Every so often Astro Gaming revamps one of its products. The company usually tinkers with the technology inside but mainly keeps the external design the same. After all, its peripherals such as the Astro A40 are defined by their classic looks.
With the Astro Gaming A10 Gen 2, the company took a different approach. The affordably priced headset introduced six years ago received a redesign from the ground up. Thadeous Cooper, head of Astro marketing at Logitech G, said, the company still kept to the pillars of the original headset — comfort, durability and audio quality — when reimaging the device.
It did away with what he described as an 1980s retro-futuristic look and brought it in line with the style of its other headsets. Coming in five colorways online March 1 and showing up in stores March 14, the headset looks like the younger brother of its popular A40s.
The big difference though comes in the approach. Because these wired headsets are priced at $59.99, players shouldn’t expect too many bells and whistles. They’re zeroed on gaming and trying to give players the best value.
THE CHANGES
Astro Gaming took out the steel parts from the A10 and opted to make weigh less for comfort. At 246 grams, it appears remarkable light, and with the cushioned headband and memory foam ear pads, it should be a go-to for marathon gaming sessions. In comparison, the HyperX Cloud II clocks in at 320 grams.
As far as durability, the previous A10s could take a beating and still work, and in a preview session, it appears the Gen 2 headsets can withstand tough treatment. Twisting the headband didn’t make it snap.
When it comes to the important audio quality question, Astro added custom-tuned 32mm dynamic drivers. That’s smaller than its peers but Cooper said it works better with the chamber inside the headset. Since being acquired by Logitech, Astro has had access to more lab and engineering expertise to help with the technology, he said. The executive said the Gen 2 produces better sound than its predecessor.
With the microphone, nothing drastic has changed. The new device still has a flip-to-mute unidirectional boom mic. Players can’t detach it, because again, it’s a headset made for gaming.
Lastly, Astro made an effort to add sustainability as one of the pillars for its new headset. Cooper said the Gen 2 has CarbonNeutral cetification and its plastic parts include post-consumer recycled content while the paper packaging comes from responsibly managed forests. Because they’re wired with a 3.5mm jack, the headsets work on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC and Mac. It works with pretty much anything that has headset plug.
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