Should You Buy The Asus ROG Orion Pro Gaming Headset?

Should you buy the ASUS Republic of Gamers Orion Pro Gaming Headset? The recent overload of 7.1 virtual surround headsets hitting the market makes it so difficult to decide what to spend your hard earned money on.

So let us help you take the plunge with the ASUS ROG Orion Pro headset.

If you’re the social or mobile game player

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You don’t need it. The short playtimes and standard BGM of your game genre of choice ensures you’ll be gold with just your iPod’s standard earphones. You’re better off investing the S$169 the ROG Orion Pro will cost you into Diamonds for Sim City Social.

The ROG Orion Pro also comes with two jacks – one for the mic and the other for audio, and they’re an inconvenient pain for when you travel. The headset’s overlarge cups also make it cumbersome to tote around.

If you’re the MMORPG player

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Buy it, because the ROG Orion Pro has cushioned over-ear cups that measure 100mm. This means they fit over the gawkiest of ears and the dangliest of earrings in the most comfortable way, and exorcise the inevitable pain in your helix that comes after long hours of headset wear for good.

The headband is also cushioned for maximum comfort. All in all, it’s a pretty damn comfy headset, and can certainly last your raid.

If you’re the sponsored player…

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…and are lucky enough to receive free swag from generous sponsors, ask for this. The ROG Orion Pro can only be called classy, with its sleek black-with-red design and matte finish. Its leather-cushioned cups just beg to caress your ears, while the metal extensions that slip out of the headband are nothing short of well-designed perfection.

Boasting braided wires and double extensions that adjust to fit your head without a hitch, the ROG Orion Pro is something you’d want to see around your neck when you stand up to receive that S$4,000 cheque for placing first at an e-sports tournament.

And if you’re the FPS player

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Holy god, buy, beg, borrow or steal it because this will change your life.

The ROG Orion Pro is a gaming headset, and rightly so. It comes bundled with an audio enhancer called the Spitfire. This little dongle will change your life the way the discovery of a vibrator will change a teenage girl’s.

The Spitfire accepts both of the Orion Pro’s jacks that not only turn it into a USB powered device; it amps up the headset’s audio clarity, gives it true surround, and includes a ‘FPS mode’.

This FPS mode dulls background FX for you to better hear footsteps in your game. If you activate this while listening to plain ol’ music, the bass and oomph get dimmed so you hear the lyrics better. Any FPS player knows how important it is not to get snuck up on and backstabbed – and the FPS mode on the Spitfire helps you avoid just that by enhancing the in-game sound of running feet. Never again will you die to a bullet in your back.

The Spitfire also works with other headsets, not that you’d need any more with the Orion Pro in your life…

Again, buy the Asus ROG Orion Pro if you play FPS games!

SCORESHEET (out of 10) OVERALL
8.0
Wonderful
The Good
  • Large ear cups are comfortable even after long hours.
  • Overpowered Spitfire USB audio enhancer comes bundled.
  • Can be powered by ordinary 3.5mm jack or USB.
  • Great for FPS games or practicing your karaoke.
The Bad
  • Sound quality not quite there when used without the Spitfire dongle.
  • Double jacks and size reduce its portability.

The ASUS Republic of Gamer Orion Pro Gaming Headset will retail for S$169 when it hits the shelves in December 2012.