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Nacon recently launched the next iteration of its RIG 600 series headsets, the RIG 600 Pro HS and the 600 RIG Pro HX. If you’re unfamiliar with Nacon or its RIG brand, it’s time you change that. Because it makes some pretty good gaming accessories for every platform. And this includes audio. We’ve tried RIG headsets before and have found them to be perfectly suitable for a large majority of gamers. We’ve been testing the RIG 600 Pro HS model for the past few weeks to see if it lives up to those past headsets. Or if they’ve improved on what was offered.
Before we go any further though, it’s important to note that both models of the 600 Pro are exactly the same for the most part. The HS model is geared towards PlayStation users, while the HX model is geared towards Xbox users. Though both headsets will also work with other platforms. Aside from compatibility, every other feature is the same. We tested the HS model with PS5, PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch.
With that said, how does it stack up? Is the RIG 600 Pro HS (or the HX model) worth your $99 or should you put that money elsewhere? Let’s dig into the review and see if Nacon created a headset that’s worthy of your hard-earned money.
RIG 600 Pro HS review: Hardware and design
Two of the biggest parts of the RIG 600 Pro HS are the design and the hardware used. While many headsets might be content to have a mix of metal and plastic, or all metal and more premium materials, Nacon has made the 600 Pro HS with all plastic for the headset frame. What this does for the headset is help with its weight and its durability.
In fact I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say the 600 Pro HS is one of the most durable gaming headsets I’ve ever tested. Nacon itself advertises the RIG 600 Pro HS as a headset that can stand up to everyday abuse. Though I don’t recommend actively trying to damage it, you won’t have to worry about it snapping or breaking when you rip it off your head or stuff it in a drawer that might be a bit overcrowded.
The interesting thing is that at $99 RIG 600 Pro HS rides that line on being just inexpensive enough to be less concerned if it did break. But still enough money out of pocket that you don’t want it to break. Nacon is also using soft and plush earpads to keep your ears comfortable and insulated while you wear the headset. And the result is a headset you can wear for hours. A big change that I really liked was the change to a flip-to-mute microphone. On past RIG headsets I’ve tried they all use a detachable mic. And there’s nothing wrong with this as I like those too.
But there’s just something about a flip-to-mute mic. The other part of this is the mic now blends seamlessly into the headset’s left ear when you flip it up. And a tiny notch allows you to easily push in to flip it back down. Mic audio quality is another thing entirely but we’ll get into that later.
A lightweight build for longer-lasting comfort
I mentioned earlier that the use of plastic for the entirety of the headset frame was a huge factor on weight. And it is. At just 240 grams, the RIG 600 Pro HS is a really lightweight headset. I could feel the moment I put it on that I was going to have no issues with it weighing me down and feeling heavy after wearing it for a few hours. Which isn’t the case with some of the headsets I tend to use more often. And this was a nice change of pace.
With less weight in the headset it puts less stress on my neck and the top of my head, as well as on my ears. You might not think it makes a big difference but I can assure you. Long hours of use with a heavy headset most days throughout the week will begin to take its toll. And that is never going to be an issue with the RIG 600 Pro HS. There’s something to be said for that. I feel like brands make a concerted effort to focus on this aspect of the headset design. Yet a majority of consumers who buy gaming headsets wouldn’t think twice about how much it weighs. They should though.
Even if a headset that’s more lightweight wouldn’t be a major factor in the decision, it should be considered. And Nacon deserves applause for making a lightweight headset that’s as durable as the RIG 600 Pro HS is.
RIG 600 Pro HS review: Battery life
Right off the bat, I’m just going to put it out there that battery life is nothing to write home about here. But I want to clarify that this doesn’t mean it’s bad. Not by a longshot. The battery life is however, “just fine.” And what I mean by that is it’s decent enough for most users whether you consider yourself a hardcore or casual gamer.
You’ll get up to 18 hours of battery life when using the 2.4GHz low-latency USB-C adapter. Or up to 24 hours of battery life when using Bluetooth. If you’re using a combination of the two and swapping back and forth between sources, expect that battery life to drop. I didn’t see a huge variance but I did notice that when I had the headset connected to both connections and flipped back and forth, the battery didn’t seem to last as long as usual.
On average I found Nacon’s claims of 18 hours and 24 hours to be pretty accurate and was getting pretty close to right on the money for either connection type. Give or take 10 or 20 minutes. Overall the battery life is on par with other headsets in this price bracket and beyond. In fact there are more expensive headsets with worse battery life because they have more features to drain it. So if you don’t need something super fancy and just want something that’s good quality that works, the RIG 600 Pro HS definitely serves that purpose. And you won’t have to worry about it dying on you in half a day before needing to plug it in.
Having said that, I certainly wouldn’t hate if Nacon extended the battery life on the next version of this headset in the future. As more battery life is never a bad thing. Especially if you’re like me and you loathe having to plug in your devices often.
RIG 600 Pro HS review: Sound quality
For $99, you might expect the sound quality on the RIG 600 Pro HS to be mediocre or worse. But long gone are the days where you need to spend a larger sum of money to get a good sounding gaming headset. The RIG 600 Pro HS helps continue to prove that with its decent audio quality for gaming regardless of the platform. However I have no illusions here. This is definitely not the best sounding gaming headset I have. Nor would I expect it to be for $99. But there shouldn’t be a misconception that you won’t get good sound with something like this on your head.
On the contrary, I very rarely had issues with audio in any games I was playing. If there were any complaints to make at all about the audio quality it’s that I just couldn’t get as crisp of an output for certain types of sounds. Such as footsteps and gunfire in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. I’m not saying these were nonexistent, just that they were more clear on other headsets I use often for gaming. And depending on how much this matters to you, it’s a factor worth mentioning so you can consider it in your own decision to buy this headset or not.
Outside of directional audio which needs to be as precise as possible, the RIG 600 Pro HS was enjoyable to use for audio in basically any other game I booted up. Which mostly consisted of Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Tears of the Kingdom, and the occasional romp in Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis on my phone. The short of it, the sound quality is decent and I don’t expect many consumers to complain about it.
Customize the sound experience with the app
Like most gaming headsets these days the RIG 600 Pro comes with optional software that you can use to enhance the sound experience. To access this, you’ll need to download the RIG 600 Pro app on your phone or tablet. Once that’s installed, open the app and connect your headset to it.
This was an easy enough process and took only a couple minutes to get it set up. Although I generally prefer PC software for this kind of thing, the mobile app route has its advantages. For one, this makes it easy to change the sound profiles and make adjustments at any time. Even if you’re using the headset with your PS5. If this were a PC app, then you’d have to have the headset connected to the PC to do any tuning at all.
But this way you can connect the headset to any of the supported platforms and make adjustments as needed.
The app offers plenty of features
As for what you can tweak, there’s quite a few options. There’s an EQ with preconfigured profiles for things like first-person shooters, bass-heavy sound, clarity, and one that boosts the audio for voice-heavy game dialogue. Of course you can create your own custom EQ profiles as well. There’s also an ‘Expert Mode’ toggle that lets you tune the microphone gain and turn on mic monitoring.
If you’re not sure what mic monitoring is, it’s so you can hear yourself while you speak. You can leave this on all the time if you want, but it’s intended more for optimizing the sound of the mic. So for example, you turn on mic monitoring, then make adjustments to where you think your voice sounds the best. Then you turn it back off. This way people you’re in chat with hear the optimized voice sound you just set up.
Additionally, the app is where you can swap between the different start modes for when you power the headset up. It’s default to Dual mode which automatically enables Bluetooth and connects it to any paired source in addition to the 2.4GHz adapter. You can also set it to be only Game or only Bluetooth. Should you want it connected to only one source at startup. You might also be happy to know that the app lets you change the voice prompt language and supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Dutch. Plus you can change the auto power-off time, with as little as 15 minutes and all the way up to 2 hours. You can also disable this so it never turns off automatically.
The microphone is just ok
I really wanted to love this microphone. I really did. Unfortunately, the mic is just ok and if exceptional mic audio is what you’re after, this headset doesn’t provide it. During my initial testing I was told by more than a few people I was in Discord with that I sounded really quiet and my voice wasn’t really clear. After a software update through the app the mic did get better. I was more easily heard and I took a more focused approach to the mic monitoring to really make sure my voice would sound as good as this mic would allow.
The results were good but in the end it still wasn’t as good as other headsets. Some even in the same price range. I suspect this might be partially due to the size of the boom mic. I talked about it earlier and how it flips up to mute. And when in this state it stores in the left ear cup and seamlessly fits in with it so it’s out of sight. I love this design choice. However, the mic is a tad short and therefore is a little further away from your mouth when you talk. And although I have no way to know for sure if this is the reason, I think this might cause it to have the lower quality sound.
All of this being said, I want to clarify that the mic is not bad. It’s perfectly fine and people will still be able to hear you ok. It won’t be the most clear or the best sounding voice when you’re in chat. But it will work and at the end of the day that’s more important. The ironic thing is that I think the old mic design on other RIG headsets was louder and more clear. But this new design is certainly more stylish and honestly, more convenient. That’s the tradeoff you have to be ok with.
Should you buy the RIG 600 Pro HS or RIG 600 Pro HX?
There’s a lot of good reasons to buy this headset and some reasons not to. Ultimately the choice is yours and this review isn’t a definitive yes or no on whether you should or shouldn’t buy it. But it does serve as a nice explainer on why you might want to consider it and what’s good and not good about it. So you can make an informed decision on whether or not it’s worth your hard-earned money.
I’m happy to say that Nacon has done a good job here with the 600 Pro HS and 600 Pro HX. While I wouldn’t venture to say it’s the company’s best headset (we’ll be reviewing the RIG 900 Max HX next and I think that will surpass this one), it’s a decent headset and especially so because of the price. So, it is a good value and might just be right up your alley.
You should buy the RIG 600 Pro HS or RIG 600 Pro HX if:
- You want a low-priced headset with decent sound quality
- You need a durable headset that you won’t have to worry about breaking
- Dual sound mode is an important feature
- You like multi-platform compatibility
You shouldn’t buy the RIG 600 Pro HS or the RIG 600 Pro HX if:
- You want really good mic quality
- You want something that feels more luxury or premium
- Exceptionally long battery life is important to you