Rig Nacon Pro Compact review
The Rig Nacon Pro Compact is an affordable Xbox controller with Dolby Atmos included
The Rig Nacon Pro Compact isn’t going to beat the official Xbox Wireless Controller that comes with every Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S console, but it's a fine alternative if you’re looking for a cheaper, wired option. It also comes with the added bonus of granting users access to Dolby Atmos, which is a plus if you want to sample the spatial audio tech. However, we wouldn’t recommend it to players with large hands, or for those who want a reliable D-Pad for fighting games.
GOOD
- Oversized face buttons
- Dolby Atmos license included
- Customizable profiles
BAD
- Small D-Pad
- Grips feel too short
- Slippy, sensitive analog sticks
Two-Minute Rig Nakon Pro Compact Review
The Rig Nakon Pro Compact is a solid product for the price. It doesn't match the ergonomics of the official Xbox Wireless controller, but if you're after a second pad with good build quality, the Rig Nikon Pro Compact is well worth considering. You also get a Dolby Atmos license as part of the deal, which could be an attractive proposition for those interested in spatial audio, and the customization options are pleasing and not something you get at this price point.
However, the controller's small form factor means that players with larger hands may find the rig Nakon Pro Compact a bit awkward to hold due to its less pronounced grips, and we weren't fans of the controller's D-pad, either because of its small size. Because of the size and placement near the controller's share button, or slippery analog sticks.
Still, for a price of $49.99 / £44.99, and with many retailers selling the controller for well under RRP, the Rig Nakon Pro Compact is great value and well worth a look.
Design and price
The Rig Nakon Pro Compact is a wired controller that costs $49.99 / £44.99 and comes with a three-meter-long cable. All the buttons on the new Xbox Wireless controller are accounted for, including the share button, the oversized face button (which this reviewer particularly liked), and you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom of the pad. On the back, there's a toggle for switching between two customizable profiles, which we'll get to below, and the overall construction of the controller was pretty impressive—it withstood our best efforts to flex and fold the plastic housing without issue.
With the size of a PS4 DualShock controller, the Rig Nikon Pro Compact feels light in the hand—and it certainly takes a little getting used to at first, especially if you have large hands. The controller's grip is relatively short, which means the Rig Nikon Pro Compact is more in your palms than an Xbox Wireless Controller or PS5 DualSense Controller. Thankfully, though, it's quite comfortable due to its lightweight and textured matte plastic construction.
The analog sticks are asymmetrically placed, which is a priority for this reviewer, and are accented by tasteful gold trim. The sticks are also concave, with unique textures on the left and right sticks, but we found they felt slippery under the thumb.
Overall, it's a good-looking controller, with the surprisingly good build quality for the price, and two color options available: white or black.
Features
The Rig Nakon Pro Compact lets you customize the pad to your liking using the Pro Compact app, which we found very intuitive and easy to use. You can adjust a variety of features such as remapping buttons, adjusting stick and trigger sensitivity, and you can also change the intensity of thunder.
We especially liked how the app lets you set profiles like 'FPS' for first-person shooters or 'racing' for driving games, with clear pictures of the reaction curve you're choosing.
One of the other benefits of choosing the Rig Nakon Pro Compact over other controllers on the market is that you get Dolby Atmos for free, which usually costs $15 / £15 for a license. All you need to do is download the Dolby Access app from the Microsoft Store on your PC or Xbox Series X, connect your controller and the application should automatically recognize the pad and activate the free license.
Performance
After testing the rig Nakon Pro Compact in several of our favorite titles, we found the controller to be responsive, easy to use, but lacking in a few areas. While we love the customization options available, we found the analog sticks to be too loose for our liking, and we didn't enjoy using the D-pad when playing fighting games or platformers. Compare this to the official Xbox Wireless controller's D-pad, where the contour design lends itself well to inputting special moves or making precise jumps, as in some examples.
We loved the chunky face buttons, though, which remind us of the Nintendo Switch Pro controller, and the triggers, while separate from the official Xbox Wireless controller, are more than serviceable. It's nothing serious to complain about, and we'd happily play using the Rig Nakon Pro Compact as our main controller. But the small frame, slippy analog sticks, and a few gripes like the average D-pad keep it from trumping the pack-in Xbox Pad.
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