Astro’s latest range of products is a bit out of the way. Instead of releasing a new gaming headset or console, during the pandemic, I’ve teamed up with popular bag and accessory brand, Timbuk2 to create an Astro-print backpack and shoulder bag.
Astro’s focus on gaming means that it comes as no surprise that each bag is designed to hold your gaming essentials. As such, it’s built with dedicated sections to store – and most importantly protect – things like headphones, controllers, and laptops.
The smaller sling bag, called the CS03, costs $79.99 and appears geared toward Switch owners looking for out-of-the-bag protection and ease of use. Lifting the front cover of the closed bag magnetically reveals a pocket for storing keys or other small items such as a phone. The main zip reveals a larger section with small sleeves that can hold up to 14 Switch game cartridges. There’s plenty of room here in the stretchy mesh covers for things like cables and earphones.
The Nintendo Switch fits perfectly in the main compartment of the case and is intended to provide enough padding to protect your console from bending or fatal shock. Astro said the console part will fit either the Switch or the Switch Lite (it will also fit the slightly larger Switch OLED due out later this year. subscriber). It is also water resistant.
For players with a lot of gear to carry around, the BP35 Backpack costs $199.99 and has a total storage volume of 35 liters. Like the CS03, it’s water-resistant and packed with zippers and pockets. Opening the outer layers reveals one of its features: a headphone stand. Headphones with swivel earbuds can be secured with a durable button-mounted fabric hook. In the pocket itself, there are compartments large enough to fit (and protect) a phone or portable battery, a remote control, some cables, and other small items like pens.
The BP35 Backpack is a bulky backpack, but it’s still not big enough for modern consoles (you practically need a small bag to pack a PS5 or Xbox Series X). But there’s plenty of storage in the main compartment for things like the Xbox Series S and some extra consoles. If you’re not a console gamer, it can hold up to two 16-inch laptops. So, if you’re more into PC games than console games, this might be all the space you need to pack the basics.
After seeing bags and handles in recent days, I think these might be good options for gamers who don’t want to think about packing gaming accessories. The CS03 and BP35 do it for you, with enough padding to give the feeling that your investment is protected.
Both bags are now available through the Astro website, as well as online through Timbuk2. If you want to see them in person, Timbuk2 stocks them in its flagship stores in the US.
