Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX review: A headset primed for marathon gaming

Price When Reviewed

149.99

Best Prices Today: Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX

The Nacon Rig 800 Pro HX is a gaming headset with a outstanding bass profile and Dolby Atmos help for immersive 3D audio that sounds particularly nice in FPS video games. It’s additionally light-weight, snug, and comes with fast 2.4GHz wi-fi connectivity and a handy base station for charging.

Despite having an all-plastic body, it feels very sturdy and sports activities a contemporary look you’re by no means going to tire of. With its solely two essential drawbacks being fiddly ear cups and no devoted software program app, it’s a strong possibility for critical or causal avid gamers.

Note: See our roundup of the best wireless gaming headsets to study competing merchandise, what to search for in a wi-fi gaming headset, and shopping for suggestions.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX design and construct

The Nacon Rig 800 Pro HX is comprised of a number of supplies that appear fairly contradictory. On the one hand it sports activities a plastic body as an alternative of a metallic one and an unassuming mesh materials for its outer ear cups, but the edges are surrounded by a luxurious, premium leatherette that’s remarkably tactile.

Was this an arbitrary determination by Nacon? A value-cutting enterprise, maybe? Admittedly, these ideas did cross my thoughts, however any reservations utterly melted away as quickly as I put it on—it was simply so snug and sensible for gaming.

The greatest promoting level for me was its gentle weight—the plastic retains it right down to a lowly 290 grams, which suggests it’s virtually imperceptible in your head, even throughout marathon gaming classes—which is exactly what Nacon supposed it for.

The mesh material too was a pleasant addition that you just simply don’t see in headsets with leatherette ear cups. It felt cool in opposition to my ears and prevented my cups getting all sweaty and greasy by a number of stinking-hot 86-degree days.

The different varied parts deserve reward too; options just like the self-adjustable headband that distributes weight horizontally throughout the entire width of your scalp reasonably than centering it uncomfortably at one level—and the controls on the left ear cup, which have simply the correct amount of pressure for exact tuning.  

My overview unit had a quantity wheel, a sport/social gathering wheel to be used with Xbox, an on/off button, and a mute mic button, so there was loads of on-ear management at my fingertips once I wanted it.

The ear cups are just a little completely different from the slide-down kind you see in some headsets. They don’t swivel and are available totally removable. To modify them, you must take them out then slot them into one in every of three holes within the headset’s outer body.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX connectivity and microphone

My 800 Pro HX overview unit’s packaging got here with the long-lasting inexperienced and white Xbox logos denoting its compatibility with Xbox One and Xbox X/S, in addition to PC, all with Dolby Atmos help. But you may also buy a model that’s appropriate with PC and PlayStation, or one with PC, Mac, and PlayStation compatibility.

Wireless connectivity is by way of a low-latency 2.4GHz USB-A Wi-Fi adapter you could both join on to your system or insert into the headset’s multifunction base station. Both choices gave me a sign that was fast and responsive and labored as much as 10 meters away.

The base station additionally prices the headset’s 1,800mAH battery, or alternatively you possibly can plug the USB cable immediately into the headset itself. Charging takes roughly seven hours to achieve full capability, which supplies you roughly 24 hours of playtime.

A uni-directional noise-cancelling microphone is situated on the left ear cup and has flip-to-mute performance, which I discovered actually helpful for switching between my group chats and chatting with household. I used to be happy to see the mic has a extremely clear signature, retaining distortion to an absolute minimal. The finish is comprised of a versatile materials so you possibly can place it precisely the place you need it.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX software program

Regrettably, the Rig 800 Pro HX doesn’t have its personal devoted app, however you possibly can obtain the Dolby Atmos software program app, which supplies you some management over how the headset sounds. For instance, you may make footsteps extra outstanding by switching the Performance Mode setting from off to on, or optimize sounds within the high-, mid-, or low-frequency vary by selecting one of many Intelligent Equalizer settings within the app’s essential web page. It’s comparatively straightforward to make use of and undoubtedly definitely worth the effort.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX efficiency

While some headsets do 3D audio as a form of side-act, the 800 Pro HX makes it a essential occasion. Nacon says the 40mm drivers have been exactly tuned for Dolby Atmos 3D audio, with the intention to react quicker and extra precisely to what’s occurring round you. The headset’s bass has additionally been enhanced, and these two issues had been actually noticeable in my playtesting.

For instance, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, a lot of the audio sounded clear and refined, however deeper seems like explosions and the thudding of weapons firing actually stood out, resonating with a heaviness that basically acquired my consideration. The audio additionally circled round my ears in a full 360 arc, giving me a exact positional consciousness that made it simpler to find foes and preserve my character alive for longer.

That mentioned, avid gamers who play FPS titles like Halo Infinite, Metro Exodus, and newer titles within the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, are actually in for a deal with, since they’ll reap the complete good thing about this headset’s Dolby Atmos help. Getting it working is a bit of cake, too—you simply plug it in and it robotically engages with the software program to optimize your sound.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Switching to a sport of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I listened for any distortion, however I didn’t hear any. In this sport too, the 3D audio was chic, bringing to life the sounds of the forest with an eerie realism that I’ve seldom heard with different headsets.

As to the controls, I actually just like the vertical orientation that made discovering my quantity wheel tremendous fast. The base station, too, is a good addition—it’s so compact that it didn’t take up a lot house on my desk and helped preserve my headset protected once I wasn’t utilizing it.

The solely thorn on this headset’s aspect, if I’ve to say one, is that the ear cups are form of fiddly to regulate—I want that they had been the straightforward pull-down variety like within the Logitech Astro A30 Wireless, which might have prevented me having to detach and reattach them on a regular basis. That mentioned, the holes within the body look superior, giving the 800 Pro HX its trademark fighter pilot look that I by no means acquired uninterested in seeing.

Should you purchase the Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX?

Gamers of every kind can be impressed by the Rig 800 Pro HX’s clear and refined sound, however we’d particularly advocate it for FPS avid gamers due to its outstanding bass and stylish 3D Dolby Atmos help. Plus, the Rig 800 Pro HX’s gentle weight will preserve you tremendous snug these instances when a couple of minutes gaming turns into many, many hours.