Gaming, these days, is increasingly marked by voice traffic. From teammates shouting instructions at one another for fire direction to opponents trash-talking one another to even players migrating to YouTube to do "Let's Play" videos. This means that having the right microphone can make or break a game in some cases, and our friends out at the Max Borges Agency sent out a Samson Go Mic Connect for us to review. This one might well be the weapon of choice for a lot of gamers out there.

The Go Mic Connect is a simple USB microphone, with a multi-hinged mounting system that allows it to easily set up in a variety of locations and settings. It boasts a focused pattern system that focuses the microphone's sensitivity in the best possible direction, as well as an active noise cancellation system that helps reduce background noise for a better, clearer conversation. Echo Erase technology helps to minimize any feedback caused by computer speakers, and offers a headphone jack built directly into the microphone itself for easier connection. An included pouch allows for easy travel, and since it's a USB microphone, it will work with a variety of platforms, even Apple, if you're using an iPad Lightning USB Camera Adapter or an iPad Camera Connection Kit.

Trying to install the device on two separate laptops proved to be, on average, a difficult experience. The first laptop I tried it on yielded no results at all, even after several different connections, reconnections, and attempts to alter the device's parameters in the software itself. Six different tests later, I began to wonder if I had a bum device; it's been known to happen from time to time. But in the strangest twist, I hooked it to a different device, performed a couple simple setup steps, and the device was running sure as a top. It produced recordings of sound quality, and a quick connection to a friend on Skype noted that there were no difficulties involved in hearing me. It was odd how the installation process went from throw-it-across-the-room frustration to a virtual snap just by switching devices, but that was part of my experience with the Go Mic Connect as it sat.

The trouble with trying to evaluate a microphone, of course, is that a microphone's quality can really only be measured by its output, and its output is inherently colored by the speakers through which it must travel. An objectively good-quality recording can sound better--or worse--than it really is by virtue of the speakers involved, and though the exact impact is negligible--a bad recording can't sound fantastic on great speakers--it's safe to say that if a recording sounds good, it is good, and a good recording doesn't come from a bad microphone. The Samson Go Mic Connect produced decent recordings, and though the speakers may have colored the presentation a bit, it doesn't take away from the overall quality. This microphone made a quality recording, though its price tag might have some shying away at $77 on Amazon.

I give it credit for its ease of installation and its ability to work in close spaces--it can essentially hook to a monitor with its multi-hinge design, and if that's not an option, it can sit flat or even be held--along with its ability to deliver a quality recording. While the installation process is something of a mixed bag depending on the system it's being hooked into--and that can be hugely frustrating--its functionality and its sharp looks more than make up for some difficulties in the installation process.

Pros: Quality recordings, highly versatile

Cons: Variable ease of installation, high price