Nacon has officially announced the RIG PRO Compact controller, and it’s the first Xbox One controller to include Dolby Atmos for headphones. It’s so important to have quality audio while you’re gaming, and Dolby Atmos is the way to make that happen. This is an Xbox One controller dropping in North America, and it goes live on May 20th, so that’s very exciting. Since it’s an Xbox One controller, it’s also usable on Windows 10, so it could really shake things up for people who want powerful audio without buying a 300 dollar headset to make that happen. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

One of the most important things about a controller is that it’s comfortable. If you’re going to be gaming for a few hours, you don’t want to feel cramps or strain on your hands. This goes double for us since we write for a living! So the size of the Nacon RIG PRO Compact is very appealing. The RIG PRO Compact is also the world’s first controller that offers Dolby Atmos for Headphones, so that’s pretty awesome.

RIG Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing, Peter Petrides spoke about their controller:

“This is the perfect controller for competitive players who prefer, and play better, using a smaller form factor not available in other elite products. The PRO Compact provides unparalleled levels of customization through its dedicated PRO Compact app. This, coupled with the inclusion of Dolby Atmos, makes it an extremely compelling controller for its price.”

How do you get Dolby Atmos on your controller? You just download the Dolby Access App from the Windows Store on Xbox on Windows 10, plug in your controller via USB, and connect a headset to your controller! Dolby Atmos is an audio format that gives three-dimensional precision. You hear everything clearer, and far more accurately. The crystal-clear audio is so important in particular in FPS titles like Battlefield, CoD, or even Fortnite.

Mahesh Balakrishnan, Vice President of Dolby’s Audio Business discussed this:

“Dolby Atmos heightens your situational awareness and helps you reach competitive excellence. It’s great to work again with RIG to make immersive gaming experiences more accessible to people around the world through the RIG PRO Compact.”

After all, you want to have a clear idea of where the bullet that missed you came from, to seek revenge. Another sound feature is the ability to create custom button maps, change trigger sensitivity, and control dead zones on your controller via the PRO Compact app on the Xbox. As long as that app is also on Windows 10, that will be terrific for both groups of players.

As far as availability goes, the RIG Pro Compact for Xbox One by Nacon will be in US stores on May 20th. It will be available in-store at Best Buy and online pre-order from GameStop, Walmart and Target on May 5th. For Canadian buyers, the PRO Compact will be exclusively at Walmart. There are two versions, the PRO Compact Black and PRO Compact White, and both are 49.99 USD.

In addition, Nacon also announced new versions of their popular RIG 500 PRO and RIG 700 Series gaming headsets. The 500 PRO Gen 2 has a comfort-enhanced steel headband that is both durable, flexible, and lightweight. It also features the signature RIG exoskeleton earcup design and low distortion 50mm drivers to aid in isolating noise and offering a more immersive experience.

There are several models available for a variety of platforms. The 500 PRO HC Gen 2 is available now at Gamestop (Multiplatform/Portable Gaming), with the others releasing on May 20th:

• RIG 500 PRO HX Gen 2: for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One: $69.99 (USD) / $89.96 (CAN)
• RIG 500 PRO HS Gen 2: for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4: $69.99 (USD) / $89.96 (CAN)
• RIG 500 PRO HC Gen 2: for multiplatform console and portable gaming: $69.99 (USD)
• RIG 500 PRO HA Gen 2: for PC gaming and includes longer cables and y-splitter: $79.99 (USD)

The RIG 700 PRO Series offers unreal wireless comfort with zero lag in an ultra-lightweight design. It’s supposed to be one of the lightest headsets on offer for both Xbox and Playstation and has a self-adjusting head strap and dual-material ear cushions. It sounds very comfortable. Both models of the RIG 700 PRO are available at Gamestop today, one for Xbox and one for Playstation:

• RIG 700 PRO HX: officially licensed for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One: $119.99
• RIG 700 PRO HS: PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4: $119.99

Both the headsets and controllers sound very interesting to use, and time will tell how they handle and work. Comfort in both headsets and controllers is key, especially for this writer. As someone who suffers regular migraines, a headset that isn’t heavy, but also has quality audio could not be more important.