Other than Battlefront II on PC, I also put the headset through Dragon Ball FighterZ, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session!, Nioh, and a bunch of demos on the PlayStation 4. So what did I try it with? All sorts of things. I also recommend trying out the “intensify” option for movies and games if you’d like some extra oomph, as it bumps up the low-end rather well. For some context, I don’t consider myself a bass-head and do prefer open-backed headphones. Some will also be happy to hear that the bass is present but not overbearing, blending smoothly into the mids rather than thumping aside everything else like some other headsets do. Nonetheless, the imaging on the RIG 800HS should play well with PC options such as Dolby Atmos. In what is good news for some, the headset remains faithfully stereo and not bogged by virtual surround. I was surprised by the soundstage too, which makes it a great fit for shooters such as Star Wars Battlefront II (for all the game’s problems, it does have some great sound). Vocals are crisp, with enough mid-range clarity and separation to make it a good musical companion. With that said, the 40mm drivers on the RIG 800HS offers a balance that works well across the entertainment board. I maintain that sound is a matter of personal preference, since we’re not exactly shopping for reference headphones. According to the user guide, these are Plantronics’ signature sound, a “seismic” bass boost, as well as “intensify” and “vocal focus”. For the latter, there’s a button along the bottom of the right cup that cycles through four presets. There’s genuinely not much in the way of set-up by this point, other than volume control and equalizer. There doesn’t appear to be any way to change those into beeps or something less distracting, but I learned to live with it after a while. Once powered and connected, the headset will spook you with some verbal feedback. After all, this thing is more or less a permanent attachment now. To nitpick a little, I did wish it came with an angled USB adapter, purely for neater console aesthetics. You can hook it up to a PC too, if you’d like - everything works just fine. It comes with an optical cable and port for those with earlier PS4 models, but the Slim (and Xbox One) only requires USB. Since the console doesn’t support Bluetooth headphones, Plantronics provides a wireless station connected via USB. The plastic build doesn’t inspire confidence either it simply doesn’t look as premium as the sub-$300 price tag suggests.Īs mentioned, the RIG 800HS is designed for the PlayStation 4. They’re easy to set, and I was lucky enough to find the default center position perfect, though the lack of finer control may prove troublesome to others. Instead, the ear cups are simply snap-fit to the frame along three vertically arranged slots. ![]() I should also point out that the height adjustment isn’t ratcheting or sliding, since that would have likely added to the weight. Bear in mind we haven’t entered our warmer months either, so consider where you plan on using these. ![]() My ears weren’t feeling hot per se, since the material is fairly breathable, but the cushions were getting a little too skin-sticky for my taste. The ones of the RIG 800HS work great in air-conditioned offices and hold up well in living rooms too, but if you’re cooped up in a warm bedroom then it may get uncomfortable by the second hour. The faux leather did raise some concern given our humid weather. To be fair, I haven’t tried Sennheiser’s gaming line yet, but those are all wired. The RIG 800HS confidently sits among mid-fi headphones, and that alone is worth the price tag. I’ve tried supposedly full-sized headsets that pinched and trapped your ears, while others may as well have been a latched-on headcrab with how tight they get. Then I put the headset on and felt my doubts melting away.Ĭomfy cushions aside, the over-the-ear cups are a perfect fit, with just enough clamping force to stay on. I was pretty skeptical upon seeing the thin headband and plastic frame, and certain design decisions were a bit off-putting too. The magic comes down to the memory-foam ear cushions, cased in soft pleather, and the lightweight construction (290 grams) of it all. Made specifically for the PlayStation 4 (there’s also the RIG 800HX variant for Xbox One), this is one of the most comfortable gaming headsets I’ve tried by far. I’d long though we’d just have to settle for what’s out there, and then the Plantronics RIG 800HS arrived. While I’d still recommend headphones paired with something like a ModMic for PC, that combination falls flat when it comes to console gaming. Wireless gaming headsets often feel like a compromise, where questions of price, comfort, and quality get obfuscated by battery life and convenience.
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