Asus is well known for its computers, but the brand has announced that they will be bringing their advanced gaming mobile to the UK shortly.
The phone is marketed under the company’s Republic of Games brand, which is usually associated with powerful laptops, graphics cards, and motherboards. They are now taking a chance on the smartphone market with the upcoming launch of the RoG phone.
A mobile gaming console
The device was first shown earlier this year. It has a 6in 2160×1080 AMOLED display with the capacity for a high dynamic range, along with a 90Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for gamers.
The launch of these so-called mobile gaming consoles in the UK is expected to bring an increase in mobile gaming – and potentially gambling. The rise of smartphones has already had a massive impact on the gaming market, with apps that offer in-game purchases now forming a large part of the market. These phones will play a different role because they are likely to be purchased by people who are already interested in serious gaming on other platforms, so operators will need to prepare offerings that can meet these higher expectations.
The RoG phone offers the ability to plug in external add-ons to improve on the gaming experience, which brings with it a whole different market for gaming products in the mobile sector that until now has not been looked into as thoroughly as other markets.
The phone can also be paired with a larger display to be used as a traditional console, which could also provide opportunities to retailers because they could then offer more interactive gaming experiences for new and existing users.
Dual-purpose device
The RoG device is one of the first of its kind to offer all of the functions of a standard smartphone along with powerful gaming capacity. The phone uses all of its operating power when in gaming mode, shutting down any apps that were open in the background so that games can run as efficiently as possible.
The fact that players will be keeping the device with them at all times, as they would have previously done with their smartphone, will make gaming even more accessible. The phone does come with a significant price tag, however, which could prevent the mainstream adoption of the technology for now.
The handset will retail at ￡799 ($1,025) when it is launched in the UK this December, no doubt ahead of the Christmas rush.
Gaming notifications
Gaming companies will need to start looking into how to make the most of this new access they will have to their clients. Until now, gamers have had to go to a console or computer before playing games, but now developers will be able to send prompts and notifications that will reach players when they are going about their daily tasks.
While it may help the growth of the gaming market, it does raise concerns that gaming will be made even more accessible to vulnerable people, including problem gamblers, younger children and teenagers. This might be of concern to the UK Gaming Authority, which has become increasingly hard-hitting with fines and new regulations. Operators should keep their eyes peeled.
