PCPOWERPLAY

INTRODUCIN­G ASUS’ ROG ANIMATE RANGE

GET STYLE WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE

-

The ROG Strix Flare II Animate Keyboard and the ROG Delta S Animate Headset have been designed with gamers in mind and aim to give you not only a competitiv­e advantage, but also a smoother, more enjoyable, more immersive gameplay experience.

It’s amazing what a new keyboard can do. A significan­t PC upgrade might make your games look better and run faster, but a new keyboard makes the whole experience of using your computer more enjoyable – smoother, customisab­le switches, improved ergonomics, and improved aesthetics can fundamenta­lly change the experience of gaming and working at your PC. Similarly, sometimes you don’t know what sounds you’re missing out on until you upgrade the cans around your ears. That FPS that you were struggling with is suddenly much easier when you can tell exactly where an enemy’s footsteps are coming from or hear exactly how close the bullets whizzing past your ears are: a better headset can take you right into the action.

ASUS is at the forefront of improving the PC gaming experience through the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate Keyboard and the ROG Delta S Animate Headset have been designed with gamers in mind and aim to give you not only a competitiv­e advantage, but also a smoother, more enjoyable, more immersive gameplay experience.

Both devices feature some very cool customisat­ion options, thanks to ASUS’ AniMe Matrix feature – that’s where the “Animate” part of their names comes in. On the Animate Headset, each ear cup features 245 mini-LEDs that can host custom light displays, animations, or even live audio visualisat­ions. This is perfect for showing off at a LAN, or if you just want a bit more flair when you’re gaming, with multiple exciting preprogram­med display options showing off what you’re listening to to anyone watching. The Strix Flare II keyboard features 312 mini-LEDs that also let you display animations, giving your keyboard a new level of personalit­y. You can use them for system status indicators, to check brightness levels or RGB lighting modes, laptop battery life, time and date, mail notificati­ons, and more. It’s an extra level of pizzazz that makes these devices feel extra special.

WIRED FOR SOUND

The AniMe Matrix features are very cool, but they’re also the tip of the iceberg. The ROG Delta S Animate Headset is a powerful, customisab­le headset that won’t just enhance your

gameplay, but also your whole gaming setup: and despite weighing in at just 310 grams, it’s packed with a ton of features. The attached microphone features ASUS’ AI noise-cancelling, with a dedicated processor working hard to reduce over 500 million different types of background noise while preserving your voice. Your teammates won’t hear background chatter, keyboard noise, or mouse clicks, letting you all focus on the game at hand.

This headset also features the incredible ESS 9281 Quad DAC for high-resolution audio. The device features four digital-to-analog converters for lossless audio processing, with each one targeting a different frequency band. This allows the headset to achieve an exceptiona­l signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, giving the sound greater precision. It achieves 130dB SNR, compared to the 90100dB you’d expect from a regular DAC. This means that you’ll get much more insight into directiona­l audio and be better equipped to use sound knowledge to your advantage in competitiv­e games. It also makes for a deeper, more immersive play experience, with the airtight chambers and ASUS’ renowned ASUS Essence drivers delivering realistic soundscape­s.

On top of that, the headset also features a Master Quality Authentica­ted (MQA) renderer, a built-in audio technology that can enhance audio quality even further when a piece of MQA audio is playing. All of these sounds are channelled through fast-cooling D-shaped cups, designed for comfort and style. Once you’ve experience­d these amazing advancemen­ts in audio technology working together, it’ll be hard to go back to gaming without all these features. The ROG Delta S Animate Headset isn’t just for PC games, either – it’s also compatible with Mac, PlayStatio­n 5, mobile devices, and the Nintendo Switch, thanks to its USB-C and USB-A connectors. It’s a versatile headset, and perfect for those who also like to game on the couch or on the go.

SWITCHED ON

The Flare II Animate Keyboard is a highly customisab­le mechanical keyboard that’s designed to be ergonomic, and to give the user a huge degree of control. You can choose between ROG NX mechanical switches or Cherry MX switches, but you’re not tied to them – this keyboard features swappable switches, so you can mix and match or find what’s right for you.

Regardless of your switches, you’ll be able to enjoy PBT doubleshot keycaps – they feature a mid-height profile and shorter stems than many keyboards, which leads to a reduction in keywobble and lets you use your keyboard with precision and confidence in highpressu­re situations. If you prefer longer keys, the ROG switch stabiliser will ensure smooth keystrokes, too.

This is a keyboard built with the serious user in mind. An 8,000Hz polling rate means that the response time on the keys is 0.125ms – essentiall­y instantane­ous, and around 8x faster than many other premium keyboards on the market. Not only is it super accurate, it’s also likely to be quieter and more comfortabl­e than your old mechanical keyboard, thanks to its internal sound-dampening foam for improved acoustics, and the included wrist rest, which glows when connected thanks to its light diffuser. This keyboard also features dedicated media and volume controls in the top left corner for easier playback, as well as a USB passthroug­h port that makes it easier to connect to other devices. It supports Aura Sync lighting for dynamic effects, and packs onboard memory that allows you to save and switch between six custom profiles. It’s a keyboard that changes to suit your needs, whatever they may be.

Thanks to the AniMe Matrix feature, the ROG Strix Flare II Animate Keyboard and the ROG Delta S Animate Headset are some of the coolest PC peripheral­s on the market. But there’s much more to them than their showiest feature – these are incredibly versatile, powerful tools for better gaming, and are a perfect upgrade for your PC setup.

 ?? ?? There are 245 LEDs on each earcup of the ROG Delta S AniMe headset.
There are 245 LEDs on each earcup of the ROG Delta S AniMe headset.
 ?? ?? The ROG Delta S Animate headset’s microphone features AI noisecance­lling.
The ROG Delta S Animate headset’s microphone features AI noisecance­lling.
 ?? ?? Swappable switches let you customise the Flare II Animate keyboard on a perkey basis.
Swappable switches let you customise the Flare II Animate keyboard on a perkey basis.
 ?? ??
 ?? ?? You can choose between either Asus’ own ROG NX switches, or Cherry MX switches.
You can choose between either Asus’ own ROG NX switches, or Cherry MX switches.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia