At first glance, we'll admit that the RIG Pro Compact isn't really much to look at. Yes, it's a USB powered controller rather than a wireless one, and it's arguably not as stylish as the official Xbox Wireless Controller for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but looks can be deceiving, and we've found this to be a surprisingly great pro controller in practice.
Let's start with the overall feel of the controller, which is very good. The thumbsticks are enjoyable to wield and have a nice texture to them, while the buttons are clicky and responsive. The d-pad is a bit spongey, but perfectly adequate for most games. The triggers are quite different to the standard Xbox Wireless Controller, adopting a more PlayStation-like 'R2' and L2' design which takes some getting used to, but they're satisfying to use nonetheless.
It's a bit of a departure from what we're used to, then, but we quickly adapted over a few games of Titanfall 2, and found the button and trigger layouts to be a big benefit in certain games, such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, where it felt like it was very easy to pull off fluid combos thanks to the controller's unique design. A good start!
There are a couple of missteps though, such as the 'Menu' and 'View' buttons being awkwardly placed at the top of the controller while the Guide button is lower down than usual. And in general, while the RIG Pro Compact is definitely enjoyable to use, it doesn't feel quite as comfortable in the hand as the standard Xbox Wireless Controller.
You do get a fair few benefits with this controller, however. The big selling point is that it's the "world's first Xbox controller to include Dolby Atmos," which basically means that instead of paying the standard license fee to access Dolby Atmos for Headphones on Xbox, you get it included with the controller, and the license carries with it. If you want to take your RIG Pro Compact to a friend's house, you can still use Dolby Atmos there as well. It's a nice touch.

We're not huge audiophiles, so we're not going to go too in-depth in regards to the Dolby Atmos experience specifically, but it's described as providing "stunning detail, precision, and realism in your games, movies, and shows with sound that flows all around you — even overhead and behind you." Certain games are tailored for Dolby Atmos, such as Forza Horizon 4 and Call of Duty: Warzone, resulting in higher audio quality and improved surround sound. You can get a seven day trial right now on Xbox if you want to test it for yourself ahead of time.
Another benefit you get with the RIG Pro Compact is that you can download an Xbox app to tinker with your controller's settings, accessing everything from button mapping to specific customisation options tailored towards sports games, shooters, racers and more. You can alter the sensitivity of the triggers, for example, and play around with dead zones.
And that USB cable? Yeah, it's annoying that the controller isn't wireless, but the cable itself is nice and long, feels quite premium in its design, and is well-built and chunky enough that it's not going to break apart easily. It's not really ideal to be playing with USB controllers in 2021, but there's nothing to grumble about in regards to the execution here.

We're coming away pretty impressed with the RIG Pro Compact, then. It feels good to use, appears well-built, comes with Dolby Atmos for Headphones as part of the package, and offers various pro controller features. The European version which released earlier this year (known as the Nacon Pro Compact) has also been getting good reviews from customers so far, so it looks like the majority of buyers have been happy with their purchases.
Yet, with all that said... we think the standard Xbox Series X Wireless Controller still edges it in terms of comfort. The extra features make the RIG Pro Compact worth switching to now and again - and it's a brilliant 'Player 2' controller to give to your friends - but it's just not quite on the level of the official design. If you fancy a change and you like the sound of those extra benefits though, we think you'll be pleased with the RIG Pro Compact.
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Have you bought the RIG Pro Compact (or Nacon Pro Compact)? Let us know down in the comments.
Comments 15
Not quite sure this control knows what it wants to be.
Dolby Atmos just seems to be thrown in to try to create buzz words, considering it's useless without headphones or a Dolby Atmos capable surround sound setup.
In terms of being a 'Pro' controller, there's no additional buttons like the Elite or Razer controller.
The only thing going for it is the price, which is around £30-35 in the UK.
So I'd say it's more of a budget secondary controller than a Pro controller or maybe good for someone coming from PlayStation to Xbox might find the feel of the controller and RT and LT triggers more familiar.
Both Rise and Shadow of the Tomb Raider make AMAZING use of Dolby Atmos.
If you don't have Dolby Atmos for Headphones, and have yet to use the 7-day trial, those are the games to try.
Gears 5 is pretty good. Cyberpunk is great, too. Forza Horizon 4 is cool if you play with the in-car camera angle. However, the Tomb Raider games are almost like they were built solely for Dolby Atmos.
@blinx01 "Dolby Atmos for Headphones" is a thing and what they're discussing
@Meehanuk So Dolby Atmos is tied to the Dolby App in Xbox/Windows.
For AVRs it is free - you basically already paid for something to decode the spatial metadata with Dolby Atmos: your receiver. Just set your Xbox to bitstream and then select Dolby Atmos. Done.
In order to unlock Dolby Atmos for Headphones - and therefore have the license to use the software that decodes spatial metadata and converts it to virtual spatial audio in headphones - you have to pay. Once you have it, you can set your headphone output to Dolby Atmos for Headphones.
Dolby Atmos for Headphones works in games that support Atmos, streaming apps that support Atmos, and Blu-ray that support Atmos. Basically anything you play/watch that supports Atmos, it will work.
Microsoft has it's own 3D Audio called Window Sonic. Games that support Dolby Atmos pretty much also support Windows Sonic. However, it's only for games and it's also only for headphone. I don't feel like it's as accurate as Dolby Atmos for Heaphones. Where PS5 has Tempest for 3D Audio, Microsoft has Sonic.
There is also DTS:X Headphones, which is the same concept as Dolby Atmos for Headphones, only on the DTS side. Again, most games that support Dolby Atmos also support DTS:X.
two main flaws that i see are that its not wireless and this knockoff brand controller is ugly as sin itself
I would rather just pay the small fee and have a proper controller.
A wired controller in 2021? Plus no extra buttons.
That's a niche market!
I don't dislike the looks of this controller, but I feel this review is a little limited. How good is the D-pad for Tetris and fighters? And you may not be audiophiles, but it's worth checking the sense of space and detail around you in a multiplayer game of Warzone with the same headset normal controller vs this controller, right? Very curious what your findings are!
I already have a Dolby Atmos license and a DTS X license, so I'm quite into improved audio and have this covered already, however I think the idea that the controller has this built in is quite cool.
It is actually quite a clever advert for Atmos, if you took the controller to a friends house it would be quite a talking point, it would not doubt get passed around, maybe resulting in some license purchases.
@Bartig Apologies you felt it was a little limited!
As I say, the d-pad is a little spongey and doesn't have that same satisfying click as the standard controller has, so I'm not wild about it. I'm not a big fighting game aficionado, but if I was playing one, I'd prefer using the normal controller.
In regards to Dolby Atmos, I've tried a few games (Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, New Super Lucky's Tale, etc), and personally I'm hearing slightly higher sound quality in general, meatier basses, and a more pronounced sense of surround sound.
Windows Sonic is still perfectly good enough for me in terms of sound quality, but Dolby Atmos is definitely an improvement for the games that support it. I'd recommend going for the seven-day trial first though, and you can make your own decision on it.
@FraserG Good additions, thank you!
@FraserG
I have a question.
I watched a review on Youtube and the reviewer mentioned that the Dolby Atmos license was only for 2 years, is that correct?
I assumed it would be for the life of the controller (judging by third party controllers 2 weeks! Haha).
Thanks
@JetmanUK We've been told that it's a lifetime license
@FraserG
That's good, it would have been a huge flaw to make it timed.
Thanks for the reply
my 3000 dollar Bose home theater system offers Dolby atmos. kind of gimmick to have it in an Xbox controller that is a step back in evolution being wired
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