RIG Gaming: From the moon to esports

It’s the 50-year anniversary of the moon landing. Many people recognize that event as a giant leap for humanity, but it also caused a leap forward in technology. Plantronics (RIG Gaming) is responsible for revolutionalizing communication tech in the early 1960s. They started building headsets for airline pilots and were quickly adopted by NASA. Neil Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” were transmitted through a Plantronics headset as he stepped onto the moon. Now, RIG Gaming is heavily involved in esports and gaming.

RIG Gaming takes on gaming

We were lucky enough to catch up with Peter Petrides, RIG Gaming’s APAC Director of Sales, at Melbourne Esports Open. Plantronics has a long history of making headsets for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. RIG first got into the gaming scene when there was a need for pro players.

Any mission-critical application in the world uses a Plantronics headset. Spawned out of that, we started making headsets for PC, and then Xbox… From there we started making gaming headsets… Every [esports] stage globally uses a product called the Commando. What happened with this was, back with SWC in Europe, they came to us and said “we have 50,000 screaming fans at our games, we need a headset [for the gamers] that can block out that”. We said sure and went over to our specials department in the US and asked them to help us. They said, “yeah, we can block the sound of a jet engine, we’re sure we can do something for gamers”. We took one of our aircraft carrier headsets [the Commando], and spruced it up and made it a gaming headset.

Since then, RIG Gaming has set the bar for industry-standard esports headsets. RIG is an ESL partner and provides hundreds of headsets for esports competitions all over the world. And it’s not just about the pros.

Checking out the new @RIG_Gaming headsets at #MEO2019 🎧#esports #Melbourne #gaming #headphones pic.twitter.com/A89fNptKkD

— ✨ 🍩 Michelle Mannering (@MishManners) August 31, 2019

Gaming for the masses

The pro player event-tournament sphere is only one small market of the overall esports and gaming industry. RIG Gaming went further and provided something for everyone.

We exploded the headset some years ago, and we made a modular gaming headset that people can put together themselves. We put some cool stuff into it, too!

The RIG Gaming headset is completely modular. Almost everything on the headset comes apart – the microphones, dials, headband, and ear cups. This means if you break something off, it’s easy to replace and change it. The super-flexible material ensures they don’t break even if you sit on them. We were lucky enough to take home a few headsets to try out. They definitely get the thumbs up!

For the entry-level headsets, the sound isn’t the same high quality seen with some of the top-tier headsets. However, all headsets are equipped with similar features. Each comes with three size levels. The headband easily snaps on and off to fit all head types. If you’ve read some of my earlier reviews, you’ll remember I have a super tiny head. The RIG Gaming headset is perfect for all sizes and shapes. Plus, the colors are epic! Who doesn’t want arctic white or army cameo?

We had hands-on with the RIG 700, RIG 400, and RIG 300. Each has its own unique features. The 300 is an entry-level headset, while the 700 has superior wireless sound quality. If you’re heading to PAX Aus, you can check out all the awesome headsets at their booth. RIG has some awesome SWAG if you drop by their booth, plus great games to play.

https://twitter.com/RIG_GamingANZ/status/1181761120752680965

Check back for more updates on PAX Aus, as well as some upcoming reviews on some of the awesome gear we received from RIG.