I'm going to buy a new prebuilt PC next week. I'm almost certain I'll buy a Windows PC and making a PC is not my thing. I haven't been a gamer since the late 1970s so I'm a bit behind the curve.
What peripherals should I buy?
I know that's vague but I sincerely don't know what kind of games I'll end up liking.
How much should I budget for it?
~$300? I have no idea. For the short term - I want the basic core stuff I need and maybe a bell and whistle or two.
I want to avoid going crazy and buying specialized stuff like a wheel and pedals set. If I decide that driving games are my thing - I can always buy that later.
Should I buy a headset right off the bat?
Do you use a headset? My mental image is that I don't want to talk to anybody or listen to anybody because there are a lot of trolls out there. But am I wrong? Are there games where a headset is worth it? I'll let you define "worth it".
Also - how much does a good headset cost?
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Edit
I thought I needed to budget more for peripherals. It seems I don't. And - I don't need to buy everything next week anyway. There's no rush and my gaming needs might turn out to be (very) modest anyway. Current plan
- Keyboard. My current keyboard is beyond crap anyway.
- Gaming mouse?
- Microphone headset?
- Speakers? Maybe not. For reasons I don't want to explain - no speakers might be better.
Mouse, keyboard, external drives, and maybe a mic.
Budget depends on what you get, a mechanical keyboard will cost more than a membrane and a namebrand gamer one will cost even more. It is not necessary however.
I like mice with extra buttons and cannot imagine using one with only 2 extra. The last time I checked the current fad for mice is lightweight and excessively high DPI options, neither of which I would pay attention to or consider. In general most mice seem to develop some issue after a while but I would avoid logitech at all costs, never heard anything good about them online or offline. Razer supposedly had a massive quality drop after 2014 and still has subpar software. The Evga mouse I had developed an issue with disconnecting that apparently everyone gets at some point.
https://www.rtings.com/mouse/tools/3d-model-shape-compare/3d/razer-naga-x is good for comparing shapes if you already own a mouse that's listed.
There are smaller keyboards than the standard if you are concerned about desk space. Most will get rid of the numpad and the keys in the arrow key block, some will let you access those with the fn key. I don't have a mechanical but everyone says they're better while costing more.
I have never used a headset, I just used a mic. Games like Squad and Dayz pretty much need a mic, talking is a focal point of those games. I don't think it's really necessary in anything else and I think most people use discord anyways. The first mic I used was ~$15 from amazon. No one ever told me it sounded excessively bad or was horrible to listen to.