Xbox out of the livingroom!

OP posts:
DiscoBeat · 22/07/2023 08:22

A special gaming monitor is what you want, rather than a TV as the TV can be laggy. Desk and gaming chair perhaps, if any other members of the family want to chip in? Some colour changing lights would also make it look great. Also if he doesn't have one, a gaming headset with microphone so he can talk to his friends.

7Worfs · 22/07/2023 08:31

It would be best to decide on a budget and let him choose exactly what he wants. Be as generous as you can afford to - he sounds like a reasonable and lovely boy, and a proper gaming station is a joy at that age.

For the most part, anything branded as “gaming” product is overpriced crap - for example desk chairs, laptops etc.

Gaming peripherals like mouse and keyboard, headset maybe, are worth it - especially SteelSeries.

Razor is a flashy expensive brand that relies more on design than performance, so I’d avoid.

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 22/07/2023 08:38

Sounds like he's just after the set up to play his Xbox on rather than a gaming computer? If that's the case, as others have said gaming desk (some of them are really big, so measure carefully), chair, gaming monitor (maybe a curved one?), some colour changing lights and gaming headphones are all good. Desks can come with drinks and headphones holders or you can buy separately. Charging unit or at and for his Xbox controller? I don't think a keyboard is essential for an Xbox.

I found Scan good for peripherals and DS likes Razer accessories (try Amazon).

Original poster
salmonlla · 22/07/2023 08:42

@DiscoBeat thank you, just looked at gaming monitors and they are mostly in our price range so that is perfect!

@7Worfs that is very helpful thank you, I will get the steelseries keyboard and mouse.

So glad I started this thread now! He has a gaming chair so my idea is buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse, strip lights and a personalised mouse mat and then find a desk second hand on market place.

I can see there are varying prices for monitors, is it generally recommended to buy new rather than a refurbished gaming monitor?

OP posts:
7Worfs · 22/07/2023 08:47

I’d be wary of second-hand monitors - they might have burned pixels or colour problems (I don’t know the technical terms for those) that aren’t immediately obvious and then it’s too late.

Mixtapes · 22/07/2023 08:55

How old is your DS?

if he is going to have his X box away from a family area make sure.

You set up strict parental controls, look at your tube if you are not tech savvy, do not leave a credit card on the console to purchase stuff, make sure you have the password because if he knows it he could go in and change the security settings.

I game and run a gaming clan, I also know a woman who is leader of a very well known clan, mines just a small one. Know a twitch streamer who is quite well known and have friends that work in game development. The behaviour of some people as in all aspects of life can be awful and you would not want him exposed to some of that online life.

My DS was not allowed his Xbox in his room till he was 16 and that isn’t because I am anti gaming I love it but it’s because I have been around that world a lot and heard some awful stuff online and have known of some people get seriously harassed, myself included. People focus on the games with OMG they are violent, the actual threat is letting young people with not fully formed brains speak and msg complete strangers.

FixTheBone · 22/07/2023 09:20

salmonlla · 22/07/2023 08:42

@DiscoBeat thank you, just looked at gaming monitors and they are mostly in our price range so that is perfect!

@7Worfs that is very helpful thank you, I will get the steelseries keyboard and mouse.

So glad I started this thread now! He has a gaming chair so my idea is buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse, strip lights and a personalised mouse mat and then find a desk second hand on market place.

I can see there are varying prices for monitors, is it generally recommended to buy new rather than a refurbished gaming monitor?

Buy a new one.

Keep an eye on a deals website - I use hotukdeals and see a fairly constant stream of deals coming through...

If you're using it as a display for the xbox make sure you get one with speakers and an hdmi input, ideally one with two inputs so they can plug in a pc or laptop as well if they ever get one for example secondary school...

Samsung odyssey are pretty consistent g5 is a good starting place, g9 if you're made of money (check out the odyssey arc) ! Acer, Asus and hp also do decent gaming monitors and if you work in any affiliate companies (NHS etc) there are often pretty good discounts via bluelightcard etc

Ladymama12 · 04/08/2023 20:40

Mixtapes · 22/07/2023 08:55

How old is your DS?

if he is going to have his X box away from a family area make sure.

You set up strict parental controls, look at your tube if you are not tech savvy, do not leave a credit card on the console to purchase stuff, make sure you have the password because if he knows it he could go in and change the security settings.

I game and run a gaming clan, I also know a woman who is leader of a very well known clan, mines just a small one. Know a twitch streamer who is quite well known and have friends that work in game development. The behaviour of some people as in all aspects of life can be awful and you would not want him exposed to some of that online life.

My DS was not allowed his Xbox in his room till he was 16 and that isn’t because I am anti gaming I love it but it’s because I have been around that world a lot and heard some awful stuff online and have known of some people get seriously harassed, myself included. People focus on the games with OMG they are violent, the actual threat is letting young people with not fully formed brains speak and msg complete strangers.

I know op didn't ask for advice on this topic but I can't stress the above enough. Thanks for posting

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