The best streaming gear on offer for October Prime Day
Microphones, gaming headsets and webcams that are perfect for a quality discount streaming setup.
Getting together all the best gear for streaming isn't the easiest task. It can be expensive, especially when you're just starting out and want your setup to look as clean as the pros you watch on Twitch. It's not easy to find discounts on the best webcams for streaming, either (though at least they're not as scarce as they were in 2020!). But the increased popularity of streaming and video chatting means there are a lot more options to pick from than there used to be.
I've managed to wade through the rubbish and pull together some great Prime Day streaming deals, so you don't have to go scouting when you could be filming that sweet, sweet content.
Some of the gear below is at better than half price right now. These are also prime gaming accessories from top brands that we've tested ourselves, so you can get the best understanding of their performance before parting with whatever hard-earned cash you haven't already spent on a GPU deal.
Take the HyperX Cloud Alpha for example: my old colleagues have been singing the praises of this thing for eons and it's still one of the best gaming headsets around, even today. It might not have RGB to make your stream light up, but it's a damn great headset, and your audience will recognise that you stand for quality.
Gaming headset
HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless | 15-21,000 Hz | Wireless | 300 hours battery | $199.99 $129.41 at Amazon (save $70.58)
The HyperX Cloud Alpha is the best wireless gaming headset right now, and it's not just because of the usual quality audio, mic, and comfort (although of course, it has all these things, too, just like the wired version). In addition to all this, however, by some sorcery, the Cloud Alpha Wireless has 300 hours of battery life. Yes, three hundred. That justifies every penny of its full retail price, let alone with this stellar discount.
Price check: Newegg $149
A quality low light webcam and some lighting
Razer Kiyo Pro Webcam | 1080p @ 60fps | 103, 90, 80 degree FOV | $199.99 $91.99 at Amazon (save $108)
The Razer Kiyo Pro is one of the best streaming webcams on the market. It performs particularly well in low light conditions, so if you're concerned about grainy dark video, this is the cam for you. Right now it's better than half price.
Video Conference Lighting Kit | 5 color levels | 5 brightness levels | Clamp and tripod | $39.99 $19.74 on Amazon (save $20.25)
Even with a webcam that handles low light situations well, you're not going to get great quality video without proper lighting. A ring light is the best way to get started: cheap, easy to set up, and bright enough to help the webcam make out where on your face you keep your eyes and nose and whatnot.
Govee Glide Hexa light panels | RGB | 10 pack | $179.99 $99.99 at Amazon (save $80)
Okay, these are very much an optional addition, but if you're jelly of the streaming setups you've seen online, they probably had some RGB lighting panels on the wall dialing in the ambiance. There are cheaper options than this one from Govee, but the company is a big name in wi-fi "smart" lighting and will give you a much better software experience than a cheapo kit as you customize your setup.
Condenser microphones
For a discounted streaming microphone, there's currently two great HyperX designs to chose from. Our Andy outlined the differences in more detail in an earlier deal post, but it mainly comes down to whether you want to glow up, or go crimson. Either way, they're both great for streaming. Just one's going to make you look a lot more menacing in the dark.
HyperX QuadCast | USB | Condenser | Anti-vibration shockmount | Built-in pop filter| 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz | $139.99 $85.49 at Amazon (save $54.50)
The OG Quadcast is a very good microphone indeed, with four polar patterns to choose from, an anti-vibration shock mount, a built-in pop filter and tap-to-mute functionality. It's also a rather shocking shade of red, so if you'd prefer some color variation, look below.
Price check: Newegg $99.99
HyperX QuadCast S| USB | Condenser | Anti-vibration shockmount | Built-in pop filter | 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz | $159.99 $113.96 at Amazon (save $46.03)
If the original QuadCast isn't quite doing it for you in the looks department, how about the QuadCast S? It's pretty much exactly the same mic as the excellent Quadcast, just with some flashy RGB effects that'll look fantastic in your next meeting, or on your next stream. You're paying a fair bit for the lighting, it's true, but it really does look fabulous in action.
Price check: Newegg $159.99
Two types of chairs
The Twitch aesthetic is all about the racing-style gaming chair, but your back will thank you if you instead invest in a high quality office chair; the good ones are better ergonomically, more comfortable, and built to last for years and years. That said, they can be pretty dang expensive; this gaming chair, by comparison, is good enough to tide you over for a couple years.
9. Corsair TC 100 Relaxed gaming chair | Fabric | Black | Lumbar pillow | 2D armrests | $249.99 $219.99 at Newegg (save $30 with promo code SSFTTDX748)
Our pick for the best budget gaming chair. The important bits are: it's comfortable, pretty easy to put together, and surprisingly plush for the money. It's also available in a black leatherette.
Price check: Amazon $219.99 | Corsair $219.99
A capture card for console streaming
EVGA XR1 lite capture card | 4K60 passthrough | 1080p60 recording | USB 3.0 Type C | $99.99 $39.99 on Amazon (save $60)
If you're streaming PC games and PC games only, you likely have no need for a capture card. But as soon as consoles enter the mix, you'll need one of these babies to pipe the signal to your rig for broadcast. This is a damn good deal on EVGA's perfectly capable card, which is all you need unless you plan to capture/stream at 4K. For that, upgrade to the Pro version, on sale for $75.
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Screw sports, Katie would rather watch Intel, AMD and Nvidia go at it. Having been obsessed with computers and graphics for three long decades, she took Game Art and Design up to Masters level at uni, and has been rambling about games, tech and science—rather sarcastically—for four years since. She can be found admiring technological advancements, scrambling for scintillating Raspberry Pi projects, preaching cybersecurity awareness, sighing over semiconductors, and gawping at the latest GPU upgrades. Right now she's waiting patiently for her chance to upload her consciousness into the cloud.
- Wes FenlonSenior Editor