As with most things, the stock hardware in gaming can only take you so far. This is particularly true of the PC’s humble keyboard and mouse. If you consider yourself a core gamer or are simply shopping for someone who fancies himself or herself “hardcore”, here are four accessories that should be staples of any serious PC gamer’s toolbox.

1) A Gaming Mouse

Your standard mouse comes equipped with two buttons, maybe a scroll wheel with a third button if you want to get really fancy. While basically functional for most gaming, it shows its limitations quickly with certain fast-paced and input-heavy genres; namely MMOs, RTS and FPS. Aside from the standard buttons, a gaming mouse generally gives you multiple buttons for programmable commands, keybindings and macros. Gaming mice like the R.A.T. for example, also allow you to lock buttons down to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome when raiding for hours in an MMO or building a fleet of units in an RTS game. Not to mention customizable grips, rests, weight and LED colors, and just the fact that many of them look like miniature Transformers.

2) A Racing Wheel

A racing wheel is a must to get the most out of driving sims and racing games. Modern racing wheels give you not just the wheel, but a shifter and the full complement of pedals. The better ones incorporate motor-driven force feedback, simulation of traction loss, and LED gear shift signals. If you’ve got a big budget you can even spring for a racing seat, or roll one of your own out of an old office chair!

3) A Gamepad

Many games simply aren’t designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse. This is particularly true of the classic retro games for consoles which are now appearing for download on various digital download services. When it comes to game genres like platformers and sports sims, something definitely gets lost in translation without a good pad. The Xbox 360 pad (which also works with Windows when plugged into a computer’s USB port) is the current de facto standard in PC gaming, with games that support gamepads nearly always supporting and auto-configuring it. There are a wide range of other manufacturers and styles, however, as well as USB converters to allow you to use the gamepads of various console systems on the PC. If you’ve got your heart set on simply playing some classic Super Mario Brothers, an analog pad and two buttons might be all you really need.

4) A Headset

A good headset is mandatory equipment for organizing raids, planning approaches with squad mates, or just calling someone a noob after delivering a particularly satisfying coup de grace. A quality headset can also improve the aural experience with high-quality audio and Surround Sound. If you’re interested in making gaming videos with commentary, a headset is also basically required studio equipment.

There are other accessories that are good to have that are genre-specific; for example, if you’re into fighting games, you’ll probably want to look into an arcade joystick, or if you’re into flight sims you’ll want a flight stick. The four accessories listed here will allow you to get the most out of a wide range of gaming genres, however. Have fun and happy gaming!