Best gear for Counter-Strike 2: Headset, mouse, and keyboard

Finding the best gear for Counter-Strike 2 is absolutely vital for competitive success in the game. Counter-Strike 2 is the long-awaited sequel to CS:GO, and there's a very good chance it’s going to be the most competitive FPS out there.

You can get a long way with practice, discipline, and consistency; however, you’ll need a top-tier keyboard, mouse, and headset to truly maximize your performance potential. So, as makers of everything PC gaming, we thought we’d put a list together of our very best gear for Counter-Strike 2, so you can be sure that your gear isn’t slowing you down.

Let’s take a look, starting with the metaphorical gun in your hand, the mouse.

When it comes to competitive FPS, most top performers play on low DPI, meaning that the mouse must move further for any given on-screen aim adjustment. This means the mouse must be able to be moved as quickly as possible. So, you need a lightweight mouse. Lightweight, but not featureless. Remember that some players prefer a few extra mouse buttons for quick reflexive smokes, bomb plants, and other in-game actions.

With these requirement in mind, one mouse shouts out to us: the CORSAIR SABRE RGB PRO WIRELESS Champion Series. It ticks all the boxes for a competitive FPS mouse.

The Marksman 26k sensor allows for reliable accuracy, even more so at low DPIs, meaning that your aim will never be compromised. Unfortunately, this means that you’ve only got yourself to blame for misses.

Of course, aiming and figurately pulling the trigger is only one aspect of Counter-Strike 2. There is also smoke grenades, planting bombs, diffusing the bombs, etc. There’s a lot of variances between players as to how they like to control this stuff, meaning that having two additional buttons on the thumbside of the mouse is invaluable. These can be bound to whatever action you want, and their ergonomic position on the side of the mouse means that muscle memory will soon make these a pure reflex, allowing you to react instantly. However, to react effectively, you’ll need a top-shelf audio solution, and that’s where the CORSAIR HS80 MAX comes in.

Anyone who’s played any level of competitive FPS knows how important sound is. From Battlefield and Call of Duty to Apex Legends, to Counter-Strike 2, sound allows you to get a sense of other people’s positions relative to you.

Obviously, this is crucial for being able to react quickly enough to in-game events, whether it’s pulling a 180° flip to defend against someone to your rear because you heard their footsteps, or hearing an unseen opponent reload so you can advance safely. For this, you need two things: Accurate spatial sound and enough fidelity to notice the small things in amongst the explosive soundscape of a 5v5 battle.

These two vital aspects are exemplified in the CORSAIR HS80 MAX, the new and improved follow-up to the fan-favorite HS80. Dolby Atmos® Spatial Audio provides industry-defining positional clarity, allowing you to discern the position of any sound quickly and accurately in the environment. This gives you the competitive edge needed to stay at the top of the leaderboard in the ever-growing landscape of esports FPS games.

So, we’ve got you covered when it comes to positional audio, however, we need high fidelity, accuracy, and a broad soundstage for the Counter-Strike 2’s impressive soundscape to come alive. The custom-tuned 50mm neodymium dynamic drivers provide all this and more. The larger 50mm diameter means the bass-heavy lows of AWP shots are reproduced as well as the metallic clink of someone lighting a Molotov before it unforgivably rockets directly into your head.

Of course, one man can only go so far alone before he needs backup, with five people per team in Counter-Strike 2, you’ll need to have reliable, clear, and low-latency communication. Communication is invaluable for competitive FPS, be it Counter-Strike 2, or otherwise.

The CORSAIR HS80 MAX comes in clutch for this, too, with an ergonomic adjustable noise cancelling microphone. It’s compatible with NVIDIA Broadcast, too, allowing incredibly powerful and effective AI noise-cancelling, ensuring that your teammates only hear your voice, not the taps from your keyboard, click from your mouse, or crash from your dropped can of coke.

Additionally, it’s flip to mute, meaning that you can be confident that people can only hear you when you want them to. As a bonus, it also flips right up out of your eyeline, helping reduce distraction and increase immersion, to make for a more absorbing gameplay experience.

When it comes to connectivity, the HS80 MAX is unbeaten. 50ft of 2.4Ghz range ensures reliable connection even through buildings, as you can see from Nick's unorthodox testing methodology. Additionally, if you're a laptop gamer with limited USB ports, the HS80 MAX now has Bluetooth connectivity, so you can enjoy a secure low-latency connection without worrying about the dongle.

When talking about the best gear for Counter-Strike 2, the focus is usually, understandably, on the mouse. This is fine, but you’re not getting anything done without a keyboard. It’s not like you’re going to use a controller, right? Right?

Good, we’re glad, but which keyboard is best for Counter-Strike 2? We’re going for the CORSAIR K70 RGB TKL Champion Series, as there are several fundamental aspects of its design that make it perfect for competitive FPS games, coincidentally, this includes Counter-Strike 2.

First and foremost, it uses a TKL layout (No numpad). This maximizes mouse real estate, creating enough room for low-DPI movements on even the smallest of desks, providing a compact form with uncompromised function.

Of course, this is Counter-Strike 2 we’re talking about. There can be no weak links in your setup, only the most high-performance gear will do. This is why we’ve furnished the K70 RGB TKL with CORSAIR OPX Optical-mechanical keyswitches. These actuate at just 1.0mm of travel, meaning the keystroke is registered more quickly, reducing the delay between your action, and the in-game result to its absolute minimum. You also benefit from zero debounce and a lifespan of 150 million keystrokes, so you’ll be competing for a long time, and we of course offer the K70 RGB TKL with PBT keycaps. These two features combine to create a keyboard that will look and feel out-of-the-box new for years to come (food crumbs notwithstanding.)

So, you want to be operating at peak performance when Counter-Strike 2 is released? Or perhaps your time in the closed beta has allowed you to identify some weak links in your gear so you’re considering a setup overhaul? The SABRE, HS80 MAX, and K70 RGB TKL should be at the top of the list. GLHF.