Last week the Sirus Gaming team, as well as many gamers, joined ASUS in celebrating the 10th Birthday of their ROG (Republic of Gamers) Brand. ROG was founded back in July of 2006. The brand came about from a want to deliver the most innovative hardcore hardware for truly dedicated gamers. After a short 10 years, ROG is now among the top gaming laptop brand out there. It is number 1 in a lot of territories and is one of the reasons why ASUS is owning the market share right now.
The first thing I saw the moment I walked in was the gaming area. A long table lined with 5 laptops and 2 desktops. In the middle was a PC rig with a driving wheel. This was to show off the new slim-design tower of ROG G20. While this was what everyone flocked to, what caught my eye the most was the GX800. While technically a laptop, it is not something you can bring with you easily. This is due to the Hydro Overclocking System which boosts the processor from 3.2GHz to 4.2GHz automatically. This system is technically a docking station that is about half the length of the laptop itself. This is not something you can carry around easily. Luckily, every purchase of the GX800 includes a backpack and a suitcase to make transport easier.
The event, like the ROG brand itself, was very much dedicated to the gamers. An overwhelming majority of the attendees were what they called “Powerusers”. These are gamers who were invited because they have shown an above average interest in ROG and ASUS in general. Prizes ranging from limited edition 16GB USB flash drives to ROG backpacks were awarded all night. While I was not one of the lucky few to go home with one of those prizes, I did get an insight on how they consider a laptop to be part of the ROG Brand.
Check out the photos taken from the ASUS Republic of Gamers Assembly:
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Contrary to what many thought, myself included, not all high-performance laptops ASUS makes can be considered an ROG laptop. While having decent specs is a factor, it is not the only requirement. One of the most important aspects for the ROG laptop is the cooling. Since this is marketed to gamers, a powerful cooling and innovative ventilation system must be in place to allow gamers to use the device for hours on hours. This also improves the lifespan of the laptop itself. These are the hardware requirements for ROG but there is also a software requirement.
The laptop must have the ASUS Gaming Center. This is an integrated application that contains the ROG Game First III, ASUS Gaming MarcoKey, Splendid, NVIDIA GeForce Experience and many more. The most important part of the Gaming Center for me would be the ROG Game First III. This prioritizes game-specific packets while gaming to reduce latency in online play. Since a huge majority of us now game online, having a software that prioritizes game data is a godsend.
The night was not without its fair share of announcements. The highlight of the night was the reveal of the ASUS FX502. This laptop is presented as the most accessible ROG laptop in the market. It contains everything that is expected from a high-end gaming laptop but is priced at 69.999php. Compared to the other Laptops in the ROG line which can go up to an upwards of 100k, this one is quite affordable. Another announcement was the planned ROG Concept store for Cebu. There is currently 2 in the Philippines, both are in Metro Manila.
Happy Birthday ROG. Here’s to many more years of hardcore gaming!