Gaming on the Go: Asus ROG Announces 240 Hz Portable Monitor

[HARDY]

You get to take advantage of high refresh rates and G-Sync / FreeSync on your desktop monitor, but when you hit the road, you’ll be out of luck unless your gaming laptop has a fast panel. But what if you could take the action with you? Asus’s new ROG Strix XG17 is a 17-inch portable gaming monitor that operates at a blazing 240 Hz and incorporates adaptive sync technology to keep your game play smooth.

We had a chance to spend a few minutes playing with a demo unit of the ROG Strix XG17 here at Computex Taipei and were intrigued by its potential. Asus has not released many specs, including the weight or dimensions, but the 17-inch display seemed light and thin enough to fit into any bag that’s tall enough to contain a 17-inch laptop. Like other Asus portable monitors, the device uses an origami style case that folds into a stand that keeps the monitor up. While a proper kickstand would be better, the case seems sturdy enough to be usable.

Though it hasn’t disclosed details, the ROG Strix XG17 will also come with some kind of stand that can hold the monitor aloft, right above your laptop’s top bezel. The company showed a demo of the screen above a laptop bezel, but the stand holding it up seems to have just been made for the demo.

Putting the portable monitor above, rather than on the side of the laptop’s screen is an interesting concept, considering that all the other portable monitors I’ve used are meant to sit beside your system, taking up a lot of room. If you have very minimal free desk space or just like the idea of looking up rather than to your left or right for a second screen.

The display offers two ways to connect to it, either by micro HDMI or USB Type-C alt mode (using DisplayPort). You can power it over USB Type-C or you can get up to 3 hours of endurance from its internal battery. The battery use case doesn’t make a lot of sense for gaming notebooks, which need to be near a power outlet any time you want to use them for play. However, it can be useful when you’re connecting to a portable device such as a Nintendo Switch or a mobile phone.

We had a chance to play some Mario Kart 8 Deluxe using a Nintendo Switch that was connected to the ROG Strix XG17. We also watched a demo of a car racing game being played on a phone, but viewed on the screen. In both cases, playback was smooth and images were crystal clear.

Asus has not shared any specs regarding expected brightness rating, color gamut or physical dimensions. We do that, in addition to its 240 Hz refresh rate, the panel has a 3 ms response time. We look forward to learning more about the ROG Strix XG17 when it comes out later this year.