10 Things You Need to be a Successful Streamer

Streaming can be overwhelming, especially if you consider everything some streamers use to improve the quality of their streams. Let me assure you that you don’t have to buy into all of these products for your stream to look good. In fact, you can start streaming with just 10 things, and the quality and experience of your stream will be just fine. I try to stay on the minimalist side for my streaming setup because I enjoy having more open space on my desk. And I haven’t felt the urge to add more tech gear to this setup. My basic streaming needs are met, and if you’re a minimalist like myself, hopefully these 10 things will suffice for too.

1. Headphones

A good set of headphones is a must for every streamer. You want to be able to hear new alerts for your stream without those alert sounds traveling right into your microphone and creating an echo on your stream. I strongly suggest acquiring a wired headset, because I personally get flustered when I have to charge more devices.

My Gear: I use the Razer Kraken Ultimate (discontinued). Razer has several series of headphones available, but I love the Kraken series for their sound settings and how well the headphones fit my head.

2. Microphone

You don’t want to stream with the microphone that’s built into your headphones, trust me. If you want to hear the sound quality difference, check out this video with the headphone mic, and this one with the independent mic. In addition to improved sound quality, microphones also have different directional features. Depending on the style of your stream, you might want a bidirectional, omnidirectional, or cardioid microphone.

My Gear: I use the Razer Siren V2 Pro, connected to a mic arm so it doesn’t pick up all the little sounds on my desk.

3. Mouse

A wired mouse is best for gaming and streaming, because you have a faster response time than you would with a wireless mouse. This difference may not be entirely noticeable in some games, but in multiplayer games, and especially competitive games, you can feel the difference. And again, I hate recharging things, so there’s the added benefit of not having to charge a wired mouse.

My Gear: I play with the Razer Basilisk (discontinued) because it’s smaller and my smaller-than-average hands feel much better with it than with a standard mouse.

4. Keyboard

Keyboards are so diverse that it takes some research to determine exactly what you want. Again, I would opt for a wired keyboard, due to response time, and of course, to not have to charge it. Beyond that, there are different switch types in keyboards you need to consider. There are 3 types of switches: linear, tactical, and clicky switches.

My Gear: I use the Razer Huntsman V2 with clicky switches because I love the light feel of the keys and the clicking noises.

5. Controller

If you don’t want to play and stream with a mouse all the time, getting a comfortable controller is a necessity. I was a PlayStation girl before I switched to PC gaming, so sometimes being able to sit back with that Dualsense controller feels much more relaxing than forward-leaning mouse gaming.

My Gear: I use a Sony PS5 Dualsense controller.

6. Dual Monitors

Having more than one monitor is almost a complete necessity for streamers. You have to be able to see what you’re playing on one screen, and your stream on the other, complete with your stream’s chat, your activity feed, and your stream stats (connectivity, frames, etc). You don’t have to have two high-end gaming monitors, use what you’re comfortable with. Your video quality doesn’t impact the stream’s quality.

My Gear: I have a 27″ and a 23″ (discontinued) ASUS gaming monitor. Both of these monitors can pivot from landscape to portrait orientations.

7. Capture Card

If you’re streaming content from another device, you will need a capture card to connect that device to your streaming device. A capture card connects via HDMI and captures both the display and the audio of the game you are playing, and transfers it to your streaming computer to broadcast it.

My Gear: I use the Elgato HD60 X when I’m playing games on my switch that I want to stream.

8. Desk Switchboard

A desk switchboard will make streaming much easier. You can have a button for every streaming need right at your fingertips. You can have a button to create a clip on your stream, one to mute and unmute your microphone, buttons to transition your stream scenes, and buttons to start and end your stream.

My Gear: I use the Elgato Stream Deck MK.2, though I would love to upgrade to the larger Stream Deck XL in the near future for more buttons per page.

9. Webcam

If you want to show your face on your stream, you’ll need a webcam. The primary things to look for in a webcam are resolution, frame rate, and basic adjustment properties. A good webcam resolution starts around 1080p, and a frame rate of 30fps is smooth enough starting out, as long as you keep quick and sudden movements to a minimum.

My Gear: I use the Razer Kiyo Pro. It has bright light and low light settings, along with narrow and wide field of view settings, plus advanced adjustment settings for the real video savvy users.

10. Lighting

Having good lighting on your face will make your stream much more visually appealing to viewers. I wouldn’t recommend a ring light, because the light it casts on you is quite inconsistent. Instead, I would get LED light panels, one for each side of your setup so the lighting is more even and consistent on both sides of your face. Having just one light will cast a shadow on the other side of your face, and that is quite visible to your stream.

My Gear: I use a generic ring ling from Amazon, but when I make my next upgrade, it’s going to be the Elgato Key Lights.