Astro Gaming, Recent News

Penny Arcade Expo!

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:08:00 -0700

Planning on attending the the biggest and most supreme spectacle of gaming ever to grace the North American continent -- otherwise known as PAX? Well, of course you are.

Stop by our booth to see our full array of A40 Headsets, MixAmps, audio accessories, and even special edition PAX 2008 Speaker Tags. ASTRO is ready to give you a taste of audio nirvana with fully integrated voice communication and Dolby Digital surround sound. We’ll have the latest hardware and newest games available for you to test the system with, as well as more than enough ASTRO team members to answer all of your questions.

The ASTRO Gaming booth is #242 in the main Exhibitor's Hall. The Penny Arcade Exposition takes place during August 29-31 in downtown Seattle, Washington at the Washington State Convention Center.

Info for Toronto MLG

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:08:00 -0700

O Canada!

Some of you have been wondering if ASTRO Gaming's traveling team will be making the trek up to Canada for the MLG tour stop at Toronto. The answer is yes, and we'll come loaded with extra A40 Audio Systems to sell during the show.

However, given the amount of people that have told us they are going to "just wait and buy my A40 Audio System at MLG Toronto to save on shipping...", we expect that we'll likely sell out the first day of the tournament. So, if you really, really want your A40, be sure to come a bit early and be prepared to wait in an iPhone-esque line for a little while.

The set-up at each gaming station will be the same, with our pre-populated Pro Racks installed at each station. We do this so that you don't have to bother with cable connections before each match. That being said, we only populate the racks with four (4) MixAmps -- the coach's slot is empty. So if your team has a coach, he or she will need to bring their own MixAmp to get into the action.

As usual, we WILL NOT be offering loaner headsets and MixAmps to any teams to use during the tournament. Of course, we will have product for sale at our booth. We'll have spares in store in case anyone's equipment should break or fail, but please do not expect to receive demo units for use at the event.

If your team plans to use the Pro Rack during split screen mode, remember that the Pro Racks only have four MixAmps connected. That means only two MixAmps per team during Split Screen rounds. If you want to connect your whole team together during Split Screen, you will need to bring TWO ADDITIONAL MixAmps which you can daisy-chain to either side of the Pro Rack. So bring your 2M 3.5mm-to-3.5mm audio cable to connect your MixAmp to the side of the Pro Rack, and a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable for each additional MixAmp to receive game audio from the TV's headphone jack. Don't forget to put fresh batteries in any extra MixAmps that you bring! The Pro Rack MixAmps are powered, but any outboard equipment needs battery power.

Last but not least, we'll have a limited run of commemorative MLG Toronto Pro Circuit Speaker Tags, for sale at the ASTRO Gaming booth.

See you in Toronto!

--The ASTRO team

Canadian Shipments Resumed

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:07:00 -0700

Good news, sheriff, good news: Canadian shipments are now good to go. Sorry for the hiccup, but orders can now be placed in the system again.

Thanks for your patience!

--The ASTRO Crew

Info for MLG Orlando

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:07:00 -0700

Getting excited for the sunny Orlando, Florida MLG Pro Circuit event? The ASTRO Crew is as well, but we wanted to mention a couple of things to remember for A40 Audio System users at the tournament.

If you are an East Coast gamer and happened to miss the San Diego event, there will be a few changes to the ASTRO operation versus what we did at MLG Meadowlands. The set-up at each gaming station will be the same, with our pre-populated Pro Racks installed at each station. We do this so that you don't have to bother with cable connections before each match. That being said, we only populate the racks with four (4) MixAmps - the coach's slot is empty. So if your team has a coach, he or she will need to bring their own MixAmp to get into the action. If you don't have a coach, just simply affix the ASTRO Jumper in the coach's slot, and the entire rack will be connected. Going forward from MLG Orlando, the Jumper will be affixed to the Pro Rack itself, so you won't need to hunt for an ASTRO Crew member to get your match going.

Unlike at the Meadowlands, we WILL NOT be offering loaner headsets and MixAmps to any teams to use during the tournament. We will have product for sale of course, but we will not be doing the demo program this time around. We'll have spares in store in case anyone's equipment should break or fail, but please do not expect to receive demo units for use at the event.

If your team plans to use the Pro Rack during split screen mode, remember that the Pro Racks only have four MixAmps connected. That means only two MixAmps per team during Split Screen rounds. If you want to connect your whole team together during Split Screen, you will need to bring TWO ADDITIONAL MixAmps which you can daisy-chain to either side of the Pro Rack. So bring your 2M 3.5mm-to-3.5mm audio cable to daisy-chain your MixAmp to the side of the Pro Rack, and a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable for each additional MixAmp you want to connect in order to receive game audio from the TV's headphone jack. Don't forget to put fresh batteries in any extra MixAmps that you bring! The Pro Rack MixAmps are powered, but any outboard equipment needs battery power.

Last but not least, we'll have a limited run of commemorative MLG Orlando Pro Circuit Speaker Tags, for sale at the ASTRO Gaming booth.

Good luck to the ASTRO team riders during your LAN sessions and we'll see everyone down in Sunny Florida!

The A40 and the PS3

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:06:00 -0700

Good news for all you PS3 owners out there. We've had a ton of requests asking about whether the A40 is compatible with the PS3 and it looks like we've got a good answer for you. The answer is an emphatic YES! Although with one small caveat...you need a USB microphone adaptor. If you own any of the SingStar games you probably already have this little contraption. If you don't have one of these SingStar adaptors just about any USB microphone adaptor works. We'll be adding one to our collection of accessories very soon.

The setup is simple. Using the included 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable, you just connect the Mic-Out on the back of your MixAmp to the Mic-In on the USB adaptor - which is in turn plugged into your PS3. This takes care of your voice. For the game audio you then connect the PS3 to the Mixamp via the analog RCA (red/white) cable or via a digital TOSlink cable. That's it. You're ready to roll.

Happy Gaming!

Info for MLG San Diego

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:06:00 -0700

Pack your swim trunks and sun block, MLG San Diego is right around the corner! We're very much looking forward to the first West Coast MLG event in a long long time.

Please note, there will be a few changes to the Astro San Diego operation versus what we did at the Meadowlands. The set-up at each gaming station will be the same, with our pre-populated ProRacks installed at each station. We do this so that you don't have to bother with cable connections before each match. That being said, we only populate the racks with four (4) MixAmps - the coach's slot is empty. So if your team has a coach, he or she will need to bring their own MixAmp to get into the action.

Unlike at the Meadowlands, we WILL NOT be offering Loaner headsets and Mixamps to any teams to use during the tournament. We will have product for sale of course, but we will not be doing the demo program this time around. We'll have spares in store in case anyone's equipment should break or fail, but please do not expect to receive demo units for use at the event.

As far as using the ProRack during split screen mode - as mentioned above, the ProRacks only have four MixAmps connected. That means only two MixAmps per team during Split Screen. If you want to connect your whole team together during SplitScreen, you will need to bring two additional MixAmps which you can daisy-chain to either side of the Pro Rack. So bring your 2M 3.5mm-to-3.5mm audio cable to daisychain your MixAmp to the side of the ProRack. You will also need your 3.5mm-to-RCA cable for each of these additional MixAmps in order to receive game audio from the TV's headphone jack.

And last but not least, we have a limited run of commemorative San Diego Pro Circuit Speaker Tags, which we'll have available for sale at the booth.

Good Luck...and see you down in Sandy Eggo.

Shipping to Canada

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

Good news for our friends north of the border. Not only have we resumed direct shipping to Canada, but we're now offering more shipping options for you. UPS pre-paid is the most expensive as we are covering, in advance, all the duties, GST, PST, border agent bribes and what have you. So no further cost or hassles on your end. The kicker with UPS, however, is that they also charge a $40 "prep" fee for all their value-added work along the way...so the total cost can get up there.

The alternative to UPS is the good ol' fashioned US Postal Service. With the USPS we're offering Priority Service (6-10 days) and Express Service (3-5 days) - although we cannot pre-pay duties. So whether you select USPS Priority or USPS Express, please note that you will be responsible for paying for duties and import fees upon receipt of the shipment!

As always, if you have any questions, keep 'em to yourself. Just kidding. Drop us a line any time!

Happy Gaming!!

New Orders Now Shipping Live!

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

Good news: we've worked through the bulk of our A40 Audio System pre-orders and are now shipping new orders placed on the website live and in real time. So, no need to pre-order any longer. Simply place your new order on the website and your new gear will be on its way to you.

--The ASTRO Team

Final Pre-order Email Notifications and Shipments

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:04:00 -0700

Greetings, gamers! We've been emailing out instructions on how to complete your pre-orders all last week -- if you didn't get yours, kindly check your SPAM FILTER. It's probably in there.

We've worked through the list and the final wave of shipments are leaving Monday (4/28) and Tuesday (4/29)

New orders are shipping directly from the factory as they are entered.

Enjoy!

--The ASTRO team

The A40's Have Landed -- a note from our Supreme Commander

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:04:00 -0700

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
ASTRO GAMING EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. A40 Audio System inventory is at the warehouse ready to ship. We will be emailing out instructions on how to complete your order over the next 48 hours. You will be asked to visit the website, enter in your pre-order Customer Code, and complete payment. The eyes of the world are upon you.

Your order will be fulfilled as received, although please note that any NEW orders placed on the website will only be fulfilled after we have worked through the pre-order queue. Estimated delivery time for any NEW orders is the first week in May. Pre-order conversions will be shipped out immediately.

Once you have received your new A40 Audio Systems, in company with our brave Allies, Space Marines, and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the Covenant war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves on Xbox Live.

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Star Power upon this great and noble undertaking.

Jordan D. "Reisenhower"

-end-