Asus is seldom afraid to try some outlandish gaming gear designs, but its latest collection is perhaps its bravest yet. Teaming up with Hideo Kojima – the legendary architect of the Metal Gear Solid series, as well as the more recent Death Stranding – the company is releasing a unique and distinctly quirky quartet of gaming hardware ideal for diehard fans of everything Kojima-verse.
The set consists of an Asus ROG Keris II Origin gaming mouse, an ROG Delta II gaming headset, ROG Scabbard II XXL mouse mat, and the best gaming tablet around, the ROG Flow Z13, all of which have been heavily customized to fit in with the unique aesthetic of Kojima Productions’ astronaut mascot, Ludens.
First on the list is the heavily modified gaming tablet. In my Asus ROG Flow Z13 review, I found the tablet to be impressively slim and compact. However, for some reason, Kojima has chosen to slightly increase the size of his version, with the foldout, magnetically attached keyboard cover sporting extra protrusions on its front corners. It seems like a strange decision, but wouldn’t that be appropriate for Kojima?
Also changed is the general color scheme, with the simple, all-black look of the original replaced with the white, gold, and gray of the Ludens. The keyboard and case are also covered in little details, including text alluding to the technical functions of the device, such as “HEAT VENT DO NOT COVER” and “DO NOT TOUCH LENS SURFACE.”
Otherwise, it’s the same AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 (Strix Halo) powered gaming tablet as before, which will deliver 1080p gaming at high detail settings and with incredible battery life.
The mouse has a similar color scheme, with black front buttons, gold side buttons, and a white body. It has also had the text “EXTRA-VEHICULAR CREATIVE ACTIVITY device” written on its top, along with the “For Ludens who dare” slogan of the rest of the setup.
It’s based on the Keris 2 Origin, which is Asus’ flagship mouse that weighs 65g and packs in a 42K DPI sensor, Asus’ own ROG Micro Switches II, and includes up to 8kHz polling over wireless. It also features three RGB zones, with the scroll wheel, side, and back of the mouse all lighting up.
The ROG Delta II headset has a slightly more subtle look overall, but along with the Kojima Productions logo and “EXTRA-VEH..” slogan includes the phrase “CAUTION: Comfort may lead to just one more game syndrome.” Ah, Kojima, never change.
The final piece of the puzzle is the simplest and cheapest but most impactful: the ROG Scabbard 2 XXL-KJP desk/mouse mat. This XXL-size mouse pad really completes the look of this setup, with its white background adorned with a huge Luden-like head and simple “for Ludens who dare” text.
Pricing and release dates are still TBA, but expect them to arrive fairly soon and be in limited, premium supply.
