News Archive

As production has been delayed for a couple of weeks, the pre-order batch numbers and schedule timetable has been simplified so it's easier to follow:

*A small number of orders couldn't be shipped in this batch but will be prioritised in the next batch. Check email for updates.

We expect to be able to start shipping Batch #2 early March, and the rest of that Batch along with Batch #3 by the end of March/Early April. As soon as we get word of more definite shipping dates, the news page will be updated and i'll make sure everyone is emailed with the latest info.

Thank you for your support and patience - and stay safe out there!

~ Charlie / MaxADMIN

The Cronus Store will be closed for a major upgrade from midnight tonight until 5am EST (or 5am until 10am GMT).

Thank you.

The March Cronus Zen Pre Order has now completely sold out and most of the orders from the January batches have now shipped (those that haven't shipped due to a bad address or other issue will be contacted by email).

Unfortunately due to the weather, there was a 2 week delay with the Jan #2 shipment which has also caused a delay with the Feb #1 shipment, so that has now been moved to mid March. As soon as the Zens leave the factory we'll be sure to get them out to you as quickly as we possibly can. Any order that we couldn't ship in the January batches will be given priority service once the next shipment arrives.

In the meantime there are new GamePack updates this week for Fortnite Season 2 Chapter 5, Apex Legends Season 8 & FIFA 21 Instant Skills!

Thank you as always for your business and patience during these trying times - Stay safe out there!

~ Charlie

Quick update: The Jan #2 shipment is delayed until Monday due to the snowstorm that hit us here on the East Coast.

Sorry folks, sometimes these things are out of our control. We're on standby to get all orders shipped as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your continued patience.

The Zen Pre-Order #2 shipment for January is now in the country and clearing customs. It was supposed to get here today but will now most likely be Monday or Tuesday next week.

As soon as they arrive we'll have solid numbers on how many we'll be able to ship and will make sure everyone is informed and the schedule updated. We already have two more shipments lined up for straight after the Chinese New Year celebrations end mid February.

Thank you for your patience!

~ Charlie / MaxADMIN

First of all thank you to everyone for the overwhelming support we have received while manufacturing this product during the COVID crisis. It really means a lot to us when customers understand just how difficult it is to navigate all the new regulations and restrictions in different countries, so we truly appreciate and value your patience.

The next shipment is due to arrive any day now, and as soon as we know how many are available we'll be sure to notify everyone who is waiting for them to arrive.

On that note I do have some unfortunate news to share. Due to the devastating knock-on effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now a worldwide shortage of most major electronic components which has caused all prices to increase, including a huge increase in overseas freight costs, so we have had to make the difficult decision to raise the MSRP of Cronus Zen to $89.99.

This does NOT effect any pre-order that has already been made and confirmed with the cheaper $79.99 - every single one of these orders will be honored at the older price.

Chinese New Year also begins on Feb 5 so the factories are all closing down and we will expect no more shipments to leave the factory until they open again mid to late February.

This is affecting all of our retail channels, so if you have managed to secure a pre-order with the Cronus store or the Collective Minds store,  I highly recommend you hold on to it until the stock is available to ship, as cancelling your order will only send you to the back of the queue and you'll likely not receive your Zen until early April. We ask that you do not succumb to the temptation of paying $300-$400 on eBay as these scalpers should be discouraged whenever possible.

As soon as the next shipment arrives I'll post an update with a revised schedule.

Thanks again - and stay safe out there!

~ Charlie / MaxADMIN

All order numbers up to #98853 have now shipped (there are a handful that we couldn't ship yet due to an invalid address, so make sure you verify your shipping address with by posting to the Cronus Support Center.

Here's the latest shipping schedule as of today. We should have word on the JAN #2 shipment in the next couple of days. 

JAN PRE-ORDER #1  01/22/2021 Order #96190 to #98853 **SOLD OUT & SHIPPED**
JAN PRE-ORDER #2  01/29/2021 Order #98854 to #103200 **SOLD OUT - SHIPPING SOON**
FEB PRE-ORDER #1  02/12/2021 Order #103201 to #107427 **SOLD OUT**
FEB PRE-ORDER #2  02/26/2021 Order #107428 to #109929 **SOLD OUT**
MAR PRE-ORDER #1  03/19/2021 Order #109929 and above **ON SALE NOW**

The first January shipment of Zen's have arrived two days early - it's a late Christmas miracle! Congrats to all those who managed to secure the hottest gaming add-on of the year without paying $300 on eBay.

Here's the current shipping schedule which is now sold out through March 2021!

JAN PRE-ORDER #1: 01/22/2021 Order #96190 to #98853 **SHIPPING NOW**
JAN PRE-ORDER #2: 01/29/2021 Order #98854 to #103200 **SOLD OUT**
FEB PRE-ORDER #1: 02/12/2021 Order #103201 to #107427 **SOLD OUT**
FEB PRE-ORDER #2: 02/26/2021 Order #107428 to #109929 **SOLD OUT**
MAR PRE-ORDER #1: 03/19/2021 Order #109929 and above **ON SALE NOW**

The second January shipment is leaving the factory this week and should arrive with US Customs late next week. 

In the meantime there's a LOT of new GamePack updates and video guides being produced right now. Here's a sneak peak at the newely designed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War GamePack...

FEB PRE-ORDER #2  02/26/2021 Order #107428 to #109929 **SOLD OUT**

Sign up for a notification and we'll let you know as soon as Zen is available to purchase again. The first January shipment is clearing US customs and will arrive any day now.

Thank you for your patience - the first round of shipments for 2021 will begin in the next few days - check your email for updates.

Two changes to the shipping schedule today. The Jan #1 shipment is arriving next week but the amount is slightly less than we expected, so the order number ranges for that shipment have been adjusted. The rest of that shipment will arrive in the Jan #2 batch a week or so later.

February #1 has now sold out and Feb #2 is on sale! Checkout the updated shipping schedule below 

JAN PRE-ORDER #1  01/22/2021 Order #96190 to #98853 **SOLD OUT**
JAN PRE-ORDER #2  01/29/2021 Order #98854 to #105200 **SOLD OUT**
FEB PRE-ORDER #1  02/12/2021 Order #105201 to #107427 **SOLD OUT**
FEB PRE-ORDER #2  02/26/2021 Order #107428 and above **ON SALE NOW**

Note: Yes the product name now says FEB PRE ORDER but that does not mean your JAN order has been changed to FEB so don't panic. Your order is linked to the number, not the name :)

Have a great weekend folks!

~ Charlie

The January Pre Order has now completley sold out. We're getting two shipments towards the end of the month (approx 22nd and 29th) so congrats to all those who were able to get a spot in that batch!

We have now opened up the Friday Pre Order due to heavy demand. It's about 50% sold out already so if you want to get your hands on a Cronus Zen you can bag one right now: http://shop.cronusmax.com/zen.html

If there's any changes to the shipment dates i'll post here and also send out an email so every customer is kept up to date.

In the meantime the new v2.09 Zen firmware is fantastic. Now adds stable support for Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and also adds support for several new controllers including the much requested Xbox One Adaptive Controller. 

Stay safe out there!

~ Charlie

In this guide, I'll be taking you through everything from unboxing the Zen, how to set up all the software and controllers, programming GamePacks and easily tuning mods, and finally testing and using in-game.

There's a lot to get through and I've tried to break down the important elements, making it easy enough for everyone to understand, so the guide has been split into segments. Here are the timecodes so you can easily skip the segments you don't need or go directly to the ones you do:

Introduction: 00:00 - 01:40
Unboxing: 01:41 - 06:49
Firmware Update: 06:50 - 11:13
Setup Zen Studio: 11:14 - 18:26
Connect Controller: 18:27 - 24:39
Program GamePack: 24:40 - 33:00
Test on a Console: 33:01 - 39:01
Ending: 39:02 - 40:05

All December pre orders have now shipped! Please allow extra time to get there due to USPS delays in the US. 

Cronus Zen will also be available to buy with same day shipping later today!

The shipment of Zens for pre order batch #9 has arrived this afternoon so we're working on getting them out as quickly as possible.

Please remember that that there are delays all over the country with the post services so allow a little extra time for your parcel to arrive.

Thank you for your patience.

Happy Holidays! Cronus support will be limited on Christmas Eve and off on Christmas Day in order to enjoy time with our families. Regular hours for phone, chat, and email support will resume Monday, December 28. 

This is the "perfect storm" we've had to deal with this last week. After working our tails off to make sure the final shipment of Zens before Christmas reached our warehouse by Dec 18th, we have had to endure the catastrophic disappointment of being hit by a freak snowstorm.

The shipment arrived at US customs in New York on Wednesday, but couldn't leave as our location in Virginia was backed up with no access for trucks. The storm cleared Virginia by Friday but had now moved to.....you guessed it, New York - so it couldn't leave then either (grrrr)

So I finally have some good news - today (12/22) the shipment has left New York and currently on the way to our warehouse in Virginia. It usually takes 2-3 days so it will likely not be here by Thursday (12/24), but probably Monday 12/28. We have extra staff on hand to ensure every single parcel is shipped as quickly as possible. It shouldn't take more than 2-3 days.

There's enough stock to cover 100% of all outstanding orders and we will also be making sure there are Zens available to purchase with SAME DAY SHIPPING and also a short PreOrder for a big shipment that is due in January.

If you are one of the awesome customers patiently waiting for your Zen, we thank you for your support and understanding. Not long to wait now!

Stay Safe and I hope your holidays are blessed

~ Charlie Owen, Cronus Community Admin

Quick update for everyone waiting for Batch #9 to ship.

Our shipment of Zen's has been in New York since Thursday so not moved due to the major snow storm that hit us on the East Coast. So many disruptions all over the country right now, in particular USPS and other shipping companies.

The good news is that the weather has cleared enough for them to leave NY and be expedited to our warehouse in Virginia.

As soon as they arrive we'll have staff on hand to get all pending pre orders shipped as safely as possible.

Thankyou for your patience.

The final round of pre orders were due to start on Dec 18th, however our area was hit by a major snowstorm so trucks haven't been able to get to our location since yesterday morning. Unfortunatley that means the shipment will be slightly delayed until Monday Dec 21.  

We're doing our level best to get these last few thousand pre orders out the door as quickly and as safely as possible, we're simply in the hands of the Weather Gods at the moment.

Thanks to all our customers for their support and patience!

The Post Office has sent out warnings of delays during Christmas, the global COVID-19 pandemic and heavy storms in Virginia where we are based.

If your tracking seems to be stuck on "Accepted", or is showing as delayed, arriving late, or no movement for a few days, don't worry - it is normal and to be expected at this time of year. Your parcel is caught up in a bit of a jam but is on its way to you.

We appeciate your patience!

All International Pre Orders from Batch #9 have now been shipped, so that they have a shot at getting there before Christmas.

There's only about 1200 USA orders left to ship from Batch #9 and they will be sent out as soon as the next shipment arrives at our warehouse in Virginia - currently scheduled Dec 18th, but is more likely arriving on Dec 21st or 22nd as the freight company doesn't deliver on weekends (18th is a Friday).

USPS last postage day before Christmas is Dec 21 so we have extra staff on hand and will do our absolute best to have every pending order shipping out in time for Christmas. I should warn you that we're getting complaints due to USPS delays in the last week. Sadly it seems COVID + Christmas is taking it's toll so we ask that if you see no movement on your tracking not to worry, it's happening to everyone - in many cases the parcel is arriving even when the tracking hasn't updated.

If you have purchased a Zen specifically as a Christmas gift for someone, call Charlie or Keith on 540-491-0124 and we will do our best to make that happen for you.

Thanks to all our customers for their support and patience!

Charlie
Cronus Community Manager

The final round of Cronus Zen Pre Orders (Batch #9) have now begun to ship. The first half of the batch will be shipped out by the end of Dec 4th - this includes ALL International Orders so that they are able to arrive in time for Christmas. The second half of Batch #9 are all USA orders and they will be sent out as soon as that shipment arrives from the factory - currently scheduled Dec 18th. USPS last postage day before Christmas is Dec 21 so we have extra staff on hand to make sure every pre order is shipped out as safely as possible, in time for Christmas.

Thanks to all our customers for their support and patience!

Another shipment is arriving at our warehouse today so we'll be able to get the remainder of Batch #8 out as well as part of Batch #9. Shouldn't take us more than 2-3 days.

The shipment for the rest of batch #9 is currently being prepared at the factory and will arrive at our warehouse on 11/30. Please note we will be closed on 11/26 & 11/27 for the Thanksgiving Holidays.

This is also a regular reminder to double check your shipping address. We received 48 "Return to Sender" parcels last week due to customers not providing the correct address (#1 failure: Apartment Number) - the postage has to be re-paid on any of these so it not only saves you the time and onconvenience to make sure the information provided is correct, but it also saves you money.

Happy Thanksgiving week to all our customers - stay safe out there!

Batch #7 has almost completed (There's 47 left, most are invalid addresses or bulk orders)

Batch #8 shipments have already started 2 weeks early, and more are expected to arrive this weekend.

The shipment for Batch #9 has been misplaced by the freight forwarder and they're currently hunting it down. Hopefully it gets found in time for a shipment next week.

Thank you for your patience, we're shipping out every order as quickly as possible.

Batch #6 has almost completed (There's about 140 left, most are invalid addresses or bulk orders) and the shipment for Batch #7 is arriving this weekend ahead of schedule. I can also confirm that the shipment for Batches #8 AND #9 has left the factory and is expected to arrive ahead of schedule before the end of the month :)

We REALLY appreciate your patience!

The rest of the Cronus Zen Pre Order (single Zens only) Batch #6 should all be shipped out by the end of today and the shipment for Batch #7 is currently enroute to our warehouse in Virginia.

Note: There are still some orders from Batch #5 and #6 that have not shipped yet due to an invalid/unrecognized address by the USPS shipping system - these customers have been contacted and we're waiting for verification. If you have ordered more than one Zen (in one order or in multiple orders), these will be filled once all the single orders from Batch #8 have been shipped towards the end of this month. 

Once your package leaves our warehouse, you will receive an email with all of your tracking information. In the meantime, I ask that you double-check your shipping address to make sure it is correct as we cannot be responsible for any mistakes (missing apartment number, wrong state, bad zip code etc.) If you do wish to make a change, create a support ticket and we will make sure that is taken care of for you if the parcel has not yet been shipped (if it has been shipped you will have to wait until it has been returned to us by USPS before it can be re-shipped).

I completely understand that it sucks to wait for something like this, but I promise that it's worth it! There's some really fantastic stuff happening with Cronus Zen right now :)

Thank you for your patience and stay safe out there!

~ Charlie

We're having a problem with a good number of customers not checking their address when they place their order. If USPS does not recognize your address, if it's missing an apartment number or street number or wrong zip code or wrong city, it is an automated system and will not allow us to print a label.

There are currently 361 orders that have an invalid shipping address and currently unable to ship them. We're also getting several 'Return To Senders' because customers are missing off their apartment numbers or it was shipped to an address they no longer live at because they likely paid with Paypal and didn't double check the shipping address.

To show we're on the up and up, here's a screen-shot of our shipping system showing the invalid address warnings and that there are 361 of them in limbo.

You can look at your receipt to see exactly which shipping address is on your order. If it is wrong or missing information you need to contact us immediately at the Cronus Support Center, stating your order number and what the correct shipping address should be - help us to get your order to you as quickly as possible. You must also use the standard Latin based alphabet as USPS does not support the Cyrillic alphabet (no Hewbrew, Greek, Russian etc) and full names must be used not abbreviations. The best way to check that your shipping address is valid is use this Global Address Check Validation Tool, or to give it to us exactly how it appears on Google Maps, for example....

Please note that we are unable to change the address once it has shipped, and cannot be responsible for parcels shipped to a wrong address, the insurance simply does not cover it.

Zen Pre Order Update

Batch #5 single Zen orders have almost finished and we're able to ship a few hundred from the first half of Batch #6 single orders earlier than expected. The shipment for the rest of Batch #6 arrives next week on schedule.

Thanks to everyone who has waited patiently - you are rock stars!

Cronus Zen Pre Order Batch #5 numbers 71301 to 75176 are now being shipped from our warehouse in Virginia.

Customers will receive two emails, one with the receipt confirming the order is now complete and one with the shipping and tracking information. It'll take a few days to get through all the orders, I expect they will all be clear Wednesday or Thursday. We will also be able to start shipping Pre Order Batch #6 on Tuesday 10/27 as part of that shipment has arrived already. The second part is still scheduled to arrive on 10/31 but if that changes we will let you know.

Thank you so much for your patience, we have the best customers!

I have a quick update for all customers waiting for their Zen Pre Order.

Batch #4:

Order numbers 67661 to 71300 - All 'One Per Customer' Pre Orders have been shipped. There are still a small number of orders left that has an invalid shipping address and a few that ordered more than one Zen.

Batch #5:

Order numbers 71301 to 75176 - The first half of this batch has already shipped and we're currently waiting for the second half of this shipment to arrive. It was scheduled to arrive Friday 10/24 but it's still in US customs so we're waiting on that to be released.

Batch #6:

Order numbers 75177 to 80571 - Production has now completed and is being prepared to leave the factory. This is still scheduled to arrive at our warehouse on 10/31.

Batch #7:

Order numbers 80572 to 83588 - Production has just began. This is still scheduled to arrive at our warehouse on 11/13.

Batch #8:

Order numbers 83589 to 86218 - Production will begin once Batch #7 has completed. This is still scheduled to arrive at our warehouse on 11/30.  All 2+ qty Zen orders from batches 4-8 will be shipped at this time.

If you have any questions about this Pre Order I invite you to post a ticket to the Cronus Support Center and we will be happy to help you with anything you need. 

~ Charlie

We were able to increase the range in Batch #4 by several hundred orders and these have now all been shipped (Note: there are still a handful of single Zen orders in Batch #4 that haven't shipped yet due to an invalid shipping address and those customers have been notified).

Batch #5's range was also increased by almost a thousand orders, however that shipment is currently delayed by a week and is now expected to arrive at our warehouse 10/24. Batch #6 is due to finish production next week so is still scheduled to arrive at the end of the month 10/31.

Order ranges have now been given to Batches #7 and #8. Here are the latest shipping schedules as of today:

BATCH #4 10/05/20: Orders 67661 to 71300 **SOLD OUT & SHIPPED**
BATCH #5 10/16/20: Orders 71301 to 75176 **SOLD OUT - SHIPMENT DELAYED 10/24**
BATCH #6 10/31/20: Orders 75177 to 80571 **SOLD OUT - IN PRODUCTION**
BATCH #7 11/13/20: Orders 80572 to 83588 **SOLD OUT - IN PRODUCTION**
BATCH #8 11/30/20: Orders 83589 to 86218 **SOLD OUT - PENDING PRODUCTION**

If you have any questions about this Pre Order I invite you to post a ticket to the Cronus Support Center and we will be happy to help you with anything you need. 

The Cronus Zen Pre Order Batch #5 is leaving the factory later than scheduled so will likely arrive closer to the end of next week, possibly 10/22. Hopefully there won't be any delays on its arrival through customs in New York, the last shipment was 5 days total landing-to-warehouse, so you can be sure we're doing our best to move these orders into your hands as quickly and as safely as we possibly can.

The good news is that all valid orders from Batch #4 has now finished shipping and we are able to start shipping a good number of orders from Batch #5. The exact number won't be known until tomorrow, so the ranges and dates will then be adjusted to accommodate any changes. We do have three more shipments scheduled to leave our factory over the next month to make sure any delays are kept to an absolute minimum.

Note: Some orders from Batch #4 have not shipped yet due to an invalid/unrecognized address by the USPS shipping system (customers have been emailed this morning), if more than one Zen was ordered (2+ quantity orders will be shipped once the Pre Order is over late as per the terms - we're currently shipping pre orders through late November), or if there were other items also ordered that are currently out of stock (these customers will be notified and given a solution).

Once your package leaves our warehouse, you will receive an email with all of your tracking information. In the meantime, I ask that you double-check your shipping address to make sure it is correct as we cannot be responsible for any mistakes (missing apartment number, wrong state, bad zip code etc.) If you do wish to make a change, create a support ticket and we will make sure that is taken care of for you if the parcel has not yet been shipped.

If you haven't been able to secure a pre order spot, currently all available allocations are fully sold out, but there will be another window available before the end of October, sign up for notifications on the Zen product page and you'll get an email as soon as it's made available.

I completely understand that it sucks to wait for something like this, and if you wish to cancel your order I have made sure it is an easy process with no questions asked. All you have to do is go to the Cronus Support Center and post a cancel request and we'll take care of the rest. I promise that it's worth the wait though! There's some really fantastic stuff happening with Cronus Zen right now - the community has exploded and the capability is expanding constantly :)

Thank you for your patience and stay safe out there!

~ Charlie