With a dazzling array of events, new products, and merch, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) booth at PAX West 2018 was brimming with excitement. In addition to giveaway contests, gamers were greeted with hands-on demos of ROG’s upcoming gaming hardware and gaming parties. Read on to relive the best moments at the ROG PAX West 2018 booth.
After passing rigorous trials, the final members of Team NA were recruited through the Join the Republic community challenge. The Join the Republic challenge lets everyday gamers duke it out for the opportunity to go pro and compete against some of the best esports players out there. Team NA’s captain, the veteran CS:GO player Erik Flom, personally battle-tested his newest members at the ROG eSports Desk. In time, his team will represent North America and compete against seven others at the Republic CS:GO Finals in Sweden.
Following the successful conclusion to team Fl0m’s recruitment, ROG opened up the eSports booth to the public. Gamers were invited to participate in intense Fortnite sessions on the same bleeding-edge hardware used by the pros.
The ROG booth also saw daily giveaways. Prizes ranged from action figures and gaming gear, to knick-knacks and accessories. Did you manage to win some cool swag? Let ROG know by tagging them on Facebook (opens in new tab) and Instagram (opens in new tab).
The hype driven by gamers was impressive, but ROG also added excitement of its own through the presentation of a slew of its upcoming gaming hardware. These ranged from phones, to laptops, to RGB-infused coolers.
The new (opens in new tab)ROG phone (opens in new tab) was definitely a showstopper at PAX. At its core is a top of the line Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 mobile SoC. Each Snapdragon 845 in the ROG Phone are binned for the highest quality. Due to this, its CPU is capable of performing at a higher 2.96GHz clock speed – 5.7% faster than the standard chip. Paired with the superb processor is a 90Hz HDR AMOLED display with a 1ms response time, up to 512GB of UFS 2.1 storage, 8GB of RAM, a massive 4000mAh battery, and front-facing speakers.
The ultra-thin ROG Zephyrus S GX531 (opens in new tab) was also a major showpiece. With a profile measuring just 15.75mm, it’s the thinnest gaming laptop in its class. It’s not just its thickness that’s impressive; the ultra-thin screen bezels also help to reduce its footprint, allowing it to fit into smaller bags. As small as it may be, it packs a ton of power. With a 6-core Intel® Core™ i7-8750H processor and Nvidia GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics, gamers can expect uncompromising performance. The Zephyrus is visually stunning, too, leveraging a ultra-fast, 1080p, 144Hz IPS display with a 3ms response time.
Placed immediately next to the Zephyrus S GX531 was the new 17-inch (opens in new tab)ROG Strix Scar II (opens in new tab) gaming laptop. Just like the pre-existing 15-inch Strix Scar II, the 17-inch variant of the Strix Scar II also features a thin-bezel screen, making it much more compact than a standard 17-inch laptop. It can also be configured to include the Intel® Core™ i7-8750H processor and up to Nvidia GTX 1060 graphics.
Both the ROG Zephyrus S GX531 and the ROG Strix Scar II 17 are available for pre-order through (opens in new tab)ASUS’ website (opens in new tab). For a limited time, ordering either nets you the (opens in new tab)ROG Pugio (opens in new tab) RGB ambidextrous gaming mouse.
Also appearing at the booth were the (opens in new tab)ROG Ryujin (opens in new tab) and ROG Ryuo (opens in new tab) all-in-one liquid coolers. Their special feature is a 1.7-inch LCD screen that can be user-programmed to show thermal stats, diagnostic codes, or even your name and custom logos. In addition to the high-end Noctua fans installed on the radiator, the Ryujin has an extra fan on the processor cooling block. This extra fan increases airflow to the motherboard and storage drives, helping to cool your entire system. The ROG Ryujin will be available in 360mm and 240mm models while the ROG Ryuo will be available in 240mm and 120mm models.
All-in-all, PAX West 2018 was a tremendous success for both ROG and its fans. Those keeping their eyes peeled for the next ROG event should register for the ROG2BlizzCon contest. The winner of this contest will receive an all-expense-paid trip to BlizzCon 2018 for two. All that’s required to enter is a photoset of you donning your best costume. Check out more details here (opens in new tab).