Logitech has announced that it's set to acquire gaming headset maker Astro for $85 million in cash, with the deal expected to close sometime in early August.
For the uninitiated, Astro is notable for producing quality console headsets. That said, it appears that Logitech is aiming for a more prominent spot in that particular market.
Logitech G Targets The Console Gaming Segment
Logitech G is Logitech's sub-brand for gaming, and Astro will be working hand in hand with that division.
"Astro is the leading player for premium console headsets and is the preferred headset for console esports athletes. It's a perfect complement to Logitech G's focus on PC gaming and we couldn't be more excited; we love the team, the brand and the products. Together, we want to make game play even more fun for gamers everywhere," Ujesh Desai, Logitech G vice president and general manager, said.
For the record, Logitech has been pushing out gaming peripherals from keyboards and mice to headsets and webcams for serious streamers. Exhibit A: the G533 wireless headset and G203 Prodigy mouse revealed at CES 2017.
In other words, this move is more of a way to expand the reach of the company's gaming headsets in the current markets — PC and console — rather than a kick start.
Astro Brand Is Not Disappearing
It should be cleared up that the deal won't see Astro closed down or anything along those lines. While the brand will continue to deliver gaming headsets targeted at console players, Logitech G will stick to the PC side of things.
"And we know you love (or will love) Astro just as much as we do. So the Astro brand, and their awesome products aren't going anywhere," Logitech said.
It's worth mentioning that Astro's headsets work with the PC, but its products are heavily marketed for the console. By the same token, some of Logitech's audio peripherals also work with the PS4 and Xbox One, but the accessory maker promotes them for the PC.
One notable acquisition of Logitech in the past is the deal with Mad Catz's Saitek, a gaming controller maker that focuses on peripherals for simulations. In a bid to tap the VR market, the company acquired Saitek for $13 million back in September 2016.
To boil things down, Logitech is buying Astro for $85 million in cash, and the acquisition will likely spur the production of more gaming headsets aimed at both the PC and console market.
