PC Gamer readers may be skeptical about any, well, non-PC gaming, and especially “casual” mobile gaming. But Asus and Republic of Gamers (ROG), makers of some of the best gaming computers and components today, have set up shop at PAX West 2019 to show just how hardcore mobile gaming can be—when you take some of the best elements of gaming PCs and shove them into a smartphone.
From August 30th to September 2nd at PAX West 2019, gamers can test out their PUBG and Fortnite skills on the just-released, hotly-anticipated ROG Phone II that sold out online in just 73 seconds (opens in new tab). Until it’s back in stock, you’ll be one of the few people who get a hands on with (arguably) the most powerful mobile gaming device yet.
Because the ROG Phone II comes packed with specs that will make any game, let alone Fortnite, run better than it ever has on your current phone.
Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus CPU can clock speeds up to 2.96GHz, and its customized Adreno 640 GPU can run at up to 672MHz, almost 100 MHz faster than the regular 640. Combine that with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of flash storage, and you have a lethal combo of instant app installs, shortened game loading times, higher frame rate maximums and the capacity to run games on higher settings.
All this power could turn an average phone into a flaming rectangle, but ROG engineers found room for a GameCool II heatsink with a 3D “vapor chamber” to keep your system running smoothly. You can even be extra safe and clip on its AeroActive Cooler II accessory fan and cool things down an extra 3.5º C.
These aren’t the only gaming-centric accessories that ROG offers, either. If you’re someone who isn’t usually by a charging dock, the ROG TwinView Dock II adds a 5000 mAh backup battery and fan to go with the already-massive 6000 mAh battery embedded into the phone. If you enjoy mobile but don’t trust touchscreens the ROG Kunai GamePad adds joysticks and 21 buttons to your phone, latching onto either side like Joy-cons. And its MobileDesktop dock adds stability for a more tablet-like experience.
ROG has essentially turned its phone into a mini-gaming console or modular laptop by letting people add features and accessories they need, where most smartphones’ only accessories are chargers, watches and selfie sticks.
But the ROG Gaming Phone II isn’t just a teeny-tiny laptop without a keyboard: mobile gaming comes with very specific challenges, and ROG had to find specific solutions to make gaming on a phone live up to the features on other platforms.
For example, the vsync tech that reduces tearing for mobile games also locks a game’s frame rate to the max refresh rate of the display screen itself. So ROG gave its newest OLED display a max of 120Hz, compared to 90Hz on the previous ROG Phone.
That’s a potential 120fps on a 2340x1080 resolution HDR screen, which is exactly as wide as it sounds. This horizontal real estate gives vital room for the on-screen control interface, so your UI doesn’t block half the screen and stop you from spotting your enemies.
Plus, there’s the simple fact that touchscreen controls can be slower and less reliable than a controller or keyboard. So ROG added AirTriggers with a 20ms response time, reduced its touch-to-response latency to “35% less” than competing smartphones according to ROG, and the touch screen has a 240Hz response rate, which is double what the nearest competitors offer.
These are the kind of specs that will make your opponents think you’re using cheat codes. Except at PAX West, where everyone will have the same gaming power at their fingertips. Make sure to get in line early for your chance to see for yourself just how far mobile gaming has come!