The Top 3 Voice Chat Tools For Gamers In 2019

the top 3 voice chat tools for gamers in 2019

Playing games alone can be fun. Still, there is no denying that sharing this experience with other players makes the experience much more fulfilling. Building teams, acquiring common goals a just meeting people on a battlefield or surviving on the island is a great way to bond.

The best way to ensure smooth navigation is by using VoIP tools for voice communication. In this article, we’ll review the best tools for peer-to-peer gaming communication. Some of those are designed specifically for gamers but we’ll also talk about adapting general calling solutions to the gaming experience.

Discord

Of course, the list starts with this one, considering that it’s one of the most popular solutions out there, and it’s designed almost exclusively for gamers – although it’s now almost a common practice to use Discord work work-related conferences and job interviews.

Despite its relatively young age, it didn’t take long for Discord to create an international reputation of a perfect VoIP gaming service. For one thing, it’s completely free. Also, Discord is powered by powerful VoIP codecs that work smoothly even during a weak Internet connection and support zones of users’ chatting simultaneously.

In Discord, you can create chat rooms for several users and start communicating via a quick shortcut. You can select your own custom combination or use a default shortcut instead. Be user to pick an exclusive combination that you will not use elsewhere. Don’t pick something common like Caps Lock – or any time you’ll press the key, the microphone will be on – now that’s what you call an awkward situation.

Discord’s Best Features:

  • Secure encryption – all text messages, attachments, and voice contents are protected.
  • Push-notifications.
  • The possibility to participate in multiple chatrooms even with a weak Internet connection.
  • Cross-platform support – you can download a file for Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, or Android, or use a web version instead.
  • You can link multiple chats to several games simultaneously.
  • Exchange videos and screenshots.

Discord’s Disadvantages:

  • Sometimes the tool fails to identify the microphone. Superficially, it seems as if there is no problem – but, for some reason, a microphone does not react to a pressed key.
  • Occasional distortions of audio and video messages on large servers.

Skype

Don’t be surprised to see this one on the list as well. Even though Skype is by no means a gaming software, it can be perfectly adapted to such purposes. The advantages are apparent. Firstly, Skype is popular and has, therefore, an extremely large network of users. Chances are, all your fellow gamers have a Skype profile whereas with other tools it can be hit-or-miss sometimes.

Secondly, Skype has a very simple but well-tested interface. Skype has been on the market for a while, and a lot of technical problems have been resolved a long time ago. Sure thing, minor bugs happen but they are usually unnoticeable – and no tool can ever be perfect.

Just like Discord, Skype allows group chats, text messages, audio, and video calls, and dozens of speakers can communicate simultaneously. The interface, however, looks less cool than in Discord, and the possibilities of a web version are much more limited.

What’s To Love:

  • Flexible microphone and headset settings.
  • Free audio and video calls.
  • Seamless group chats.
  • An almost bug-free screen recording tool.
  • Supports big attachments – up to 300 MB.
  • You can use a lightweight version to increase the call speed.

Skype’s Disadvantages:

  • Inefficient data usage during calls – Skype constantly transmits the audio data. Discord, on the other hand, only tunes in when the speaker is talking.
  • Limited privacy during screen sharing since with Skype you can’t choose to share only a specific part of the screen.
  • Higher CPU usage slows the entire system down.

TeamSpeak

TeamSpeak is a very popular VoIP tool for gamers who prefer massively multiplayer games since it allows dozens of users to interact simultaneously. The software is known for its fast connection, smart sub-channels, and stable free servers.

TeamSpeak’s Best Features:

The tool allows hosting servers and lets the thousands of people join in. The tool is generally free but can be upgraded to a paid version in exchange for additional features.

Additionally, TeamSpeak provides users with a free cloud server. If you need a place for storing game-related screenshots, photos, videos, and bookmarks servers, you can upload this data to a personal cloud service. This server can be accessed from any device and doesn’t take up your own storage space.

TeamSpeak’s Disadvantages:

If you start making money on the TeamSpeak server, you are obligated to use the paid version of the software – this way, it’s a legal monetary partnership between you and developers, therefore, the subscription serves as a fee.

In terms of its basic technical characteristics, such as the quality of voice and audio calls, connection speed, and CPU usage, TeamSpeak slightly outweighs Skype but uses to Discord. Also, it’s older than Discord so still, remains a more popular gaming solution. However, switching from TeamSpeak to Discord became a common practice, so this tool may have to give up its leading position.

Conclusion

We reviewed three best tools for voice and video communication, useful for multiplayer gaming. You can pick one of those services but we would advise having profiles in all three. This way, you’ll have a choice – what if your game partner uses only one of those tools? Also, considering that all these programs are free, downloading all three is really no big deal.

So here is a final checklist for VoIP software before we see you off to the next gaming adventure.

  • Use Discord for fast voice and video communication for a small and medium group of players.
  • Skype and TeamSpeak win Discord in terms of the number of people.
  • Among these three, Discord has the most flexible web versions.
  • If you have no memory for your game-related content, use TeamSpeak’s cloud.
  • Only Skype allows sending big attachments (up to 300 MB).
  • Skype is generally slower than Discord and TeamSpeak, however, it has fewer bugs. Hence, if you have a good Internet connection, opt for Skype. If the connection is shaky, choose Discord or TeamSpeak instead.
  • TeamSpeak is perfect for creating a community – you can meet random people and make new connections. Skype and Discord usually require previous knowledge of a chat member.

To make a final choice, define your priorities. After you know what features matter the most, narrowing the circle of choices will turn into an easy task. To make it easier, we’ve armed you with the main comparison points and defined the conditions where and how each software should be used.

Also remember that in order to have a fully engaging gaming communication, these tools should be complemented with the perfect audio accessories, such as a clear-sounding headphones, a surround sound speaker or a good computer sound bar. With the combination of impressive software and high-performance hardware, you’ll be guaranteed with an awesome gaming experience each time.

About David: Techthusiast & Avid Traveler.