ASUS ROG Intros First Gaming Smartphone and New Product Lineup at Computex 2018
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan: ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) hosted yesterday, their “For Those Who Dare” press event at Computex 2018. At the event, the company unveiled a new lineup of gaming products, including ROG Phone, the first ROG gaming smartphone and the world’s first smartphone with a 3D vapor-chamber cooling system. ROG also announced ROG Rapture GT-AX11000, the world’s first tri-band 802.11ax router with Wi-Fi speeds of over 10,000Mbps, and introduced products in other brand-new categories, including the ROG Ryujin and ROG Ryuo CPU coolers and ROG Thor 1200W Platinum power supply. Rounding out the press event were the announcements of the ROG Delta gaming headset and the ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero II gaming laptops.
ASUS Chairman, Jonney Shih, leading the presentation onstage, shared his enthusiasm with the expansion of the ROG product line saying, “Today is a celebration of those who dare to be different. Twelve years ago, ROG was founded out of our desire to create a full lineup of ultimate gear designed for gaming victory. Now, through the dedication of ROG engineers, designers, professional gamers and enthusiasts around the world, we have achieved these goals and distilled them into the essence of ROG. We will carry this spirit forward as we strive to create the next generation of gaming innovations.”
The long-awaited ROG Phone features a unique GameCool 3D vapor-chamber cooling system, ultrasonic AirTrigger touch sensors, an exclusive gamer-centric design with side-mounted ports optimized for landscape-mode, a vivid AMOLED display with HDR visuals, a 90Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time for a true gaming experience.
With pure ROG gaming DNA at its core and powered by the world’s fastest 2.96GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with a gaming-optimized Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, ROG Phone breaks every rule to go where rivals fear to tread. Don McGuire, Vice President – Product Marketing, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. spoke onstage, highlighting the long-term partnership between ROG and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.
“Qualcomm Technologies and ASUS have enjoyed great successes over many years and we are thrilled to be at the core of their newest cutting-edge device, the ROG Phone,” said McGuire. “Our entirely re-architected Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with the gaming-optimized Adreno 630 GPU is designed for speed, minimizing thermal throttling and maximizing battery efficiency so users can play longer. Snapdragon 845 is engineered to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience; supporting exceptional performance, fast and smooth graphics, and Gigabit speeds whether on LTE or 802.11ad Wi-Fi.”
ROG has also partnered with Garena — developer of one of the world’s best-ranking survival shooter games: Free Fire — to explore the endless possibilities that ROG Phone brings to the gaming scene. Andrew Manugian, Head of Business Development, Free Fire Global Publishing, was also onstage to provide details about the partnership. Finally, SMG, professional esports gaming team and world champions in Arena of Valor, came onstage to share their experiences with ROG Phone and its benefits for mobile gaming.
In addition to the partnerships dedicated to creating the best gaming experiences, ROG also announced the new ROG Delta gaming headset that can be connected with ROG Phone and other smartphones via USB -C to make mobile gaming more compelling and immersive. ROG Delta features an ESS quad-DAC and drivers with audio signal diversion technology for clear, detailed sound that gives gamers the ability to better pinpoint in-game opponents.
Another groundbreaking announcement during the event was ROG Rapture GT-AX11000, the world’s first tri-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi router that delivers networking speeds that gamers have only dreamed about until now. ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 is capable of delivering wireless speeds of up to 11,000Mbps for the best online gaming and general networking performance.
ROG is not only focused on being the leader in the gaming market, but also on expanding product lines to provide gamers more gear to enhance their gaming experiences. ROG Ryujin and ROG Ryuo are the first CPU coolers from ASUS Republic of Gamers and the world’s first liquid coolers with an embedded 1.77-inch LiveDash color OLED display for displaying real-time system stats and personalized GIFs. Marking another entry into a new product line is ROG Thor 1200W Platinum, a 1,200 watt power supply with an IP5X-certified 14mm wing-blade fan and Aura Sync.
New gaming laptops announced at the event include ROG Strix SCAR II and ROG Strix Hero. Perfect for competitive gamers, ROG Strix SCAR II and Hero II boast the world’s first 144Hz super narrow bezel display with an ultrafast 3ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time for maximum advantage in fast-paced games, while the HyperStrike Pro keyboard provides players with supreme control.
In addition to the products announced onstage, the For Those Who Dare press event also featured a demo area showcasing other new products, including ROG Balteus Qi, a RGB gaming mouse pad with a hard surface optimized for precise tracking and Qi wireless charging; ROG Gladius II Wireless, an ergonomic optical gaming mouse with dual wireless connectivity via 2.4GHz and Bluetooth; and ROG Strix Chassis with an enticing aluminum and smoked-glass design and support for addressable AURA Sync lighting technology.
