What you need to know
- RIG, now a subbrand of NACON, has manufactured gaming accessories for over a decade.
- On Thursday, the company announced the RIG 900 MAX HX, its latest flagship wireless gaming headset.
- Designed for Xbox, it combines premium audio, a charging base station, and multi-device connectivity.
- It's the first gaming headset with Dolby Personalized Audio through Dolby Atmos, using a compatible smartphone to create a personalized sound profile.
Price: $249.99 at Best Buy
Drivers: 40mm, 20-20,000Hz, 32ohms, Dolby Personalized Audio + Dolby Atmos 3D
Microphone: Unidirectional, flip-to-hide
Connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless via USB Type-A dongle (Xbox, PlayStation, PC), Bluetooth 5.1 (Switch, mobile devices)
Battery life: Up to 50 hours (Bluetooth), up to 60 hours (2.4GHz), seamless charging via base station
Weight: 241g (0.53lbs)
Xbox gamers, this one is for you. NACON has announced a new ultra-premium wireless gaming headset through the RIG brand, and it's a flagship peripheral of the 'Designed for Xbox' program, boasting a sleek base station and showcasing a brand-new audio standard from Dolby.
The RIG 900 MAX HX is an impressive piece of audio kit. It's a high-end wireless gaming headset through and through, and while the focus is certainly on Xbox, you're not limited to that platform.
This headset features both 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, providing support for Xbox, PlayStation, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. You also have a dual wireless mode that lets you mix audio from both wireless connections, allowing you to listen to music, take calls, or stay in a voice chat while playing games.
Of course, you get a base station to dock the RIG 900 MAX HX when it's not in use, making it easy to keep your headset charged. Even without that, you're still looking at up to 50 hours of playtime via Bluetooth or an even greater 60 hours via 2.4GHz wireless. So far, this wireless headset is ticking all the boxes it needs to, but it has one more ace up its sleeve.
This is the very first headset to market featuring Dolby's Personalized Audio. It's an elevated form of Dolby Atmos spatial audio that uses your smartphone with Dolby's companion app to create a personalized, unique profile based on your ears, head, neck, and shoulders. It sounds great in theory, but we'll have to see how well Dolby's latest audio standard delivers. RIG is also releasing the 900 MAX Navigator mobile app, giving you access to more advanced customization like a full equalizer, microphone sensitivity options, wireless modes, and more.
All of this makes the RIG 900 MAX HX one of the most well-featured wireless gaming headsets for Xbox. If the complete experience lives up to the premium price tag, this could very well be one of the best Xbox gaming headsets. And, while the best experience with the 900 MAX HX will undoubtedly be found on Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One, multiplatform connectivity may also make this headset one of the best PC gaming headsets around.
The RIG 900 MAX HX is now available from Best Buy, retailing for a whopping $249.99. It's no budget gaming headset, gunning straight for the high-end segment alongside competitors like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and Turtle Beach Stealth Pro. Both these headsets are critically acclaimed and have earned their premium designation, but it remains to be seen if RIG's latest headset can do the same. Fortunately, I'll be writing an in-depth review of the RIG 900 MAX HX for Windows Central, so stay tuned.
It's a great day for gaming headsets with another wireless announcement, although this alternative from Razer won't work with Xbox: The BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed is now available and aims to offer an excellent esports-focused wireless gaming experience on Windows PC without breaking the bank. At just $130, it may be one of the greatest values of the year.
