Asus has announced a sweet new Kojima Productions collab but I wish it picked a better laptop

Hideo Kojima, being a man obsessed with movies, has a bit of an eye for aesthetics. From the lush greens of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater to the smattering of golds, blues and black in Death Stranding, he has spent decades working on games that stand out from the first screenshot. It's no surprise then that Asus' most recent collaboration with the creator looks pretty snazzy.

Announced at CES 2026, Asus' collab with Kojima Productions includes custom colourways for the ROG Delta II gaming headset, Keris II gaming mouse, Scabbard II mouse mat, a custom carry case, and finally the ROG Flow Z13.

This collaboration is a very white and gold affair, with iconography largely left to Kojima Productions' iconic Ludens character. Designed by long-term Kojima collaborator and Kojima Productions lead artist Yoji Shinkawa, Ludens is somewhat of a high-tech knight figure and effectively the mascot for the company. Shinkawa says, "I wanted to create a gadget that belongs to Ludens", and he says the tech "has its essence."

The only real letdown for me here is the presence of the ROG Flow Z13. We tested the laptop/tablet hybrid early last year, and its beefy Ryzen AI Max is underpowered for such an expensive gaming device. Though its CPU chops certainly rock, the GPU lets it down at its price point. It's not as convenient as a handheld gaming PC and not as powerful as a comparable gaming laptop.

In fairness, the Flow Z13 is a powerful productivity tablet, and one that could serve well for a developer, but Kojima Productions is a video game company, and there are much better ways to play its games than on the Flow Z13.

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The Kojima Productions collaboration comes with a neat Death Stranding delivery-style carry case, and the gold on the back certainly makes it look luxurious, but I would have much preferred if a ROG Zephyrus, Strix G16, or even a ROG Ally donned this collab's colours. With how lavish it is, even an Ally X could be better served wrapped in gold and white.

Asus have even gone for a fun tagline mashup here, mixing Kojima Productions' "From sapiens to Ludens" with Asus' "For those who dare", making "for Ludens who dare". This phrase is present on every bit of tech in the collaboration, lining the top of the headphones, side of the mouse, edge of the Flow Z13, bottom of the carry case, and the centre of the mouse mat.

We don't yet have a release date or price for any of this gear, though it's expected to launch in Q1 (according to Polygon). The Z Flow 13 is arguably the highlight, and the standard AI Max 390 version retails for $2,000, so it'll likely cost you many pretty pennies to get Ludens on your gear. Well, that's if you're against the idea of using a couple of tactical stickers and a bit of gold paint.

Best gaming laptop 2026

1. Best overall:
Razer Blade 16 (2025)

2. Best budget:
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10

3. Best 14-inch:
Razer Blade 14 (2025)

4. Best mid-range:
MSI Vector 16 HX AI

5. Best high-performance:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10

6. Best 18-inch:
Alienware 18 Area-51

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