Butt friendly seating isn’t the only important thing you’ll need when you’re crafting your very own Gamer Lounge; you’ll also need some top-of-the-line peripherals that help take the gaming/movie-watching experience to the next level. To do this you’ll need some kickass peripherals, gadgets that were formed from the minds of a dozen scientists in a secret underground lab after years of research. Or something along those lines.

What’s a night of gaming without an awesome headset and professional quality mouse? A really crappy night, that’s what. Thankfully, Plantronics has our delicate ears covered with their Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound capable headset, and QPad has our pale gamer hands covered with their professional gaming mouse and customizable mousepads. Just how great is this gear, you ask? Read on to find out, then you can thank me for opening your eyes (and hands) to these fantastic gems of scientist-mind-stuffs. Let’s start with the Plantronics GameCom Headset, shall we? Now, I use Bose headphones daily and have one of their iPod sound docks as well, so I think it’s safe to say I’m used to good quality sound. My iPod gets daily abuse as I listen to music and a variety of podcasts often, so a top notch headset is essential for this recluse. When I’m not squeezing the battery life out of my iPod I can usually be found deep within my cave of a room, watching scary movies or playing violent video games. Seriously. It’s a wonder I haven’t transformed into some sort of mindless sociopath already.

Needless to say, the GameCom headset got quite a bit of use while in my possession, and I’m pleased to say it gets the coveted Adam Seal of Approval. The sound quality is eargasmic (sorry, couldn’t resist) and if the headset wasn’t so bulky I would put it to use on my daily commute. This actually leads me to my only major gripe I have with the headset, and that would be its design. It functions extremely well and isn’t likely to break unless you have hulk-like tantrums, but aesthetics have definitely taken a backseat to comfort. If you’re the type of person who’s been spoiled by shiny, curvy, sexy gadgets, the GameCom might not be the type of thing you show off to others.

With that said, the headset has been designed for long term use and because of its ear-cupping speakers you’re able to wear it for hours without scrunched up ears and they also have the extra bonus of canceling out external noises. This is especially useful for the less-social amongst us who are looking for something that can be used for long periods of time, or if you’re unlucky enough to be sharing your space with friends/family/roommates, this delightful headset mutes their annoying voices so you can better enjoy whatever it is you’re doing.

But this is the Gamer Lounge, so what does the GameCom do specifically for gamers? I’m glad you asked. This headset has a very cool, showoff worthy, mic that’s hidden near one of the speakers. Want to play a game after watching some hardcore… nature documentaries? Just whip it out (the mic) and start chatting it up with your friends.

All that is enough to make this headset worth its price, but the lovely people at Plantronics aren’t the type of people who stop at good, oh no sir. They go above and beyond, like astronauts, exploring brave new worlds, and when they see an alien they punch it in the mouth and say, “Hi. Looking for a headset?” When the alien says no they squeeze its head tentacles (because everyone knows that’s the alien’s weakness) and ask again in a much firmer voice. What does all this mean? I thought I was clear so I’m surprised you had to ask: It means they’ve added Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound capability to the GameCom, giving you the opportunity to experience your movies/games/…nature documentaries in the most pleasurable of ways.

So that’s the GameCom 777 headset (and a little on Plantronics’ adventures with space aliens). It’s comfortable, sturdy (in case you want to travel with it, perhaps to outer space?!), has some awesome features like Dolby surround sound technology and a James Bond style hidden mic. If you’re feeling the urge to get one for yourself, you can find it in all its glory here, for just $109.95 USD.

Now for the Hand-Friendly QPad 5K Laser Mouse…

Now, I’ll admit outside of a handful of Tower Defense games, and a few titles like StarCraft, Diablo, and Plants vs. Zombies, I’m really not a big computer gamer. It’s one of the many woes us Mac users have had to live without, at least until recently. I’ve been thinking of trying out Steam for some time but I could never muster up the willpower to go all the way over to the Steam website to set myself up an account. There’s only so much a single individual can do in 24 hours, especially when 23 of those hours are spent sleeping, eating, gaming, and watching… nature documentaries.

The QPad mouse finally gifted me with the strength to download Steam to my Mac, as well as a handful of demos so I could see how it performs during shooters, RPGs, and strategy/puzzle titles. Obviously, a professional gaming mouse is ideal for gamers that wish to have a competitive edge over their adversaries, and with the 5K’s arsenal of customization options, you’ll definitely have an edge. You’ll be able to tune your resolution (the max is a remarkable 5040 DPI), lift distance, clicking speed, and assign specific responsibilities for each of the 5K’s seven intuitively placed buttons.

That’s all fine and dandy; let’s move on to the stuff that really matters, its look and feel. The first thing you’ll notice, besides its ultra sleek exterior, is how perfectly it fits your hand. Its curves and grooves conform the mouse to your hand ensuring it will never slip from your sweaty grasp when you’re gunning down aliens or unsuspecting civilians. All of the buttons are within perfect reach of your fingers so you never have to look at the mouse when you need to open a menu or equip an item.

This is also one of the more stylish mice I’ve seen so far, and that’s really saying something with the myriad of options out there. It’s slick black body and glowing blue scroll button give it a cyborg ninja look that will easily leave all your opponents envious, and maybe even a little intimidated. Now you just have to have the mad skills to back up such a badass device.

There’s really nothing bad to say about the 5K mouse; it looks great, but it’s not too flashy, it performs extremely well, and its ergonomic design will make sure your hand is plenty cozy over long gaming sessions. My only real issue with it is I couldn’t get its customization window to open on my Mac, since it was designed for PC gamers. It still works on Macs, you just won’t be able to change the jobs of each of the buttons.

Now you have your weapon, but what about the battlefield? Luckily, QPad also does mouse pads; they come in multiple sizes and can be customized with your own design (or for the slightly less creative among us, you can always use someone else’s). So if a hot new mouse and mouse pad tickle your fancy might I suggest you trot on over to the QPad website and get yourself the mouse for $80.47 USD, or one of their many mousepads.