The Asus ROG Flow at CES 2022 could be my new Nintendo Switch
Opinion: at least until I’m finally able to actually buy a Steam Deck
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Back atCES 2020,Alienware showed off theConcept UFO, a handheld gaming PC that was reminiscent of the Nintendo Switch. Fast forward two years toCES 2022and we still don’t have anything like this, at least not from a major manufacturer. TheAsus ROG Flow X13might be the solution we’ve been waiting for.
In essence, theAsus ROG Flow is just a gaming Surface Prowith an RTX 3050 Ti and a removable keyboard. That’s not the most powerful GPU on the market by any means, but it’s more than powerful enough to play most games at 1080p, even if you may have to turn down some graphics settings here and there.
It’s not exactly the same kind of thing, however; you’d still need to plug in a controller to get a similar experience, but it’s the closest thing we’re going to get for PC gaming to the Nintendo Switch until theSteam Deckactually comes to market.
Everything is going to depend on battery life
We haven’t got the Asus ROG Flow X13 in for testing yet, but if previous gaming laptops have been any indication, battery life tanks as soon as you boot a PC game. It has improved a lot over recent years, but even with a gaming laptop like theRazerBlade 15 that gets 6 hours of battery life in our standard battery tests, that number will go down to two hours or so if you’re trying to play a AAA game on it.
Unfortunately in promoting this little gaming tablet, Asus hasn’t spent a lot of time talking about the battery life, beyond saying that it will last quite a while for video playback - something much less demanding than doing some gaming.
But if the Asus ROG Flow X13 can last more than two hours while playing games, it will definitely be my go-to portable gaming device for a while.
You don’t need a lot of power
One of the reasons an ultra-portable PC gaming device like this is so appealing is because of the nature of what makes up the bulk of the best PC games - indie games. Some of the best games out there can basically run on a toaster, and a tablet like this with an RTX 3050 Ti will easily powering through them.
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The idea that comes up in my mind is pulling the ROG Flow X13 out of my bag while waiting in the doctor’s office and playing some Darkest Dungeon II while waiting to be seen.
And because it’s being sold with the keyboard attachment included in the box, it’d be perfect for getting through a few turns in Civilization V while commuting on the subway.
That’s why handheld gaming PCs from smaller manufacturers like theOneXPlayerhave become such a thing recently. These are definitely not powerhouses by any stretch of the imagination, but they don’t need to be.
Now I just want to see the Asus ROG Flow X13 on store shelves soon, so we can actually have more portable PC gaming products thatactually exist… rather than concepts that are constantly teased but never actually come out.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN. Previously, she was TechRadar’s US computing editor. She is fat, queer and extremely online. Computers are the devil, but she just happens to be a satanist. If you need to know anything about computing components, PC gaming or the best laptop on the market, don’t be afraid to drop her a line on Twitter or through email.
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