The Logitech G Astro A50 X dropped earlier this year and it tried to do something totally different to much success. It not only offered full compatibility with PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC at the same time, but it also had a HDMI switcher for each console allowing it to handle your video feeds for each and quickly change between them.
Whilst I personally loved this concept, as someone who doesn’t have enough HDMI ports on my TV, I can understand why many were likely not a huge fan given the larger price tag, and being conflicted between wanting that signature fantastic Astro sound without paying the extra for the video switching features.
Logitech has clearly heard this and subsequently released the A50 Gen 5 which is quite literally the exact same headset as the A50 X without the HDMI ports/video swapping feature which makes it $150 cheaper and no doubt now in the price point of a lot of gamers.
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It still carries the PLAYSYNC technology which means that you can connect your PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC all through dedicated ports and there’s also a power port if you’re not connecting to your PC to get power into the dock itself.
Switching between your consoles is as simple as pressing the Playsync button on the headset which switches between your consoles/PC. With this method, you’re able to fully take advantage of audio from both consoles through to the A50 X including game/chat audio balance using the traditional buttons on the right cup for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Unfortunately you’re not able to do this for PS5 because of how Sony handles game/chat audio. This was possible on the A50 X due to it separating audio through the USB-C port and then getting game audio through HDMI.
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The headset can take advantage of Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S, but not on PS5 and this is a little bit painful as it means that you have to deselect Dolby Atmos as an option, and for me with a full Sonos 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup, this means that I can’t utilise Dolby Atmos when using my TV sound, or having to swap back and forth, but I won’t blame Logitech for this.
The headset also connects with Bluetooth via the dock to your phone, and you can use this method to connect to your Nintendo Switch as well. It allows for simultaneous connection between your console/PC and your phone, and once you’ve set it up the first time, it was absolutely flawless connecting instantly to my mobile as soon as I put the headset on and disconnecting when it went back into the dock. Because it does connect through the dock, you can’t use the headset out and about. There’s also a phone app that can change between inputs, control your EQ settings and other basic settings such as sidetone.
The A50s have always been prided on how they sound and the A50 X is no different with its Pro-G graphene drivers not too dissimilar to the ones that I tested in the Pro X 2 Lightspeed headset. The audio feels extremely full with a good amount of bass to hear the minor details in the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It adds a whole other dimension to games and you absolutely won’t be disappointed in this regard.
Similarly, the microphone is fantastic, with my friends saying that I sounded super crisp online. It’s not detachable, which might be annoying to some, but it does mute on flip-up.
In terms of battery life, you get a 24 hour battery life, but honestly, I’d be shocked if anybody ever used it all, with the dock allowing you to simply place the headset onto it to keep it charged, which works as well as it ever has.
Whilst the A50 still isn’t cheap, at $599 it’s a lot more affordable for those that want a high-end Astro headset that works with all of your gaming consoles, so I can see this being a lot more popular than the A50X.
