If you remember last week's Asus ROG Meta Buffs tease featured a large silhouetted keycap photo, you might be wondering what it was all about. Yes, yesterday's Asus ROG event was tied to the big Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series announcement and we covered the Asus range of new ROG GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 graphics cards earlier today. However, Meta Buffs also showcased lots of new gaming peripherals that you may be interested in. As well as the GPUs, Asus ROG showed off the; ROG Strix Scope RX keyboard, ROG Keris Wireless mouse, ROG Delta S headset, ROG Scabbard II mouse pad, and ROG Strix XF 120 fan - as well as the ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 with high-speed Wi-Fi 6E and ROG Swift 360Hz gaming monitor we reported on a week ago.
ROG Strix Scope RX keyboard
This is the keyboard at the centre of the Meta Buffs tease last week as it is the first to feature Asus' own design ROG RX Red Optical Mechanical Switches. The main features of this keyswitch that Asus will use to differentiate it from competitor products are bullet pointed below for succinct clarity:
- Hollow-square stem design with embedded RGB LEDs for all-round per-key lighting
- Near-zero debounce delay to ensure instantaneous activation
- Gaming optimisations to actuation point and force attributes
- Hollow-square stem and X-stabilizer mechanism provide consistent wobble-free keystrokes
- 100-million-keypress lifespan
The above is quite a compelling list of advantages, but of course the proof is in the pudding. Meanwhile, as we await the arrival of the first keyboard with these switches, here are some further details about the ROG Strix Scope RX.
It is a full sized keyboard with alloy top cover and IP56 water and dust resistance. Asus has tweaked the layout with an extended CTRL key for crouch and other frequently used commands usually bound to this key. A Stealth Key is present for instantly hiding all apps and muting audio and a quick toggle switch quickly changes functions and media inputs.
Elsewhere in the design Asus has implemented a USB 2.0 port which can be used for passthrough or even for charging devices or connecting other peripherals. This keyboard features a backlit ROG logo plus customisable lighting effects. With Asus Armoury Crate software you can customise user profiles, map keys, record macros and even track hardware stats during gameplay.
ROG Keris Wireless mouse
After close collaboration with pro eSports teams over sever al months Asus ROG has designed the ROG Keris Wireless mouse. This is very light at just 79g, good for extended gameplay and grip comfort. The wireless mode uses a choice of either ultrafast 2.4 GHz wireless or energy-efficient Bluetooth LE. However, it can be charged via wired USB and used in wired mode should you wish.
Key specs of the ROG Keris are:
- High-speed sensor has been specially tuned by ROG to have 16,000 dpi sensitivity
- 400 ips and 40 g acceleration
- The new ROG Micro Switch socketed buttons with 70 million click durability
- Swappable side buttons in different colours
- Rounded, 100% TPFE mouse feet
A nice partner for this mouse may be Asus ROG's new Scabbard II mouse pad. This is an extended size pad which is big enough for a keyboard, mouse and other gaming gear. Its fabric top is made from "military-grade nano-coating that repels water, oil and dust," while the edges are anti-fray with a narrow stitching. Beneath it is a non-slip rubber base.
ROG Delta S Headset
Asus introduced the 300g ROG Delta S Headset with D-shaped ROG Hybrid ear cushions "for unmatched comfort during extended gaming sessions". Inside it employs the hi-fi-grade ESS 9281 Codec with Quad DAC technology and is Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) certified.
An Asus AI noise-cancelling microphone on ROG Delta S delivers clear in-game voice communication, complementing the detailed audio delivery.
This ia a wired headset with USB-C connector and Asus says that choice allows you to "play on a PC and then jump to a gaming console or mobile device without having to change headsets". Last and perhaps least the Delta S has Aura-Sync enabled lighting around the ear cups with additional sound wave reactivity to the user's voice.
For further details about the new gaming router and monitors shown off last night please check out the feature articles on the Asus ROG blog.
With regard to pricing and availability of the above mentioned products Asus tells us that the new products will roll out in Q4 this year, with pricing available nearer that time.
