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

Image: Dominic Bayley / IDG

The Nacon Rig 800 Pro HX is a gaming headset with a prominent bass profile and Dolby Atmos support for immersive 3D audio that sounds especially great in FPS games. It’s also lightweight, comfortable, and comes with quick 2.4GHz wireless connectivity and a convenient base station for charging.

Despite having an all-plastic frame, it feels very robust and sports a modern look you’re never going to tire of. With its only two main drawbacks being fiddly ear cups and no dedicated software app, it’s a solid option for serious or causal gamers.

Note: See our roundup of the best wireless gaming headsets to learn about competing products, what to look for in a wireless gaming headset, and buying recommendations.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX design and build

The Nacon Rig 800 Pro HX is made from a selection of materials that seem quite contradictory. On the one hand it sports a plastic frame instead of a metal one and an unassuming mesh material for its outer ear cups, yet the rims are surrounded by a plush, premium leatherette that’s remarkably tactile.

Was this an arbitrary decision by Nacon? A cost-cutting venture, perhaps? Admittedly, those thoughts did cross my mind, but any reservations completely melted away as soon as I put it on—it was just so comfortable and practical for gaming.

The biggest selling point for me was its light weight—the plastic keeps it down to a lowly 290 grams, which means it’s almost imperceptible on your head, even during marathon gaming sessions—which is precisely what Nacon intended it for.

Gamers who play FPS titles like Halo Infinite, Metro Exodus, and newer titles in the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, are in for a treat, since they’ll reap the full benefit of this headset’s Dolby Atmos support.

The mesh fabric too was a nice addition that you just don’t see in headsets with leatherette ear cups. It felt cool against my ears and prevented my cups getting all sweaty and greasy through a few stinking-hot 86-degree days.

The other various components deserve praise too; features like the self-adjustable headband that distributes weight horizontally across the whole width of your scalp rather than centering it uncomfortably at one point—and the controls on the left ear cup, which have just the right amount of tension for precise tuning.  

My review unit had a volume wheel, a game/party wheel for use with Xbox, an on/off button, and a mute mic button, so there was plenty of on-ear control at my fingertips when I needed it.

The ear cups are a little different from the slide-down type you see in some headsets. They don’t swivel and come fully detachable. To adjust them, you have to take them out then slot them into one of three holes in the headset’s outer frame.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX connectivity and microphone

My 800 Pro HX review unit’s packaging came with the iconic green and white Xbox logos denoting its compatibility with Xbox One and Xbox X/S, as well as PC, all with Dolby Atmos support. But you can also purchase a version that’s compatible with PC and PlayStation, or one with PC, Mac, and PlayStation compatibility.

Wireless connectivity is via a low-latency 2.4GHz USB-A Wi-Fi adapter that you can either connect directly to your device or insert into the headset’s multifunction base station. Both options gave me a signal that was quick and responsive and worked up to 10 meters away.

The base station also charges the headset’s 1,800mAH battery, or alternatively you can plug the USB cable directly into the headset itself. Charging takes approximately seven hours to reach full capacity, which gives you roughly 24 hours of playtime.

A uni-directional noise-cancelling microphone is located on the left ear cup and has flip-to-mute functionality, which I found really useful for switching between my team chats and speaking to family. I was pleased to see the mic has a really clean signature, keeping distortion to an absolute minimum. The end is made from a flexible material so you can position it exactly where you want it.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX software

Regrettably, the Rig 800 Pro HX doesn’t have its own dedicated app, but you can download the Dolby Atmos software app, which gives you some control over how the headset sounds. For example, you can make footsteps more prominent by switching the Performance Mode setting from off to on, or optimize sounds in the high-, mid-, or low-frequency range by choosing one of the Intelligent Equalizer settings in the app’s main page. It’s relatively easy to use and definitely worth the effort.

Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX performance

While some headsets do 3D audio as a kind of side-act, the 800 Pro HX makes it a main event. Nacon says the 40mm drivers have been precisely tuned for Dolby Atmos 3D audio, so that you can react faster and more accurately to what’s going on around you. The headset’s bass has also been enhanced, and these two things were really noticeable in my playtesting.

For example, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, most of the audio sounded clear and refined, but deeper sounds like explosions and the thudding of weapons firing really stood out, resonating with a heaviness that really got my attention. The audio also circled around my ears in a full 360 arc, giving me a precise positional awareness that made it easier to locate foes and keep my character alive for longer.

That said, gamers who play FPS titles like Halo Infinite, Metro Exodus, and newer titles in the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, are really in for a treat, since they’ll reap the full benefit of this headset’s Dolby Atmos support. Getting it working is a piece of cake, too—you just plug it in and it automatically engages with the software to optimize your sound.

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

As to the controls, I really like the vertical orientation that made finding my volume wheel super quick. The base station, too, is a great addition—it’s so compact that it didn’t take up much space on my desk and helped keep my headset safe when I wasn’t using it.

The only thorn in this headset’s side, if I have to mention one, is that the ear cups are kind of fiddly to adjust—I wish they had been the simple pull-down kind like in the Logitech Astro A30 Wireless, which would have prevented me having to detach and reattach them all the time. That said, the holes in the frame look awesome, giving the 800 Pro HX its trademark fighter pilot look that I never got tired of seeing.

Should you buy the Nacon RIG 800 Pro HX?

Gamers of all types will be impressed by the Rig 800 Pro HX’s clear and refined sound, but we’d especially recommend it for FPS gamers because of its prominent bass and sublime 3D Dolby Atmos support. Plus, the Rig 800 Pro HX’s light weight will keep you super comfortable those times when a few minutes gaming turns into many, many hours.