SCIENCE & TECH: The RIG R5 Spear Pro HS is my new favorite wired gaming headset – here’s why you should have it on your radar this Black Friday

Nacon’s RIG brand of gaming headsets is one I’m particularly fond of. Like GameSir is to controllers, RIG often applies fiercely competitive pricing to hardware that punches well above its weight in terms of quality and longevity.

The newly launched RIG R5 Spear Pro HS (okay, I do really dislike the unwieldy name) is one prime example. This wired gaming headset ticks almost all the boxes in what I personally look for in a value-beating pair of cans: Great sound quality; comfy enough for long gaming sessions; a capable microphone for online multiplayer; and a price tag that makes me double-take in the best way possible.

I’ve enjoyed a number of RIG products in the past, namely the brilliant RIG 900 Max HS and the RIG 600 Pro HS; both of which are superb wireless gaming headsets designed with PlayStation hardware in mind. Being slightly older than the R5 Spear Pro, these wireless headsets are likely candidates for a strong, upcoming Black Friday discount.

But there are a number of reasons why I’d actually recommend keeping an eye out for the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS over the sales period, especially if it’ll be your first time purchasing a gaming headset for modern platforms.

The price is right

Let’s talk about the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS’s retail price first.

At $69.99 / £69.99 (around AU$99), it’s already straddling the line between mid-range and budget price points. That isn’t unheard of for wired gaming headsets in general. The Razer BlackShark V2 X, for example, comes in at $59.99 / £59.99, while another favorite in the HyperX Cloud Alpha is a bit higher in price at $99.99 / £89.99.

What those competing headsets have in their favor, a few years after release, is that they are often subject to incredibly compelling discounts that comfortably undercut the retail price of the R5 Spear Pro HS. So, why should you consider the new RIG headset given the competition is likely to be cheaper over Black Friday?

I’ve used all three of these headsets extensively at various points in my life, for gaming, work, and music listening purposes. On all three fronts, I can confidently say that the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS has those other two beat by some measure.

Audio quality is some of the clearest and punchiest I’ve sampled in any wired gaming headset here, especially in this price bracket. Nacon hasn’t been shy in advertising the headset’s 40mm graphene drivers, and for good reason. They provide crystal clear audio with very little in the way of distortion, or muddying at higher volumes.

Audio performs much better overall than the BlackShark V2 X, especially. While sporting great build quality, as is typical of Razer products, it’s very much a ‘gets the job done’ headset for those just looking for something cheap and cheerful for hopping online with friends.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, but the overall audio experience is much stronger with the R5 Spear Pro HS – whether that’s for online multiplayer, or immersing yourself in some stellar single-player adventures.

A cut above

Comfort and customizability are two more of the R5 Spear Pro HS’s strong suits. The headset relies on comfy plush materials for its ear cups and headband, suiting long-play sessions by design. I typically prefer this over cheap leatherette material, as it doesn’t chafe nearly as much, and doesn’t get as warm over extended sessions.

You can also customize the headset with official magnetic mod plates. These are sold separately, but allow you to swap out the default (included) PlayStation-centric ones for something more bespoke. I’m a particularly big fan of the EVO tournament design, as someone who particularly loves fighting games as my go-to competitive genre.

One sticking point you might have with the R5 Spear Pro is that it’s a strictly wired headset. However, to me, that’s not too big of an issue. Wired means the headset is fully platform-agnostic, something that’s rarer with wireless headsets due to specific connectivity requirements. Being wired means the R5 Spear Pro works across PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and most other devices with a 3.5mm headphone jack port.

While you may be tempted to purchase other wired gaming headsets over Black Friday if they go on sale, I think you should consider keeping an eye out for discounts on the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS. Price drops here aren’t likely to be as steep as the competition, given its relative newness (likely around 10-20% tops), but if it dips below the $60 / £60 mark over the sales period, I’ll almost certainly be writing about it during Black Friday week

I highly recommend you pick up the RIG R5 Spear Pro HS for enjoying the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, best Switch 2 games, or whichever platform you primarily play on.