The RIG 600 Pro HS is easily one of the most impressive headsets released this year. A wireless gaming headset for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, it boasts astounding audio quality and clear-as-crystal microphone input. This is especially fantastic given its sub-$100 / £100 price point.

Expect well-rounded and detailed audio with the RIG 600 Pro HS, and special mention has to go to its handling of the lower end, which sounds satisfyingly deep and punchy without muddying the overall audio profile. The headset also handles directional audio sublimely, making it a superb choice for online multiplayer gaming when partying up with friends.

There is a trade-off when it comes to the RIG 600 Pro HS’s build quality which, like other models in the series, does feel relatively cheap and somewhat flimsy when stacked up against brands like Razer and SteelSeries; it’s certainly not a pair we’d recommend taking out and about with you. This is salvaged by comfortable plush cups and solid battery life, however, which are conducive to long, comfortable gaming sessions. Overall, there’s very little debate to be had here; the RIG 600 Pro HS is one of the best PS5 headsets of 2023.

Price and availability

The RIG 600 Pro HS is available to buy right now for $99 / £89.99. US buyers can pick the headset up from Nacon’s official website, while UK shoppers will need to head to retailers like Argos.

If you’d prefer a headset for Xbox, Nacon has you covered. An Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One-compatible headset, the RIG 600 Pro HX, is available to buy at the exact same price as its PlayStation counterpart. Additionally, both are compatible with Nintendo Switch via Bluetooth, as well as PC and mobile devices.

Design and features

Before getting into what makes the RIG 600 Pro HS so good, we’ll open with one of its weaker aspects: build quality. Out of the box, you’d be forgiven for being alarmed that the ear cups are disconnected from the headband, instead hanging loose by a pair of short cords. You’ll need to click them into place yourself via one of three slots at the edges of the headband. It’s nice to have that option but it’s nonetheless a little frightening to see the cups swing loose out of the box if you’ve never owned a RIG headset prior.

Wearing the headset is a much better story; the plush cups provide a high level of comfort during use, complemented by the cranium-facing side of the headband that’s made from the same material. As a result, it's easy to keep the headset on for long stretches without it ever beginning to feel uncomfortable.

For on-board controls, you’ve got a blissfully simple setup, all situated on the back of the left cup. From bottom to top, there’s a USB-C port (for charging and wired listening), the power button, volume control wheel and a multi-function button that’s assigned to pause and play by default. A bit further up is the Bluetooth pairing button for when you’re not connecting via the 2.4Ghz wireless connection and the included USB-C dongle.

The left cup also houses the omnidirectional microphone, which you’ll need to flip out in order to use. There’s a slight contour on the cup indicating where the microphone is, but it is a little tricky to dislodge it while wearing the headset; you’ll have a much easier time taking the headset off first.

Performance and battery life

The RIG 600 Pro HS’s in-game performance is nothing short of fantastic. The 40mm drivers provide a soundstage that is incredibly broad and rich with detail. Loading up Gran Turismo 7’s online Sport mode, thunderous engines and tyre screeches are richly rendered. Directional audio also shines here, lending a heightened awareness of cars that approach from behind.

The RIG 600 Pro HS also allows for a horrifyingly scary experience in Alan Wake 2. The survival horror boasts phenomenal sound design, and the headset takes full advantage of it, especially with its in-built Dolby Atmos compatibility. The shifting shadows of the Taken and their guttural cries are given extra clarity here, never failing to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Casual music listening is a highlight, too, and the headset really excels with songs backed by powerful vocals. Giving albums like Bjork’s Debut and Dance Gavin Dance’s Mothership a spin, vocals are rendered exceptionally clearly without drowning out the backing instruments.

Bass performance is also very strong, providing just the right amount of thump and adding depth to each track without muddying the overall sound. The headset’s default equalizer is perfectly balanced without requiring any fine-tuning, though this is an option afforded to you via the headset’s companion app (more on that later).

While the microphone is a little irksome in terms of its design, its performance is another matter. When playing with friends in party chat or attending meetings online, my voice came through at least as clear as my Blue Yeti mic, according to my colleagues. For online play, then, know that your party shouldn’t have trouble reading you loud and clear with the RIG 600 Pro HS’s mic.

In terms of battery life it’s even more good news. When connected wirelessly via 2.4GHz, you’ll get roughly 18 hours on a full charge, and on Bluetooth you’ll get around 24 hours. The headset charged surprisingly quickly as well, going from empty to full in just over an hour.

Software

Like other RIG headsets, the RIG 600 Pro HS has its own bespoke mobile app known as the Navigator. The app, available to download via the App Store or Google Play, allows you to adjust microphone gain and monitoring on the fly, as well as set custom equalizers and alter settings such as a power off timer after a period of inactivity.

Unfortunately, there’s no PC or console version of the app, so customization all has to be done on your phone with the headset connected via Bluetooth. Thankfully, the headset’s dual connectivity feature allows you to connect it via Bluetooth and 2.4GHz simultaneously. This means you can customize your audio profile on your phone and have that carry over to your gaming or music listening sessions.

Should I buy the RIG 600 Pro HS?

The RIG 600 Pro HS is extremely easy to recommend if you’re in the market for a new cord-free gaming headset without breaking the bank. While its build quality doesn’t inspire huge confidence, it seriously impresses in the terms of audio and mic quality. With that in mind, along with its solid amount of battery life, it can be considered one of the best wireless gaming headsets out there. 

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How we tested the RIG 600 Pro HS

I tested the RIG 600 Pro HS over the course of about a week and a half, playing games across PS5 and PC including Alan Wake 2, Gran Turismo 7 and Lords of the Fallen putting the headset through its paces given the games’ excellent sound design. Between gaming sessions, I found myself using the headset for work meetings and casual music listening, both of which it excels at just as much as it does in gaming sessions. 

For a closer look at top gaming headsets, consider browsing our guide to the best Black Friday gaming headset deals as we’re highlighting discounts throughout the month of November. Our Black Friday PS5 deals page is also highlighting discounts on top peripherals for Sony’s console.

Neon signs wash over the bustling city streets of Osaka, Japan. I’ve just left Club Sega arcade and I’m heading to a bar when some cartoonish thugs confront me. Our brief battle concludes after I unleash punches, kicks, explosions, and an army of drones. I get my drink - Macallan, neat - and I decide it’s time for some karaoke. I am Kazuma Kiryu and this is the action-adventure game Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

Set in 2019, Like a Dragon Gaiden takes place three years after 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, the game where Kiryu bid his emotional farewell to the series by faking his death to protect his loved ones. Now going by the name of Joryu, our hero is working for the Daidoji Faction, a mysterious organization with fingers in many dubious pies, and it’s clear early on that this isn’t a happy existence.

Kiryu keeps a low profile, working as a bodyguard/heavy for Daidoji, but this simple life in the shadows is soon disrupted when a dodgy deal goes awry, resulting in Kiryu’s handler, Hanawa, being attacked and almost abducted. One thing leads to another and Kiryu is deployed to Sotenbori - the in-universe version of Osaka’s Dōtonbori district - in an effort to uncover who was behind this act.

The rest is heavily into spoiler territory, but I can say that it’s a much shorter experience than we’re used to from the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. Even digging into the side quests and minigames I still rolled credits within 15 hours, much shorter than the usual Kiryu-led adventure. In other words, this Dragon doesn’t ever drag on (I’m sorry). 

Network skills 

A new face to the series is Akame, a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ to use her words, who runs the Akame Network in Sotenbori. Similar to the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man app in Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games, people can report issues through it, and Akame enlists Kiryu to resolve them.

Ranging from food delivery and tracking down lost items, to, of course, knocking the stuffing out of villains, there’s plenty of busywork to be getting on with in Osaka. However, despite an overwhelming amount of tasks, it’s difficult to resist undertaking them because each completed chore feels rewarding as you earn both money and Akame points, a currency that can be exchanged for items and power-ups, administering sweet hits of dopamine faster than gaming videos on TikTok. 

It’s worth noting that Akame Network tasks are integral to progressing the main plot, along with another new feature: The Coliseum. This is a battle arena in which you fight your way through a variety of challenges. There are one-on-one bouts, matches where you fight multiple foes back-to-back, and a group battle mode where you enlist AI allies for mass brawls, which is as chaotic as it is enjoyable. You’ll need to recruit teammates for the latter, with some familiar faces available to enter the ring with Kiryu.

It’s always your turn 

Speaking of combat, Like a Dragon Gaiden doesn’t use the turn-based system introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the confusingly named mainline game that’s effectively ‘Yakuza 7,’ taking place canonically after Gaiden. Instead, Kiryu’s latest adventure follows the same formula as the previous core games and delivers unadulterated brawler action. 

Generally, it’s simple to perform: on PS5, for example, the Square button is a basic attack that you can mash for a combo, with Triangle offering a strong/finisher move. However, there’s more to it depending on which of the two fighting styles, Yakuza and Agent, you adopt. 

The former is familiar territory to fans of the series, with heavy blows, wrestling-esque moves, and the ability to wield random items around you, from traffic cones to bicycles. The Agent style is brand new in Like a Dragon Gaiden, allowing Kiryu to administer faster blows and utilize a variety of weapons. Continuing the Spider-Man game parallels, our hero has a tool called the Spider Gadget that he can use to tie up foes from afar and hurl them around.

Kiryu also has rocket-propelled shoes that let him zip around in battle, knocking down any baddie who dares stand in your way. There’s also an explosive cigarette for a James Bond-like explosive attack and you can call in multiple drones to hassle your opponents. All of this combines to make a combat style that not only suits Kiryu’s new cloak-and-dagger lifestyle but delivers a ruthless efficiency to downing enemies that keeps the game’s pace running high. 

Living for the city 

When not engaged in combat, the game’s world is full of a multitude of captivating pastimes. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon games are well known for their minigames, and Like a Dragon Gaiden is no exception. There’s karaoke, darts, billiards, shogi, poker, blackjack, UFO catchers, classic Sega arcade games like Sonic the Fighters, and more. I honestly lost track of the time I spent with these distractions, but I’ll be damned if I don’t lose more hours to Virtua Fighter and slot car racing. 

If you can pull yourself away from these distractions, there are plenty of sights to see around Sotenbori, including quirky signs and gorgeous riverside views. Then there are bars and restaurants to visit that turn Gaiden into a charming life sim, if only for a while. You can also explore a restricted version of Ijincho, the district from Yakuza: Like a Dragon that’s based on Yokohama’s Isezakichō, but you’ll find it less alive and alluring than Osaka.  

Tears of a dragon 

Like a Dragon Gaiden’s biggest strength is in its sentimentality. While the game egregiously rushes over the events of Yakuza 7, which presents a potential hurdle for newcomers, it’s somewhat understandable as Like a Dragon Gaiden is Kiryu’s story, and he wasn’t present for most of the previous game. Instead, we get a rather barebones summary of Yakuza 7’s main plot beats - but that gives more time to explore the life and times of Joryu, which is to say Kiryu’s story after Yakuza 6. 

When Kiryu disappeared at the end of the 2016 game, it was a bittersweet ending at best. Kiryu faked his death so that his adopted daughter Haruka and her family could live in peace, along with the children at the orphanage that Kiryu ran. So when we see Kiryu living an empty existence under Daidoji’s ever-watching eye, longtime fans are immediately sympathetic to the once-legendary former yakuza man.

As the story progresses in Like a Dragon Gaiden, we see Kiryu suffer like never before. This is a guy who has been through trying times, but some scenes in this game really hit home as to how much Kiryu has sacrificed. At one point I was in floods of tears because I finally saw this iconic tough guy break down in a truly masterfully-crafted scene. However, as amazing as the direction and voice actor’s performance were, I hope I never see Kiryu cry again. 

Overall, Like a Dragon Gaiden is a relatively short but still satisfying entry in this iconic series. The return of Kiryu as protagonist is an exquisite treat, and effectively sets up his prominent role in the next mainline game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. While it feels a bit rushed in some parts of the main story, it’s a must-play for fans. 

Accessibility features 

Like a Dragon Gaiden offers three difficulty options - beginner, standard, and professional - and you can change between them at any time. The main difference is how much damage enemies inflict, but beginner also adds a combat assist feature by default, which can be turned off without changing modes.

Within the settings menu, you can remap each button. You can also change the size and color of subtitles, and add a background to them in cutscenes. Lastly, there is color vision assistance for Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia, including a slider for adding/reducing the level of application.

How we reviewed Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

I spent 20 hours with Like a Dragon Gaiden, rolling credits after 15. As well as finishing the main story, I began the Premium Adventure mode, which lets players continue enjoying side content after the main campaign finishes. From here I did Akame Network tasks, sampled the wide range of minigames, and increased my rank in the Coliseum.

If you're looking for other top-tier games and gaming gear this winter, then check out our coverage of the early Black Friday game deals, Black Friday PS5 deals, Black Friday Xbox Series X deals, and Black Friday Xbox Series S deals.