With the summer travel season officially underway, you might be headed to the shore or across-country. Maybe there’s a big meet-up on your horizon. Whether you’re flying or driving, you know there will be down-time in some airport gate or backseat. This summer, don’t let that down-time go to waste. With a quick upgrade to your travel tech, you can stay productive, keep yourself entertained, and enhance your favorite games on the go. This set of ultraportable ASUS and ROG gear will make vacations feel better-connected, hassle-free, and a bit more luxurious.
Useful bits of travel kit for every PC user
No two PC users are exactly the same, and that goes for our travel bags, too. Depending on the work they need to get done and the fun they want to have, travelers typically seek out different portable PC hardware options. But there are common factors, too. Basically, all of us need quick access to storage, a secure way to stay connected, and travel-ready audio. Here are some of our favorite options for ticking those boxes on your travel checklist.
ROG Strix Arion portable SSD enclosure
Both business professionals and creators alike frequently bring high-volume projects to tinker with while traveling. Gamers — especially those with PC gaming handhelds — commonly like to have a bigger game library available than the drive on their portable gaming device can fit. These files and games can measure hundreds of gigabytes.
Luckily, local storage options are more diverse and easily available than ever. One of your easiest routes for high-speed access to storage is a portable SSD enclosure. Roughly the size of a deck of cards, an enclosure is a light addition to your travel bag, but it lets you access the M.2 drive of your choice no matter where you go.
With the ROG Strix Arion, your M.2 SSD becomes a mobile, travel-friendly storage device. This rugged SSD enclosure guarantees quick performance with reliable cooling in a lightweight package. The Arion transfers data at blazing-fast speeds up to 10 Gbps. Even during periods of heavy use like editing a video or backing up a half-terabyte of data, the Arion aggressively dissipates heat through built-in thermal pads and an aluminum alloy case.
Connecting the Arion to your setup is a breeze. Tool-free installation lets you install a drive of your choice. Maybe you’ve invested in a cutting-edge 8 TB SSD storage drive, or perhaps a recent laptop upgrade left you with an extra M.2 SSD hard drive lying around. You can connect the Arion to devices through either the USB-C to C cable or the USB-C to A cable, both of which are included, though the USB-C cable allows for faster transfer speeds. To help you travel in style, the Arion features ASUS Aura Sync lighting effects. And with the Arion’s exclusive hanging protective holder, your data will stay handy and secure through every bump in the road.
ASUS RT-BE58 Go travel WiFi router
Anyone who has traveled with a group of friends and family knows the dance all too well: you arrive at a new location, everyone digs out their devices, and the hunt for WiFi begins. Even when a secure WiFi connection is available, this ritual is repetitive and time consuming. When you’re forced to make a judgment call about which public WiFi network looks most trustworthy, getting everyone online safely can be an even bigger hassle.
Here’s an easy, ultra-portable solution: The ASUS RT-BE58 Go travel WiFi router. This dual-band router meets the latest WiFi 7 standards to deliver blazing transfer rates up to 3600 Mbps, with built-in 4k-QAM to boost data throughput up to 20%. Whether you and your crew land in an airport, cruise ship, café, or public square, within minutes you can connect the RT-BE58 Go to any available public WiFi network. Your private network will then feed fast, secure connections to all your crew’s devices, covering a generous area up to 1800 square feet. If public WiFi is unavailable, simply tether the RT-BE58 Go to a smartphone with 4G/5G connectivity to get your network up and running.
Of course, public WiFi can potentially expose everyone’s tech to the increasing threat of cyberattacks. That’s why we built 24/7 end-to-end protection into the ASUS RT-BE58 Go with commercial-grade AiProtection. When the time comes to move on down the road, simply fold the antenna of the ultraportable RT-BE58 Go and slide the travel router into your carry bag. With its light 8-ounce weight, you’ll hardly notice it’s there — until the next time you need it.
ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds
Travelers and gamers alike understand the value of minimizing distractions so they can focus on the task at hand. Most are familiar with the benefits of noise-canceling headphones, which tune out unwelcome sounds whenever you’re stuck in a tightly-packed airplane or competition hall, letting you focus on your preferred podcast or the current attack round. However, when you’re walking through an airport or down a busy city street, you also need to stay in touch with the surrounding environment. That way, you won’t be forced to remove an earbud every time your friends and family talk to you — or miss the siren of a people-mover trying to get around you.
This summer, invest in a set of headphones engineered to enhance your favorite games and help you stay alert in public spaces. The ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds feature a comfortable, open-ear design that keeps you in contact with the surrounding environment while delivering powerful sound. Their ergonomic ear hooks keep the earbuds in place without causing aches or fatigue. If you want to go for a run, the included connecting strap keeps the earbuds in place when jogging. And the 14.2mm diamond-like carbon drivers pump out crisp highs and deep bass while the open design creates a wide, immersive soundstage. With this level of sound quality, you won’t miss a beat.
The ROG Cetra Open Wireless gaming earbuds are also perfect for racking up kills in your preferred competitive shooter. If you find yourself in a spot where you want to tune out ambient sounds, activate Immersion Mode to gently reduce background noise and focus on the game. In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, these earbuds also offer ultra-low-latency ROG SpeedNova 2.4GHz mode — our proprietary wireless technology that delivers near-zero audio delay for gaming. Whether you’re tucked into an airplane seat or chilling in the backseat during a road trip, you’ll hear the enemy sneaking up behind you and react in real time. And the action doesn’t have to stop when your portable device needs to recharge. Since the USB receiver includes power passthrough, you can top off your phone or handheld’s battery while still using the earbuds.
Stay productive on the road while keeping up with your favorite games
These days, the boundary between vacation and work is blurrier than ever. It never hurts to stay productive on the road, but that can be a real challenge without the tools you were forced to leave at the office. Here are three road-ready pieces of PC hardware ready to boost your productivity whenever you set up at the hotel or rental house — and two of them are potent PC gaming performers, too.
ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE custom gaming keyboard
Plenty of power-users and creators prefer their desktop keyboard to the chiclet-style keys on their laptop. These folks can bring along the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE gaming keyboard. This travel-friendly keyboard provides a roomy 75% layout with the quality, speed, and combat-readiness that have come to define the ROG family of products. Everyone from productivity-minded business travelers to hardcore gamers will appreciate how the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE performs. Its 8000 Hz polling rate delivers lightning-fast response to ensure that every keystroke is registered with unmatched speed and precision.
If you’re sensitive to the sounds of your keystrokes or want to avoid making unnecessary noise as you type, you’ll like the six-layer dampening design of this gaming keyboard. Three PORON and three silicon layers absorb keystroke vibrations and pinging noise to keep typing sounds quiet. When work is finished, the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE keeps your options open for gaming and online esports, too. Hours spent in the hotel room no longer have to be wasted on doomscrolling.
Every esports professional who is on the move will value the portability of the ROG Falchion Ace 75 HE. Its custom-fit carry case shields the keyboard from impacts and scratches to keep it ready for every match. Fans of our last-gen ROG Falchion ACE HFX will appreciate favored features like the Rapid Trigger toggle, interactive touch panel, and multifunction button. Meanwhile, gamers of all types will enjoy upgrades like the HFX V2 & V2X magnetic switches, which take precision and consistency to the extreme. You’ll recognize that unmistakable ROG feel in every keystroke’s smoother travel, tighter magnetic control, and ultrafine adjustability. The brand-new adjustment wheel provides effortless on-board tuning.
ROG Harpe Ace Mini gaming mouse
If you think it sounds strange to pack input peripherals into your luggage, consider how common it has become for people to keep a mouse in their travel bags. It just feels good to hold a mouse in your hand whenever, wherever you touch up photographs, work on spreadsheets, or blast noobs in Valorant. For the ultimate mobile mousing experience, add an ROG Harpe Ace Mini gaming mouse to your kit. This high-performance gaming mouse combines the professionally-tested, semi-symmetrical shape of the standard Harpe Ace with a smaller, refined form factor weighing just 49 grams.
The ROG Harpe Ace Mini features an innovative, bio-based nylon outer shell with a smooth matte coating. This all-new finish delivers a premium look that will draw the attention of your fellow travelers. The new finish also provides superior grip to ensure steady, slip-free control in every app. When you’re hours into a tactical FPS session and your palms are starting to sweat, the only texture you’ll notice is the Harpe Ace Mini’s silky-smooth skin. And you’ll execute every kill-shot with pinpoint precision thanks to the new 42,000-dpi ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor. This sensor tracks on almost any surface, including glass, with less than 1% deviation.
ASUS ZenScreen OLED MQ16FC portable monitor
The final must-have for any vacationer who wants the potential to be productive is a mobile monitor. These versatile, portable displays give you a wide range of options on the go. They can serve as a second screen for juggling windows while you work, an entertainment center for streaming content with friends or family, and even a mobile movie theater for showing memes and videos from your smartphone.
The summer’s best option is the ASUS ZenScreen OLED MQ16FC. This portable monitor adds 16 inches of onscreen real estate to your laptop while delivering luscious visuals with extreme blacks and high perceptual brightness. The ZenScreen OLED MQ16FC also features a 16:10 viewing format and 1920×1200 resolution, making it the ideal screen for fragging enemies, chilling with a movie, or catching up on some reading. The monitor’s superfast 1 ms response time makes it a credible performer for gaming, though we’d recommend a model with an elevated refresh rate gaming is your focus.
Best of all, the efficient design of the MQ16FC earns it a place in the luggage of the very lightest travelers. Weighing a slight 1.5 lbs., this portable monitor lets you enjoy a multi-monitor setup on the move. It also boasts a screen-to-body ratio of 89% to maximize available viewing space. A final feature making the ZenScreen MQ16FC ideal for travel is Power Pass Through. This technology allows the monitor to be powered by your laptop, deliver power to your laptop via power pass-through charging, or even send power along to other devices like a travel router. Simply connect the correct cable to either of the ZenScreen OLED ME16FC’s full-function USB-C ports to get started. A mini-HDMI port rounds out your connectivity options.
Luxury options let you treat yourself before your vacation starts
A good vacation makes memories that last a lifetime, often thanks to stunning views from a hilltop outlook or lakeside trail. Less memorable parts of the vacation include the hours you spend waiting to catch a flight or winding down after a busy day. Many people pass this down-time watching videos or gaming on a small screen. Back in our hotel room, we might plug our own device into the widescreen TV, only to find ourselves wrestling with pillows as we try to get a comfortable viewing position. New technology makes this down-time feel as relaxing as home.
ROG XREAL R1 gaming AR glasses
When the moment calls for screentime, put on a pair ROG XREAL R1 glasses. These wearable gaming AR glasses position a virtual screen in front of your eyes, recreating the experience of enjoying content on a massive, high-performance 171-inch screen about four meters ahead of you. The virtual Micro-OLED screen delivers an industry-leading 240Hz refresh rate for buttery smooth visuals, and its 0.01ms response time makes it the ultimate portable display alternative for first-person ARPGs and high-speed racing games.
The ROG XREAL R1 glasses were engineered for every PC, console, or ROG Ally gamer who prioritizes total immersion in the game world. The real-time 2D-to-3D conversion transforms all your games into deep, volumetric environments that will boost the quality of your entire library. The resulting scale and depth of the game world will add a lifelike layer of realism, bringing you closer to the action.
Fans of the ROG ecosystem will find the ROG XREAL R1 glasses make an easy, instant addition to their setup. Simply plug a USB-C cord into your ROG Ally handheld and start playing. Everyone else can enjoy instant switching between their gaming consoles and PC thanks to the ROG Control Dock. And whether you stream videos or stalk enemy agents, you’ll appreciate the built-in Bose sound system for its sonic depth and resonant bass.
In most travel situations, the ROG XREAL R1 gaming AR glasses are more practical than alternatives like a VR headset. The XREAL R1 looks like a pair of sunglasses from the outside, but when you put them on, they won’t replace your world with a digital facsimile. Instead, it’s like you’re sitting in front of a massive television covering 95% of your focused viewing area. That leaves the periphery of your vision intact, so you never lose situational awareness. You can sit in an airport watching movies without worrying someone will steal your bag, or lounge in your living room without your kids sneaking up on you.
For versatile comfort, choose either to pin the viewscreen in space or to let it move with you. During the day, your private widescreen TV can rest anywhere in the room you prefer. Back in your hotel room, sprawl across the bed, stare at the ceiling, and watch TV up there or anywhere else as the 171” screen follows your gaze, hovering four meters away everywhere you turn. Pretty soon, you might forget you’re wearing your ROG XREAL R1 glasses entirely. They weigh just 91 grams (3.2 ounces), and their ergonomic design features adjustable nose pads with flexible temples to give you a personalized, stable fit for hours at a time.
ROG Raikiri II Xbox wireless controller
For PC gamers in search of a little luxury, the perfect finishing touch might be the ROG Raikiri II Xbox wireless controller. Its TMR joysticks eliminate stick drift while offering ultimate precision and sensitivity. If you’ve recently noticed some sluggish performance in your controller, or the buttons are starting to feel mushy, you’ll love the feel of the micro-switch buttons in the Raikiri II controller. They give instant actuation and tactile feedback.
Anyone who travels with a gaming laptop will appreciate the Raikiri II’s built-in ROG SpeedNova wireless technology. Its lightning-fast 1000Hz polling rate guarantees ultra-low latency and smooth in-game movements to help you dominate every game. Quick and stable connectivity with all your devices is guaranteed by the Raikiri II’s multi-platform compatibility. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, wired USB, and RF mode in 2.4GHz. If you decide to take a day off from your vacation for a little rest and relaxation, you can unwind with even the longest gaming session. The Raikiri II’s battery provides up to 50 hours of uninterrupted gameplay on a single charge.
A set of premium accessories makes the ROG Raikiri Xbox wireless controller ideal for travel. The included charging case makes transporting and charging the controller safe and easy. The controller also comes with a charging stand stabilized on feet, and two swappable joystick caps have got you covered.
Stay entertained, connected, and productive anywhere that life takes you
By adding a few upgrades to your travel tech, you won’t waste a second of summer vacation. Thanks to the combination of power-passthrough and gaming-friendly gear, a single wall outlet can power your gaming laptop and ZenScreen OLED MQ16FC, recharge your ROG Cetra Open wireless gaming earbuds, and provide a secure, private WiFi network to you and all your companions fueled by an ASUS RT-BE58 Go. Better yet, slide on a pair of ROG XREAL R1 AR gaming glasses and enjoy your own 171-inch display everywhere you roam. With this many options, there’s something from ASUS to make everyone’s travels a little easier and a lot more entertaining.