If you’re reading this I’m assuming you’re already a fan of gaming. If so you will be familiar with how many hours can be spent sitting at your desk or on your sofa sniping enemies or searching for clues. Often gamers will sink hours of time into their craft, so how can you make the experience easier?
Gaming allows us to discover new worlds and explore wondrous places, but it comes with its difficulties and I’m not just talking about that big boss you can’t quite get to zero health here. Gaming also has some technical challenges that we all must overcome. So what are yours? Are you fed up with tangled cables? What about never-ending updates? Or maybe you are experiencing lag with your game or controllers? Whatever your gaming challenges I have you covered.
I’ll be looking at a variety of different gaming hacks to help improve your gaming life and make those everyday niggles just a little bit easier. From tips on creating a perfect gaming workspace to coping with a cat on your keyboard, they’re all here. I even cover some simple exercises that can improve your health and gaming prowess. After all who doesn’t want to improve their reflexes? That raid boss isn’t going down without your help.
So sit down, take your recommended 5-minute break, and read about 25 gaming hacks to make your gaming life easier.
25 Silence Your Xbox Controller
This hack involves adding tiny rubber bands to the controller in order to stop the clicking of the joysticks. If you are frustrated by the annoying click then this is for you.
While some suggested this may restrict gameplay due to slightly limiting the movement on the controller the accessories app will prevent this. Simply reconfigure the controller using the app to ensure it recognizes the maximum movement the controller is now capable of.
Be aware that this apparently only works with the elite controller however, so if you have a normal one you may have to make a choice.
24 Mini Figures Make Great Cable Holders
Sometimes its hard to avoid cables. While many of these can be tucked away behind your desk with some good cable management others can’t. USB cables are a prime example of this.
Often needing to be plugged into the front of your PC, these pesky wires are needed to charge phones, controllers and tablets. Keeping control of them and stopping them sliding off your desk can be a pain.
Enter trusty Lego. A Lego mini figure has hands exactly the right size to hold a cable. Simply attach one to your desk with sticky tack and let him keep your cables in check.
23 Re-Purpose A Banana Holder
It may not be the most obvious solution but a simply banana holder can offer a great headphone storage solution for your desk.
The hook keeps your headphones off the desk and out of the way. It also holds them in a way which helps reduce the risk of damage.
No more headphones dangling precariously off your desk, or worse being placed over the corner of your monitor. The humble banana holder is a cheap and easy option to keep them safe and secure.
22 An Unplugged Controller Can Be Useful
Do you have a younger sibling who always wants to join in with your game? If they are old enough to annoy you but too young to play an unplugged controller can be the answer.
Handing them the controller can enable them to “assist” you in your gaming.
The hard part is being convincing enough to make them believe they are actually playing. Games which have a second character who follows the main one around are especially suited to this trick. Play smart and you can play longer.
21 Keep Cords Tangle Free
Tangled cords are the bane of most gamers lives. Luckily Lifehacker has you covered. In this short video they demonstrate how to use simple everyday items such as paper towel rolls and binder clips to keep on top of those pesky cables. The paper towel or toilet roll tubes can also be used to store cables for a bonus hack.
The binder clip USB cable trick is my personal favorite.
I also find Velcro cable ties incredibly useful. They aren’t too expensive and can be moved and reused, unlike plastic cable ties. Easier, smarter and better for the environment.
20 Schedule Updates
The latest generation of consoles have a fantastic feature that can help end the headache of seemingly endless updates.
If you fish through the menus you can find a feature called “auto update” this will allow you to schedule updates to automatically take place at the time of your choosing. Just make sure your leave your console in standby mode so it can turn on to update.
If you game on the PC then Steam has very similar settings, allowing you to automate as much as possible.
19 Invest In A Good Chair
In order to game at your best a good chair is essential. Doing some research about ergonomics and buying a suitable chair can really help save your back.
If you’re sat at a desk all day it makes sense to ensure your setup is as optimized as possible.
Desk height, chair height, footrests and back supports can all make a huge difference to your comfort and posture. Do your research and setup your space accordingly, your back will thank you.
18 Buy And Download Games On The Go
This hack can be very dangerous for your bank account as it’s now easier than ever to buy games on the go. Both the PSN App and Xbox Smartglass allow you to purchases games wherever you are. You can also link both apps to their respective consoles.
This nifty feature allows you limited remote access to your console.
The apps will allow you to wake up a console out of sleep mode and set it to begin downloading your newly purchased games, ensuring they are ready for you to play when you get home.
17 Use The PS4 Controller Jack
At the base of the PlayStation 4 remote you will find a jack port, usually used for a headset. This handy socket can also be used for normal headphones which makes it incredibly versatile.
If you want to play games late at night, when everyone else is asleep, plugging headphones into the socket allows you to game easily without tangling your cables.
Having the headphones attached to the remote means you won’t get as tangled if you move a distance from the TV, just make sure you put both down at once.
16 Explore Accessibility Mode
Most games have an accessibility mode and often it contains features that can be incredibly useful to a range of gamers. As well as the expected functions like making text bigger or adding subtitles the setting also contains some hidden gems.
One of the most useful features often found under accessibility is the feature to allow you to press and hold buttons where normally you would have to rapidly button bash. This is a great feature for anyone who struggles to manage rapid button pressing or even those who simply want to remove this feature and save their fingers and controllers.
15 Discover Your TVs Game Mode
Many modern TVs have a game mode setting. This feature optimizes your settings for gaming and helps remove input lag. Although this may not always make a huge difference for some TVs it gives a noticeable increase in performance.
The best way to find out how to optimize your TV for gaming is to put the make and model or serial number into a search engine and take notes. Forums are full of people who have spent hours playing with individual settings so you don’t have to.
14 USB Rules
Although many things, from peripherals to controllers, are wireless you still often need to charge them. Picking up a multi-use USB charger can help eliminate some of the headaches, depending on your devices. One cable which can charge your phone, tablet, and controller is incredibly handy.
You can also buy USB chargers for your Nintendo DS and other handheld devices, freeing up your electrical sockets.
USB is a fast and flexible way to charge devices, especially if you have a PC which you can use the ports on while you game.
13 Protect Your Eyes
Have you ever noticed how many pro gamers wear glasses? This isn’t because they are all short-sighted many wear glasses to help reduce screen glare and protect their eyes.
There are many ways to do this. Some people use a program such as Flux which reduces the brightness of your screen depending on the time of day. Others use special glasses to reduce screen glare. You can also get a special coating on your regular glasses to achieve this.
Whatever you do ensure you protect your eyes and go for regular check-ups, vision is important.
12 Wired Internet Connection Is Key
These days wireless technology has really been pushed as the easiest and best way to connect everything in your home to the internet. When it comes to gaming however wires are still superior.
An Ethernet cable can help you reduce lag and improve your ping.
If you can’t easily access your router from your console HomePlug technology can help you run Ethernet cables over your household electrical wiring. Alternatively, you can use trunking and a really long cable. Whichever way you choose to plug in the wires will help your gaming performance.
11 The WiiU Gamepad Stand Is Incredibly Versatile
The Wii U gamepad is one of the most versatile gaming accessories that appears entirely useless at first glance. While the charging stand is clearly useful the extra stand seemed pointless at first but soon became much less so.
Not only does it hold the gamepad but it can also be used to hold a tablet or mobile phone or even your 3DS. One especially inventive person even discovered it can double as a stand for an umbrella or a sword, just in case.
10 Split Loom Tubing Can Save Your Cables
If you have pets then you need to think about protecting your cables. Animals can easily chew loose wires and that’s not great for them or your cabling.
Putting cables inside split loom tubing can help protect them from inquisitive pets.
It’s cheap, easy and helps you keep both your cables and your animals around for longer. It can also help stop cables from tangling together and making a giant spaghetti style mess under your desk. Bonus.
9 Customize Your Controls
Confusing controls can often be an issue for frequent gamers. Many games vary the buttons and even seeing an X flash on screen may not help as not all controllers have the X button in the same place. This is where keybinding comes to the rescue.
If you check the menu you will often find the ability to remap keys to your personal taste. This is especially common and useful on PC Games where you can choose your own movement keys.
Being able to map your keys to a specification of your choice can help you more easily remember them, enabling you to jump into, and be good at, new games much quicker.
8 Do Hand Exercises
Keeping your hand muscles strengthened is incredibly important, not just for gamers but for anyone who uses a PC on a regular basis. They will enable you to ensure your reflexes are on top form.
This YouTube video from DrLeviFitness offers some simple tips to help you keep check of your overall health, especially that of your fingers, hands and joints.
Being smart with your health is the very best tip for any gamer. Looking after yourself enables you to stay in top shape for much longer.
7 Stop Cat Squatters
In this Reddit thread a user asks for advice on how to stop his cat from taking up permanent residence on his keyboard. As you may expect some of the ideas are genius, others less so.
Some users suggest creating an alternative space such as a comfy pillow, box or even an extra keyboard and monitor close by. However many report that this does not work.
Enticing them with a fish tank or bird videos on a second monitor was also suggested. Someone even informed me that cat specific videos are a thing on YouTube. Who knew? I suspect this is one problem where you need to try several solutions.
6 Store Games Inside Your Controller
This hack requires soldering and some courage but the results are awesome. It involves adding a thumb drive and small usb hub to a PC USB controller. The idea is that you can then store your games and saves on the thumb drive and use the USB hub to allow you to access them and still use the controller.
For those brave enough to attempt this you can find more information here. Obviously this hack is done at your own risk as it could damage your controller. However, if you’re handy enough to pull this off it’s a great way to take your game saves on the go.
