In recent years, the most reliable headset brand, at least for my ears, has been Nacon RIG. For years, their industrial looks have been married to high-quality gaming audio, and that’s seen them remain a firm favourite in our home. So, it’s with some surprise that the latest RIG headset, the R5 Pro HS doesn’t actually look like any of the headsets that have come before it. This much more restrained and customisable design still hosts RIG’s excellent audio, though, making this a late peripheral highlight in 2025.
The R5 Pro HS is a 3.5mm wired headset, meaning that it’s compatible with anything hosting a headphone socket, including PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. It’s often nice to have the simplicity of a wired headset; you never have to remember to charge it, or place it on a dock, it’s just ready to go.
That simplicity extends to the R5’s controls, with an inline volume control sitting midway down the cable, itself boasting a slide control that clicks into place at full volume. It was always easy to find the control when I needed it, and I appreciated the fact that it was right there, whether hitting louder sections in a game, or needing to turn things down to hear somebody talking to me.
The microphone is similarly straightforward, with a flip-to-mute action that stops its output when pointing straight up. The boom arm is made of flexible metal with a rubberised coating, giving it a decent degree of movement and optimisation that sees it stay exactly where you put it. The mic itself boasts a 50 Hz–15 kHz frequency range, and it proved perfect for game chat and the odd Zoom call, though I do think I’d look for a dedicated mic if I was streaming and talking to an audience.
While there’s elements of the older RIG headset design language if you look really closely – you can see it in the squared-off bottoms of each earcup – Nacon have clearly decided to move towards a more modern and understated overall look. That means that the R5 Pro HS have lost some of the character of those older headsets, but you could actually wear these outside of your home without drawing any side eye. It’s clean, confident, and I like the shift in design as we head into 2026.
The R5’s little party trick is that it has customisable magnetic plates on the outside of each earcup, letting you add a touch of your own personality to them. It’s a decent enough idea, and one we’ve seen before with headsets like the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2, but there, the support for different plates dried up pretty quickly.
Nacon don’t want that to happen. Instead, even before their own options are available, they’ve released the STL files, letting those with access to 3D printing get started making their own plates straight away. This means that players will be able to create their own, completely unique plates, and I can see it being a popular headset, simply for this level of customisation. Out of the box, you’re getting two PlayStation-branded covers, but if you want to remove them, the R5 Spear Pro not only gets even lighter and easier on your ears, it gives it a real retro vibe that I definitely enjoyed.
Comfort isn’t an issue, with or without the plates, and the magnetic ear cushions – which you’ll also be able to buy alternate versions of – are thick, soft and plush. I was able to wear the R5 Spear Pro for days on end, helped by the ample padding on the headband, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a comfortable, easy-to-live-with headset.
In terms of audio, the R5 Pro HS’s 40mm graphene drivers do a fantastic job of delivering all of your gaming needs directly into your ears, in suitably detailed form. I’ve been playing a ton of Skate Story, and it was the ideal game to test them out with. The soundtrack, composed by Blood Cultures, had plenty of menacing thump, though the bass was never overwhelming. The R5 Pro HS are more bass-heavy than the recent Turtle Beach Atlas 200, meaning that action games and bass-heavy music tracks have some serious weight.
If you’re so inclined, the R5 Pro HS are a decent option for listening to music as well. Besides mainlining the Skate Story Vol. 1 album, I’m still stuck on President’s King of Terror EP, and the aggressive guitars and electronic tones sounded great, with some decent spacing in the soundstage. They might edge towards the mid-range a bit more than some other headsets out there, but away from music, it means that dialogue and speech rings through that step clearer than elsewhere, and the wider soundstage means that you feel truly enveloped by the game worlds you’re exploring.
With an RRP of £69.90, the key competitor to the R5 Spear Pro this holiday season is the Turtle Beach Atlas 200, and it’s a tough battle as they’re both excellent wired headsets. The build quality of the R5 is definitely stronger, has better audio, and I much prefer the design, but the Atlas 200 probably just edges it in terms of comfort, thanks to its lighter weight. If you’re looking for customisation though, the R5 is the clear winner.
