In any case, just be sure you actually remember to do something this year, instead of just playing the night away with your buddies like last year.

ASTRO Chocolate Box
(Right click and save as…)

PC Wallpapers

- 1024×768
- 1280×1024
- 1600×1200
- 1400×900 (Widescreen)
- 1680×1050 (Widescreen)
- 1920×1600 (Widescreen)

iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad

- 640×960 (iPhone)
- 1024×728 (iPad)

Android

- 480×426

ASTRO Valentine’s Pattern
(Right click and save as…)

PC Wallpapers

- 1024×768
- 1280×1024
- 1600×1200
- 1400×900 (Widescreen)
- 1680×1050 ( (Widescreen)
- 1920×1600 (Widescreen)

iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad

- 640×960 (iPhone)
- 1024×728 (iPad)

Android

- 480×426

<3

-ASTRO Warblade

For Hypefestation’s 2nd tournament theyere invited out 32 of the best Gears of War 3 teams who battled it out for a prize pool of $12K. Sponsors BeyondGaming and Twitch.tv provided live streaming of the event and matches, featuring ASTRO Listen Ins.

A big congrats to the first place winners Infinity and the second place team NSAN3Z. You can catch all the replays of the matches on BeyondGaming’s Twitch.tv channel. We look forward to seeing more Gears of War 3 in the eSports scene!

Be sure to check out our Facebook photo album with all the pictures from the weekend.

Randall – ASTRO Warblade – Community Manager
I’ve gone back to playing Gears of War 3 with some bros for some late night gaming sessions. There were some free DLC maps, including a remake of a Gears 1 map, Clocktower. The TDM game type and weapon spawns make this a new experience (as well as Gears3 has dedicated servers, so no more host advantage FTW!).

Skyrim has also been taking up a bunch of my time. I didn’t think I would be into a RPG game on the Xbox, but this game is extremely fun. I’ve been taking on fire breathing dragons with my epic ebony bow, forging my own armor, and of course picking up every herb I walk across. I maybe have played through 40 hours into this game, and not even half way through the story yet…

XBL GT: Warblade

Stan – ASTRO stanimal – Partnership Marketing Manager
Battlefield 3. Something about sniping scrubs with an array of sniper rifles never gets old. When I get bored of that, back to the AEK-971. And yes, I play on PC. After I’m done tearing through a server, I jump onto League of Legends where I’m humbled with every game because I’m absolutely terrible at that game. Rightfully so, I’ve always sucked at RTS or MOBA games but it doesn’t mean I’ll stop playing them. They’re just too much fun and I’m a sucker for skins.

XBL GT: ASTRO stanimal

Andreas – ASTRO Nexy – Content Coordinator
I had an avid-fighting-game buddy visiting me from NYC this week. We decided to burn some time on The King of Fighters 12. As a long time Street Fighter fan, I pick and choose my fighting-games with much care. When mashing my arcade sticks, I prefer that the game I’m playing promotes the core values that is found in traditional 2D fighters and ultimately appeals to the thinking-man. The latest King of Fighters does a wonderful job retaining the core fundamentals I was looking for.

Footsies, spacing, reading your opponent and bread and butter combo’s are the name of the game. These skills, if mastered, will translate into most fighting games on the market today. If you want to learn the proper way to play a fighting-game, KOF will force you to use these classic tactics or be beat into submission.

Watch out though, Xbox Live mode is unplayable. If you don’t have friends… don’t bother.

XBL GT: The MLG Nexy

Corey – ASTRO JamBacula – Dealer Services
Battlefield 3 – What’s not to like? Vehicles, explosions, environmental destructibility, class/team-based warfare, big maps, tons of gear to unlock, awesome graphics and sound etc.

NetFlix – X-Files – Scully!!!!!
[I think Corey has an unhealthy obsession with Scully... Or maybe Mulder... or both... ^W]

XBL GT: ASTRO JamBacula

Interested in a Community Gaming Night with the ASTRO Crew? We may be hosting some soon!
Follow the @ASTROGaming Twitter or Like us on Facebook!

Please note that this not only affects the orders made from our ASTRO Gaming website, but also orders from our Amazon, Buy.com, and eBay sites as well.

If you saved up some cash from Christmas for some A40s or a MixAmp and don’t want to sit out while all the cool kids roll some scrubs, you should put your order in before this Friday, 12/30/11 at 11AM Pacific Time. If there’s no rush, place your order now and it’ll ship on Monday the 9th.

To recap, any orders placed after 11AM PT on Friday 12/30/11 will start shipping on Monday 1/9/12.

We’re looking forward to what’s in store next year, and the great games that are on the horizon in 2012!

- ASTRO Warblade

This is it! The MLG Finals for 2011, held in Providence, RI. The best of the best gamers competed in a fierce battle in Halo: Reach, Call of Duty: Black Ops, League of Legends, and StarCraft II. Get a glimpse of all the action that happened over an epic weekend.

This promotion applies to all orders place with Ground Shipping in the continental United States (the 48 states that are attached together). International shipping and orders to Alaska or Hawaii do not apply (but hey, if you live in Hawaii at this time, you’re already living in paradise with the weather).

Our 50% off A*STARs promotion with any purchase over $199 is still going on until 12/31/11, just in case you forgot to pick up a gift for your little brother or sister when you’re picking up some new gear. Just enter in the code “ASTAR” into the discount code section to save on some sweet in-ears.

*Please note: Acts of god, weather, alien invasions, and other extraordinary situations may cause delays. We ship via our most reliable shipping partner, FedEx and will do everything we can to deliver like Santa Claus or whatever other holiday superhero you believe in.

Have a great holiday season with lots of gaming!

-ASTRO Warblade

Canada – Proper Reserve (Online and retail location)

Australia – Gamestate Australia

New Zealand – Playtech

UK – L.I.M.E.

France – Pure Gaming

Germany – Roxx Games

Denmark – Ultimate Gaming Experience

Switzerland – Wolfer Systems.CH

Norway – Gamestate Norway

Sweden – Gamestate Sweden

Finland – Gamestate Finland

Belgium – GameGear.BE

Portugal – FraggerZstuff

-ASTRO Warblade

This year at ASTRO, we’re kicking off the holidays a little early by spreading a little cheer and giving to you, our customers, a chance to win a brand new Xbox 360 bundle.  So instead of waiting in line in the freezing cold for some Black Friday deal, we’re making things a bit more comfy for you.  Starting November 25, Black Friday, and running through November 28, Cyber Monday, qualified purchases (Products valued at $199.95 or higher) will will receive two entries to win a daily prize of a Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Bundle.  No waking up early or waiting in a line to get a ticket for this.

You thought that was it? Nope! We’re also giving away a Grand Prize for the four days of a custom one-of-a-kind Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle made by OpTic H3CZ of OpTic Gaming. We revealed this Xbox and had it on display at last week’s MLG Finals in Providence.

View the Custom Painted ASTRO Xbox & Kinect video on YouTube.

One more little holiday promo is that with any purchase of an item $199.99 or higher on our website, we’re giving 50% pricing on our A*STAR Earbuds. Get some gaming gear for yourself, and give these as a great gift to someone else.

Full details and rules can be found on our contest page.

Daily Prize Winner 11/25/11: Melissa G. of Maple Valley, WA
Daily Prize Winner 11/26/11: Christopher S. of Somerset, NJ
Daily Prize Winner 11/27/11: Winner has been notified, but has not replied yet.
Daily Prize Winner 11/28/11: Juanya W. of Blackwood, NJ.

Grand Prize Winner: Clayton Z. of Charlotte, NC

-ASTRO Warblade

Sweet. We have the perfect opportunity for you. Excited yet? You should be. We’re working together with our friends at the Destructoid Show to give away two SR3 A40 Wireless Systems.

It’s real easy. We just want to see your best video clip of doing some crazy stunt while wearing the A40 Headset on your character. To be eligible, you’d need to have the A40 Headset on your character as you’re doing the stunt. All you gotta do is go to the Planet Saints store and grab it. May the ‘Best Stunt’ win. Only available to the US, sorry guys.

Keep it up to or under 60 seconds and upload it to YouTube as a video response to this Destructoid Show’s video. You can take the video with your iPhone, smartphone, Flip camera, capture box, or whatever you want. So long as we can actually see you do a bad-ass stunt. (In case you don’t know how to upload a video response, click here!)

We’ll pick the best stunt video on 11/28 and it’ll actually air on the Destructoid Show. Pretty rad, right?

Don’t worry, you’ll have another chance the following week when we do the “Best Explosion” video for a shot to win an SR3 A40 Wireless System.

Ok, go for it. Official rules will be below.

- ASTRO stanimal

ASTRO Saints Row Video Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT REQUIRED

1. ELIGIBILITY: The ASTRO Saints Row Video Contest (the “Competition”) is open to any person or entity with a YouTube ID that is at least fourteen (14) years of age or older as of the date of entry, regardless of the country of citizenship. Employees of Skullcandy Inc., its advertising agencies, its contractors, or other companies associated with the promotion of the Competition, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Competition is subject to United States federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law. This Competition is being administered in the United States and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law, and specifically the law of the State of Utah. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

2. SPONSOR: The Competition is sponsored by AG Acquisition Corp., DBA Astro Gaming, a Delaware (U.S.A.) corporation having offices at 348 6^th St., San Francisco, CA 94103, U.S.A. (the “Sponsor”) and Modern Method, having offices at 260 King Street Suite 883, San Francisco California 94107.

3. AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES: Participation in the Competition constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry, at any time, for any violation of the Official Rules, or for any other reason at its sole discretion.

4. ENTRY PERIOD: The Competition begins at 12:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) on November 21, 2011 and ends at 11:59 PM PST on December 4, 2011 (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted prior to or after the Entry Period will be disqualified.

5. ENTRY DETAILS: Produce a video clip that shows clear and identifiable gameplay of Saints Row: The Third (the “Entry”).  The in-game character featured in the Entry must be outfitted with an ‘Astro A40 Headset’ available through the Saints Row: The Third in-game character creation tool. The Astro Gaming A40 headset must be clearly identifiable throughout the video clip to qualify for this Competition.  The Entry must be submitted as a video response on YouTube to the Destructoid Show video posts on November 21, 2011 and November 28, 2011, respectively, located at http://www.youtube.com/dtoid. The Submission must be no greater than 60 seconds in length. Please see the “Requirements for Entries” section below for more details.

6. SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY: Visit the Destructoid Show Live video during the Entry Period, click on the comment box or “Respond to this video” and select “Create a video response”.  Next, select “Upload a video” and follow the on screen instructions.  The video submission will constitute your Entry. There is no limit to the number of Entries that can be submitted.  Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, stolen, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, misdirected, technically corrupted or garbled Entries, which will be disqualified, or for problems of any kind whether mechanical, human or electronic. Only fully completed Entries are eligible.  Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt or Entry by Sponsor.

7. REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRIES: Entries may not contain any copyrighted, patented, or trademarked elements other than elements owned by you or found in the Saints Row: The Third video game. Moreover, Entries may not include individual names, names of any companies or brands or any added graphical elements and overlays. Any elements that appear in the Entry must be entirely original or created by you or using the Saints Row: The Third video game. Use of any elements that are not original will result in disqualification of an Entry, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you are permitted and encouraged to include citations to other works in your Entry.

8. YOUR REPRESENTATIONS: By submitting an Entry, you represent that (a) the Entry is original, (b) you are the sole creator of the Entry, (c) the Entry does not infringe the intellectual property rights, including, any patent, copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights of any third party, (d) the Entry has not previously been entered in any other contest or competition, (e) the Entry has not been previously published in any medium, (f) the Entry does not violate any local, state, national or foreign laws and (g) if you are a professor or university employee you also represent that your participation and eligibility to enter the competition and accept a prize complies with all applicable university policies and that you have obtained any authorizations required for participation and prize eligibility from the university ethics or compliance office.

9. PRIZES: Two Grand Prizes will be awarded to Finalists selected from the entries at the sole discretion of Sponsor as detailed below.

Grand Prize 1: A single A40 Decker Prize Winner (the “A40 Decker Winner”) will be selected from the Finalists. The A40 Winner will be selected from all eligible entries. The winner will be selected based on the entry that best fits the video entry topic of “Best Stunt” as determined by the Judging panel. The Judging panel will consist of members of the ASTRO Gaming staff and the Destructoid Show team. Judging criteria includes relevancy to the entry topic, humor, and uniqueness. The A40 Decker Prize winner will receive an A40 Decker Edition in Light Blue.

Grand Prize 2: A single A40 Saints Prize Winner (the “A40 Saints Winner”) will be selected from the Finalists. The A40 Winner will be selected from all eligible entries. The winner will be selected based on the entry that best fits the video entry topic of “Best Explosion” as determined by the Judging panel. The Judging panel consists of ASTRO Gaming staff and the Destructoid Show team. Judging criteria includes relevancy to the entry topic, humor, and uniqueness. The A40 Saints Prize winner will receive an A40 Saints Edition in Purple.

Any prize details not specified above will be determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. Prizes are not transferable or refundable and must be accepted as awarded. No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right alter prizes if required by local laws or as deemed necessary at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Each winner is responsible for any and all other costs and taxes associated with the receipt of a prize. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, does not respond in a timely fashion as determined by Skullcandy Inc., is ineligible, or is otherwise unavailable, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected from remaining valid, eligible entries timely submitted. Sponsor reserves the right to change the award for any of the A40 Winners at its sole discretion and without advance notice to the respective winners or entrants.

10. SPONSOR’S RIGHTS TO ENTRIES: You will retain ownership of your Entry, including all intellectual property rights which may exist in your Entry. Sponsor shall not acquire any right, title or ownership interest to your Entry. However, by submitting an Entry, you grant the Sponsor the unconditional and perpetual right, license and consent to reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, produce, sell, and exhibit the Entry, or images of your Entry in any media throughout the world in relation to the Competition, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from you or any other party. Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to use your name, likeness, biography and other information about you in connection with your Entry. By submitting an Entry, you further agree not to instigate, support, maintain, or authorize any action, claim, or lawsuit against the Sponsor, or any other person, on the grounds that the Sponsor’s use of your entry as set forth in these Official Rules infringes any of your rights, including, without limitation, copyrights, patent rights, trademark rights, or moral rights. You further acknowledge that the Sponsor is in no way obligated to protect any intellectual property rights which may exist in the Entry or to publish or use your Entry in any way. It is your sole responsibility to secure any intellectual property rights which may exist in your Entry, whether before or after it is submitted. Nothing herein shall constitute an employment, joint venture, or partnership relationship between you and the Sponsor. In no way are you to be construed as the agent or to be acting as the agent of the Sponsor.

11. DISCLOSURE OF ENTRY: You submit your Entry at your own risk. By submitting an Entry, your ideas, designs and materials may be made available to the public. It is your sole responsibility to secure any intellectual property rights which may exist in your Entry, whether before or after it is submitted. By submitting an Entry, you further acknowledge and agree that the Sponsor and its designees, or other contestants, may have created on their own, or may independently create in the future, a design that may be similar or identical to your Entry. You hereby waive any and all claims you may have, and/or may have in the future, that the Entry accepted, reviewed and/or displayed and distributed by the Sponsor and its designees, or submitted by other contestants, may be similar to your Entry. If you have any concerns that your intellectual property rights may be disclosed to the public or otherwise compromised, you should seek further legal guidance before entering the Competition. It is your responsibility to determine whether your university or employer may own any ownership rights in and to the Entry prior to your submission of the Entry.

13. JUDGING: After the Entry Period, a panel of Judges selected by the Sponsor will select an A40 Winner for each of the weeks of the contests according to the Judging Criteria set forth below. The decisions of the Judges are final and non-appealable. The odds of being selected as an A40 Winner depend entirely on the quality of the Entry pursuant to the Judging Criteria, relative to the performance of all entrants and the number of eligible entries received, and does not involve chance. The Sponsor has final selection in who is chosen for to be the A40 Winner.

14. JUDGING CRITERIA: All Entries will be judged according to the following equally-weighted Judging Criteria.

• Relevancy to the entry topic
• Humor
• Uniqueness

15. VERIFICATION: Sponsor reserves the right to independently verify the originality and ownership of the Entry, and to validate that the Entry does not violate the proprietary rights of any third party.

16. FINALIST REQUIREMENTS: Except where prohibited, a Finalist may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility and a release form (the “Affidavit/Release”) within seven (7) days of being notified. If a Finalist fails to sign and return the Affidavit/Release within the required time period, an alternate Finalist will be selected in his/her place according to the Judging Criteria.

17. PRIVACY: Participation in the Competition implies authorization to transfer personal data to the United States for purposes of administration of the Competition. Subject to rights granted to Sponsor in paragraph ten (10), all information submitted to the Sponsor as part of this Promotion will be treated in accordance with the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy http://www.astrogaming.com/privacy. You have the right to access, withdraw, and correct your personal data. You may request such action by sending an e-mail to contest@astrogaming.com. Sponsor may release information concerning your Entry (including content, registration information, and network records) when Sponsor believes release is appropriate to comply with the law; to protect the rights or property of Sponsor, Judges or other contestants, or to protect Sponsor, the Judges or other contestants from a fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful Entry; or if Sponsor reasonably believes that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires disclosure of communications or justifies disclosure of records.

18. GENERAL CONDITIONS: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Competition is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Competition to address the impairment and then resume the Competition in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prize according to the Judging Criteria from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any participant (whether an individual or a part of a team) who: 1) provides false registration information, 2) is found to have tampered with, or attempted to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Competition, 3) is found to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or 4) any other reason determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that term. In the event of a dispute as to any online entry, the authorized account holder of the YouTube ID used to enter the Contest will be deemed to be the participant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person who is assigned to a YouTube ID.

19. CONTENT: By participating in the Competition, you agree that your Entry, including but not limited to, any uploads, text, links, communications, software, images, sounds, data, or other information, will not contain any content that:

• Is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy, vulgar, profane, sexually explicit, obscene, racially or ethnically offensive or otherwise objectionable;
• Constitutes advertising or promotion, or any other form of unauthorized solicitation;
• Contains software viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots or any other computer code or files that are designed to disrupt, damage, or limit the functioning of any software or hardware;
• Provides any non-public information about Sponsor or any other company or person without the proper authorization to do so;
• Attacks or insults another Entry or contestant; or
• Suggests or encourages illegal activity.

20. RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: By participating in the Competition, you agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, its parent and related companies, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Competition or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Competition; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Competition or the processing of entries; (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from your participation in the Competition or receipt of any prize; or (g) losses, damages, actions, and expenses (including attorney fees) for infringement of any third party intellectual property rights in connection with your Entry. You further agree that in any cause of action, the Released Parties’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Competition, and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney’s fees. You waive the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

21. DISPUTES: Except where prohibited, you agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Competition or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the District of Utah. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Utah, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Utah or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Utah.

22. SEVERABILITY: If any term of these Official Rules shall be found to be void or contrary to law, such term shall be deemed to be severable from the other terms and provisions herein, and the remainder of these Official Rules shall remain in effect.

23. RESULTS: The Finalists and Winners will be posted on the Website and their video will be immortalized forever on a future episode of Destructoid Live.

Disclaimer
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, YouTube. By participating, you hereby release and hold harmless YouTube from any and all liability associated with this promotion.

As the official Communication Partner, our gear was used in all of the MW3 free-play stations, competitive tournament stations, and on the main stage. The comfort of the earcups on the A40s and A30s allowed for hours of gameplay. Our MixAmp Pro was connected at each station and used to provide the best quality voice chat in any tournament environment and the highest quality sound for the true competitive gamer.

As the choice of many MLG pro-gamers and teams, our gear has been put to the test in the tournament environment. With Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, or any other military shooter, the ability to get clear communication paired with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound makes for an immersive environment, and clear directional cues to take on the competition.

If you don’t yet own anything ASTRO, we have a little incentive for you to purchase our gear over the Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend. For each of the four days, if you make a purchase on our site, you will be entered to win a MW3 Xbox 360 console bundle, which comes with the MW3 branded Xbox 360, two MW3 branded controllers, and a copy of the standard edition of MW3. We also have a grand prize for this contest, which we’ll reveal at this month’s MLG Providence Finals. If you’re a fan of competitive gaming, you won’t want to miss out on what it is!

See you out on the battlegrounds!

-ASTRO Warblade