We dig into how the brand new Astro A50 X aims to be the one gaming headset to rule them all, then check out Princess Peach: Showtime!
If you’re lucky enough to be a gamer sharing your playtime across multiple systems, you’ll likely know the pain of trying to use a single headset across all those platforms. Often times it means fiddling with HDMI cords, USB ports and, eventually, getting tired of the juggle and simply throwing your old iPhone buds into the headphone jack in despair. It’s a pain I know all too well, but now those days are over, and it’s all thanks to the Logitech G Astro A50 X.
A revision of the long-beloved Astro A50s, you could be forgiven for first thinking this is still the same old unit at first blush. That’s because much of the headset’s visual design is relatively unchanged. You’ve still got the fabric ear cups, fixed microphone and the unit’s signature protruding metallic stems on both sides, allowing the ear cups to slide up and down. It feels like a perfect use case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but considering the old unit is as beloved as it is, the move should hardly be a deal-breaker for anybody.
The continuity in design means the A50 X still feels super comfy, doesn’t create too much pressure on the head and never caused me to sweat up a storm along a long play session. My only gripe is that I would have loved to have seen the microphone be detachable this time around, particularly for single-player focused gamers who don’t need the extra bulk it creates.
But while it might look the same, internally it’s a whole different story. The main focus here centres around the refreshed charging station, which now possesses the ability to seamlessly switch between multiple consoles. It does this via a slew of new connections at the back of the unit harnessing HDMI 2.1. Without getting too deep into the weeds setup involves linking both HDMI and USB C cables to your respective consoles, allowing the A50 X to leverage HDMI 2.1 passthru via your TV setup. It’s a lot of cables and takes a bit of time to to get up and going, but it’s thankfully not overly confusing and once you’re done it’s truly impressive how quick and painless switching between systems is.
Having the ability to link multiple systems to a headset isn’t entirely new territory (SteelSeries Nova Pro as a prime example), but the sheer simplicity here feels unparalleled. Even with the aforementioned Nova Pros, you’re still tied to a physical DAC to do much of the heavy lifting. That’s not the case with the A50 X. You simply hit the PLAYSYNC button on the headset itself to seamlessly switch between systems, and it just works. The one downside is that if you plan to utilise the A50 X’s PC connection as well, you can’t have the trio in separate locations due to the charging station being connected to all three. Worth keeping in mind if you like you use your consoles in the living room while keeping the PC in the study.
Once you are up and running, you’ll be happy to know that the Astro A50 X sounds great too. The PRO-G GRAPHENE drivers delivered a solid punch to every game we tested, but the name of the game here is balance. That means I experienced a great amount of clarity without that being at the expense of bass and all without a hint of distortion. This balance makes sense considering the flexibility the headset seems to be shooting for, and offers even more still with both Tempest and Dolby Atmos compatibility.
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It’s worth noting the Astro A50 X still lacks active noise cancellation, which is a disappointing considering the $750 asking price, but you do still have some degree of cancellation that occurs from an over-ear design.
Speaking of the price tag, a headset that costs almost as much as the console it’s paired with might be a bit of a hard sell for some and that’s perfectly okay. The Astro A50 X isn’t going to be for everybody, but for those who want to have one headset to rule them all, it’s certainly worth saving up for.
The Logitech Astro A50 X is available now for $749 via Amazon.
Also out now…
Princess Peach: Showtime! (Switch)
With the mega-hit Super Mario Bros. Movie shining a long overdue spotlight on everybody’s favourite pink princess, it certainly feels as though Princess Peach is living her best life at the moment. Hoping to continue that momentum we now have Princess Peach: Showtime!, and while it might not be an instant classic, it’s still a charming adventure that has serious potential to be a show stopping series.
Much of the charm stems from the concept itself: centring around Peach’s adventures within the troubled Sparkle Theatre after some wicked forces try to take over in the game’s opening moments. But with the stage figuratively, and oftentimes quite literally, set it grants Showtime a wonderful amount of flexibility, as Peach runs about the theatre in an incredibly vast range of different characters.
In one moment she’s slashing foes about as a swordfighter, while in the next looking for clues in a detective mystery. How many ideas Nintendo throws at the wall for what feels like brief moments, never to return, is truly astounding, especially considering how dramatically it can affect the gameplay.
Not every costume change is a winner, but the development team has to be commended for trying something new all the same. It also opens the door for plenty of improvement should the show go on via Nintendo’s next system. I was always excited to see what was next, even when the pace slowed down a little.
Princess Peach: Showtime! Is very much a family-orientated game, meaning it’s a touch on the easy side, but for long-time Ninty fans there’s still plenty of collectibles at play they’ll have you searching for hours before the curtain closes.
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