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The best consoles, games and accessories for students
The life of a student isn't all taking notes, writing essays and broadening horizons. Sometimes, you just want to blow off some steam. And for some of us, that means loading up a new game (or an old familiar one) and transporting yourself elsewhere. Welcome to the console gaming section of our back-to-school guide, where we've homed in on several upgrades, running the gamut from accessories, games (duh) and even whole consoles (lucky you). While we're pretty taken with Nintendo's Switch, we've also included recommendations for Xbox, PlayStation and even a VR headset, with game suggestions throughout to help make some new friends or get the party started. And if you need even more game-buying advice, click here to find our top picks for every platform and also be sure to check out the PC gaming section of our back-to-school guide.
SteelSeries' gaming-friendly DAC is now available by itself
SteelSeries' GameDAC has been a solid way to boost the quality of gaming audio (and virtually any other audio), but there's been a catch: to use it, you've had to buy an Arctis Pro headset rather than bring your own cans. That won't be an issue after today. The company is now selling the GameDAC by itself for $130 (€150), letting you plug in virtually any 3.5mm headphone set to use with your PC or PS4. You'll want a high quality set if you're going to make full use of the device's fidelity. If you have one on hand, though, the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC inside promises more distinct sounds, tighter bass, better positional sound (through DTS Headphone:X 2.0) and 24-bit/96kHz support from compatible sound sources. An OLED screen and physical controls let you fine-tune the output on a PS4.
SteelSeries keeps it classy with its new gaming headsets
Any gamer can benefit from a good headset, whether to stay in clear contact with their teammates during an intense raid or to keep the noise down while their spouse is asleep. But some cans are loud in a different way, boasting garish designs or cheap plastic builds that you might not feel comfortable wearing outside your home. Newcomers like LucidSound have taken a stab at building headgear on the more stylish side, but now industry vet SteelSeries enters the arena with its own line of fashionable gaming headsets.
