Today Logitech G announced the launch of its newest headset, the Astro A50 X. Designed for consoles but also compatible with PC, the Astro A50 X brings a lot to the table. It offers the same things that Astro A50 fans have loved over the years. The base station, the extra-long flip-to-mute mic, superior comfort, and more. It’s picked up a few new tricks though. Namely the graphene drivers and the built-in HDMI switcher.
Earlier this year Logitech released its G Pro X 2 gaming headset. This was primarily designed for PC but, it’s also compatible with consoles. It’s also hyper-focused on competitive gamers who want an edge thanks to the Pro-G graphene drivers. These drivers allow for a much more precise sound to leverage the capability to hear every step and every bullet in games like Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege, and other similar multiplayer shooters. So that hopefully, you get the jump on opponents. The Astro A50 X features these drivers too. The HDMI switcher however is probably the biggest change to a long-time staple.
The Astro A50 X features HDMI switching with PlaySync
The launch of the Astro A50 X introduces an opportunity for console gamers. An opportunity of convenience. The built-in HDMI switcher, which Logitech is calling PlaySync, allows for seamless swapping between your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. There are some caveats to this but we’ll get into that in a moment.
What you need to know is that the headset comes with a dedicated PlaySync button. Say you’re playing games on your Xbox Series X. Later on if you want to hop on over to the PlayStation 5 you simply hit the PlaySync button. This automatically switches the TV’s input over to the PlayStation 5 console and changes the headset audio to it as well.
You can do this for PC too. Here’s the kicker though. Hitting the PlaySync button will only swap the video input between Xbox and PlayStation. This doesn’t work for PC. It will change the audio, but you’ll need to change the video input to PC manually. This is because the base station connects to the PC using a USB-C cable instead of HDMI as it does for the consoles.
Of course, your PC will also need to be connected to the same display as your consoles if you really want to benefit from PlaySync. At the very least it needs to be in the same room. And even then, if your PC is across the room you’d still need to have a long USB-C cable. So there are some limitations here.
Lightspeed Wireless for a reliable connection and Dolby Atmos for high-quality audio
Another big upgrade for the Astro A50 with the new A50 X model is the inclusion of Logitech G’s 24-bit Lightspeed Wireless technology and Dolby Atmos. The former has been instrumental in Logitech G’s best wireless headsets over the years and it’s now available with the A50 X. Ensuring you get a stable connection with no latency for your gaming audio. Logitech G also brought in one of my absolute favorite features of another gaming headset. Simultaneous Bluetooth audio.
The base station features simultaneous Bluetooth audio so you can listen to both the game via Lightspeed and something like Discord over Bluetooth. This way you can mix in voice chat. This one feature has been a big reason the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro has been my go-to headset for PlayStation 5.
To top things off the A50 X also comes with Dolby Atmos for high-quality audio. When you’re using the headset with Xbox or PC, you can benefit from the Dolby Atmos audio with the Dolby Access app. And on PlayStation, the headset uses Sony’s Tempest 3D Audio technology.
Logitech G wants this to be the one headset you use for your entire setup. And it’s certainly possible to do that. However, gamers who have their consoles and their PC hooked up to one display will benefit the most. The Astro A50 X is expensive with a retail price of $379.99. But likely worth it if you want to simplify your gaming audio setup and consolidate down to one headset for everything.