Why you should set up a gaming PC in your living room

While playing at a desk may be the preferred option among a number of PC gamers, some crave the comfort of the living room.

However, it is not necessary to buy a gaming console solely for living room gaming, as their are many solutions available to gamers who wish to play PC games in their lounge.

There are also a number of advantages to setting up a living room gaming system, such as easily accessible media on your TV and better surround-sound setups.

Power and customisation

While many gamers will buy a console as either a gaming station or media device for their living room, using a PC for gaming or entertainment offers more customisation and hardware control.

Gamers can easily expand their media storage and increase the graphics processing power of their device depending on what type of games they are looking to play.

If you have a gaming PC in a separate room, you can use a streaming device such as a Steam Link to play games on your living room TV using the horsepower of your dedicated gaming rig, negating the need to buy a separate PC for a different part of your house.

A standalone media and gaming PC in the living room can eliminate the need for extraneous devices and offer a number of entertainment solutions.

Various pre-built console/media device replacements are available, such as the Corsair Bulldog and Alienware Steam Machine.

Large library of games and media

The amount of content available on PC is unparalleled, and many gamers are taking full advantage of this to create all-in-one gaming and media devices for their living rooms.

The vast amount of content available on Steam alone offers endless hours of gaming, and regular sales and discounts mean that there will always be something to play.

Streaming services such as Netflix and ShowMax are also readily available on PC, offering a large selection of films and series.

Custom gaming setup

A mouse and keyboard setup is not the only control scheme used by PC gamers, with many other options readily available.

Gamers can use Xbox One or PlayStation 4 controllers with their gaming PC, along with high-end peripherals such as gaming headsets and custom gamepads.

If you do want to use a mouse and keyboard however, there are a number of couch gaming solutions available from many peripheral manufacturers.

These products include the Corsair Lapdog and Roccat Sova, gaming lapboards that allow you to use a mouse and keyboard easily from the comfort of your couch.

Wireless peripherals such as the Razer Turret offer comfortable gaming experiences with minimal cost to performance.

Audio setups can range from a high-quality low-latency wireless headset for the hardcore gamer, to surround-sound systems for a more comfortable experience.