Need to unplug from the world for a bit? Here’s everything you’ll need to start game streaming for under $500 this Black Friday

The world is always a stress-filled place, and things have become even more hectic lately. Throw in the chaos of the holiday season and finding the perfect holiday gift in the mix and you have a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Thankfully, there are plenty of Black Friday deals to take advantage of right now, especially if you want to log off real life for a bit and start streaming your favorite games. To help you get started, this guide will show you everything you need for under $500 total so you don’t have to break the bank.

• Shop more deals at Amazon

With options like the Razer Kiyo streaming webcam for $44.95 at Amazon, the HyperX SoloCast USB microphone for $50.99 at Best Buy, the InnoGear MU078 microphone arm for $22.99 at Amazon, the Elgato Stream Deck MK.2 selling for $130.44 at Amazon (which we reviewed and loved), and the HyperX Cloud II Wireless for just $84.99 at HP.com will get you streaming in no time (total price: $334.36, minus taxes and shipping).

There are a lot of ways to get equipped if you’ve been wanting to get into Twitch, Kick, or YouTube streaming. And why wouldn’t you want to share the hobby of gaming that you love and build the community that you need when the world can be full of stress and angst? Fortunately, this is the perfect time to pick up all the equipment to get started, including some of the best webcams, best streaming microphones, and more.

Today’s best streaming equipment deals

Below, you’ll find great deals on the five essential pieces of equipment you’ll need to get started with game streaming (other than having a good gaming PC).

Webcams

Microphones

Boom arms

Stream controllers

Headphones

The five most essential kit you’ll need to start streaming (other than a PC)

In order to start streaming, you’ll need some basic equipment, mainly five items: a microphone for streaming, a webcam, a boom arm to hold the mic, a stream deck for app controls, recording, and other functions, and a pair of headphones.

• Webcam: the most basic of equipment that you need, as you can cover most other functions through it and your PC used for actually gaming. You don’t need a super high-tech one to start, as long as it can record at 1080p and at least 30fps.
• Microphone: while many webcams and PCs have built-in microphones, they tend not to be the best quality. Therefore, it’s a good investment to purchase a mic made especially for streaming, as the audio quality bump up alone is worth it.
• Boom arm: this isn’t strictly necessary but having a boom arm to attach to your mic gives you a much longer range, stabilizes your mic, and keeps your desk space clear for your keyboard and mouse.
• Stream deck: this device is a customizable control panel that lets you perform actions on your computer by pressing programmable buttons. This can include launching software, streaming on your platform of choice, editing your media (in this case video and audio editing), and making it far easier to multitask between streaming, gaming, and editing, all at your fingertips.
• Headphones: You’re definitely going to need headphones if you have a separate microphone, as you don’t want PC speakers to create feedback while streaming. Plus, many of us would prefer to game without distractions, so getting a solid pair of headphones is important.

What to know about starting to stream your gaming

Of course, you can always purchase more specialty equipment the more invested you become in streaming. Good examples include sound dampening to keep outside audio out of your livestream feed, a pop filter that controls excess noises while speaking, monitor isolation pads to reduce vibrations, and so on. But the five pieces of kit listed above are the essentials you’ll need to get started.

Video game streaming has been a popular hobby for quite some time now, being able to play your favorite games and indulge in a treasured hobby or make a living off something you truly love to do. Websites like Twitch and YouTube make it even easier to share that passion and build a community around like-minded people.

With inflation, politics, and general bad vibes all around, the comfort, support, and solidarity one can find in a community is absolutely vital. Thankfully, it’s never been easier or more affordable to get a hold of the equipment you need to start your streaming hobby or career for real and tune out all the noise for a little while when you need to.

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