Our Verdict
A surprisingly feature-packed wireless gaming headset for its price with good audio quality and customization, the RIG 600 Pro is only let down by an average microphone and comfort issues.
The RIG 600 Pro is built around a headline feature known as dual wireless. With much of the focus placed on this one feature, there is always the risk of neglecting the basic features of any reputable wireless gaming headset. Luckily, this isn’t the case, and the 600 Pro comes equipped with a suite of exciting features.
Having spent time testing the RIG 600 Pro across PC, PS5, and mobile devices, I can honestly say that there is a lot worth shouting about given its mid-range price point and above-average suite of features. It has a lot to live up to in order to be considered one of the best wireless gaming headsets on the market and it does a great job of giving you food for thought when you consider where you’re going to spend your money.
Pros
- Audio range and quality are better than expected, even with 40mm drivers
- Dual wireless is very easy to use and proves a key feature
- Navigator app offers ideal customization and easy updating
Cons
- Long-term comfort was poor
- Average microphone quality + design
- No wired connectivity
RIG 600 Pro design and comfort
Comfort is my primary issue with the RIG 600 Pro. Being a gentleman with a slightly larger-than-average head, RIG’s restrictive adjustment design falls short of offering me true comfort. Adjusting the earcups to the largest setting still leaves me with tension on my ears and scalp. It’s barely noticeable at first, but within two hours it will start to strain, and at that point, there’s no coming back.
PCGamesN sat on a call with RIG before the release of 600 Pro and put the question of design to Gregory Morquin, the director of global business for Nacon, RIG’s parent company. I challenged the iconic RIG design of having earcups that pop out to adjust the size when the rest of the market predominantly uses sliders. Morquin agreed that a change would soon be necessary and that, in what he would only label as RIG 2.0, the company is working with designers to create a new vision with the goal of ultimate comfort and style being achievable.
This is a great move because we’ve reached a point where if you’ve seen one RIG headset, you’ve seen them all. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the high-end models tend to look a bit chunkier and weigh a little more, but that’s about it. A new approach to design will allow RIG to become more accessible with future designs and rid itself of the problem I frequently encounter with its headsets.
RIG 600 Pro features and software
Where the RIG 600 Pro shines is with its headline feature, dual wireless. This allows you to connect simultaneously to the 2.4GHz adapter plugged into a PC, as well as a Bluetooth 5.1 connection to any compatible mobile device or Nintendo Switch. This was the very first thing I tested with the headset and, while it wasn’t quite as fluid as I had hoped, it works very well. I find myself appreciating it more as a gamer who is hard of hearing and usually needs one earcup off to listen for my phone. There is no option to use the RIG 600 Pro while wired, which was a struggle when the battery died, but a quick charge time helped soften this.
Some hiccups need to be ironed out through firmware updates, such as when the audio channel automatically switches even when there is no audio to receive. The time to switch between channels, however, is very quick. This means going from gaming to taking a call and back to gaming takes mere seconds. Dual wireless is just one of three modes this headset has, as the 600 Pro can run on just game or Bluetooth instead to save battery life, and these can be switched between at the push of a button.
Another big win for the RIG 600 Pro is the navigator app that you can download on iOS or Android. Unfortunately, there is no PC software download available but hopefully, this can be rectified at a later date. This allows you to fully customize your experience and settings while also delivering firmware updates. Better still, you can enable an expert mode that allows for fine-tuning your microphone levels, mic monitoring, and the equalizer. You can also store up to three profiles to switch between. I had a profile dedicated to voice boosting for FPS titles like CS2, then would switch to the clarity profile when I was playing single-player games. This offers a whole new level of personalization that was useful and I made the most of the app integration at every opportunity.
RIG 600 Pro performance and battery life
Running the dual wireless channel drains the battery considerably quicker compared to just running the wireless or Bluetooth audio options separately. Once the battery is dead, the only way to charge it is through a USB-C cable. This can be quite frustrating as the included cable is very short. Having also used the charging dock included with the RIG 800 Pro, I wish it was included here, granted, it would have raised the cost of the headset considerably. The RIG 600 Pro runs for 18 hours on 2.4GHz wireless, 24 hours on Bluetooth, but only approximately 10 hours on its dual wireless setting.
The audio quality of the headset is great, with 3D audio and Dolby Atmos all working together to offer a crystal clear experience through 40mm drivers. While the audio quality will still fall short against more expensive competitors like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, it delivers stunning audio depth given it has smaller drivers than many of the headsets it is competing against.
As for the microphone, there’s nothing particularly special to shout about here. RIG is pushing the fully concealed nature of the microphone as a plus, but I struggled during games to find it once I had concealed it to mute myself. All in all, my experience with the microphone was quite poor, even with the sound quality it gives off being okay. When you look at what Corsair accomplished with the HS65, it’s hard to look at some other microphones in the market and be anything other than disappointed.
RIG 600 Pro price
The RIG 600 Pro costs $99.90 / €99.90 which places it on the higher end when compared to other RIG headsets, but at the low-end point when looking at the wireless gaming headset market as a whole.
A high-end example would be the Sony Inzone H9 which costs $278 / £269 but also faces some major design issues. An alternative that costs a similar price would be the Roccat Syn Pro Air, which retails for $149.99 / £129.99 but can often be found on sale for half the price.
Is the RIG 600 Pro worth it?
If you’re looking for the ultimate wireless gaming headset, look elsewhere. If, instead, you want a reliable and feature-packed headset that achieves very reasonable performance, given its cost, you may struggle to find anything that offers value on par with the RIG 600 Pro.
While the comfort issues cannot be ignored, there was a lot to be impressed with here, and judging the 600 Pro based on what it offers, rather than what it could offer, goes to show that there is no need to pay over the odds based on a brand name or logo.
RIG 600 Pro where to buy
Right now, the RIG 600 Pro is only available to buy directly from the Nacon web store. Upon its official release on 28 September, it will be available from more retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.