Clicky, clacky, clunky: When it comes to choosing the best gaming peripherals, I reckon it's all about the feels

This month I've been testing: Keyboards, headphones, controllers and mice. Oh, I've also fallen into an all-consuming Satisfactory obsession, from which my brain has struggled to return. A good chance to test out some peripherals, though—and the limits of my patience at the same time.

If you're looking for a new gaming peripheral, be that a controller, joystick, mouse or keyboard, it can be easy to become bogged down in the spec sheets. After all, you're likely to be looking for the best bang for your buck, and as a result, there's a slew of peripherals available that throw the kitchen sink at you in terms of extra features. Keyboards and controllers with dubiously useful screens. Mice with trick scroll wheels. Flight sticks with, well, every sort of switchgear imaginable bolted to the controls.

Your mileage here will vary, of course. Perhaps all those features will come in handy, although most of the time I would argue that you'll find yourself forgetting they exist. Because in my experience, what really matters in a gaming peripheral comes down to one word: Feel.

I was reminded of this recently upon unboxing the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro. It's certainly not short on features. You get four rear back paddles, two «claw grip» bumpers, and a pair of lockable triggers that can be switched between a traditional trigger pull and a clicky switch mechanism with a pair of slidable toggles on the rear of the device. And the now-default selection of face buttons, naturally.

All this would matter not a jot if this impressive array of controls didn't feel good. Oh, but what lovely, satisfying things they are. In fact, most of the main switches on the Wolverine V3 Pro seem designed to elicit a gut-level response upon first press. 

Those sliding locks have a sublimely well-weighted chunk to them, along with a perceptible sensation from inside the controller that tells you a heavy spring has been engaged, or released. The face buttons have Razer's mecha-tactile switches behind them,