It’s been five years since the first ROG Phone was released. In just half a decade, it has established itself as THE go-to gaming smartphone. And the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is the latest in this line that ROG seems to have perfected.
In a media briefing, I asked ROG if the goal of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is to attract new users or get older ones to upgrade. To which they answered, “a little bit of both.” The company said they see a core user base that upgrades every two or three years. That behavior appears to be in line with most other smartphone users.
But the ROG Phone isn’t just any other smartphone. It’s a smartphone designed specifically for someone who wants to play mobile games. So, I asked current and former ROG Phone owners what made them buy one. Unsurprisingly, the two most prominent reasons are Gaming Capability and Battery Life.
What mobile gamers want
ASUS has had five years to perfect the ROG Phone formula. And you can say that they have to some extent. The improvements over the last two iterations of the phone have been marginal. They have maintained and refined everything that made users want to buy the phone in the first place.
Gaming performance
While the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate does use a processor that other Android flagships use — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The company does a few things to draw out more of its power.
It showed no signs of struggle in playing any of the games I played. Then again, this is par for the course for any recent ROG Phone. And I tried everything from the power-heavy Honkai Star Rail, the criminally free on Netflix TMNT Shredder’s Revenge, the racing game staple Asphalt 9, and a timeless classic, Subway Surfers.
TMNT Shredder’s Revenge is a free game if you’re subscribed to Netflix
Interestingly enough, it’s this same reason that keeps the ROG Phone from supporting models beyond 2-3 years. Its features are so specific that it makes more sense to just release a new one over maintaining active support for older models.
Air Triggers
No other manufacturer does air triggers as well as the ROG. The ROG Phone, being especially skewed to gaming, means they’re really the only ones taking the time to master this pretty handy feature.
The air triggers function much like shoulder/trigger buttons on more traditional controllers. They are mappable and can help any player have a more comfortable, if not advantageous, gaming experience while gaming competitively.
It has been especially useful to gamers who play Call of Duty: Mobile and other shooter-type games.
Front-firing speakers
Watched plenty of aespa Karina, “Spicy” fancam on this thing
A boon for both gamers and video enjoyers. This is one of the other aspects of the ROG Phone that make just as much of a daily smartphone like other flagship.
It’s great for catching up on anime like “Mashle”
Like a broken record, year-after-year, it’s one of the best. It’s loud without distorting the audio. And the sound is generally balanced, as full a sound you can get from a smartphone’s form-factor.
Battery endurance maxed out
It’s pretty great as just a regular smartphone.
Again, this is one of the things that the ROG Phone is fantastic at. If you use it for a couple of days only as a regular smartphone, you won’t feel the need to rush to the nearest power outlet.
When I knew I was pretty much done testing its gaming capabilities, I didn’t use it much to play — only to browse socials, watch a few videos, and answer a few chats. With this usage, it took about two and a half days before I felt the need to juice it up again.
Cool to be cool
AeroActive Cooler 7
A huge talking point during the briefing with the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is what they did with cooling. In fact, for a few devices now, that’s been one of their main talking points.
Naturally so. You play a demanding game for an extended period and the phone will heat up. To keep the performance at a manageable level, the manufacturer has to be creative with how the cooling works.
And for extra cooling, they also apply the same solution they’ve had for users – an extra cooling unit called the AeroActive Cooler, now also with a “7” to its name.
Is the ROG Phone boring now?
Armoury Crate on ROG Phone
Hear me out. I’m not saying it’s a bad smartphone. But the ROG Phone has reached a level of notoriety that it’s just not as exciting to report on anymore. And that’s true even for the Samsung Galaxies and the iPhones of the world — but that’s another topic altogether.
With the ROG Phone, you know what you’re getting: A gaming smartphone with gaming-specific features. There’s the distinctly gamer look with a bunch of lines that evoke a mech-vibe. In both the top-line models of the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 7, you even get the ROG Vision. It’s a tiny display on the back of the phone whose only real purpose is for showing off.
ROG Vision just for kicks
Of course, you also have the staples — the Air Triggers, front facing speakers, and a display that’s built to keep you immersed. Battery life hovers around the same ballpark too. But writing all of that felt like a slog. Absolutely nothing new
Point is, the ROG Phone is a known quantity. That’s a great thing for fans of the product line. But it doesn’t leave much room to be talked about in the pretty crowded smartphone space.
Is the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate your GadgetMatch?
As a product to report on or write about, I would argue that, yes, it kind of is boring now. Writing about the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate felt like taking a test I already knew the answers to. But that’s only because it knows exactly what it is and who it is for.
Literally no one else is doing it quite like the ROG Phone. From form to function, it’s THE undisputed gaming smartphone of choice. And the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate continues that tradition. It’s the best that the ROG Phone has ever been and that’s something we’ve come to expect year in and year out.
If your smartphone priorities align with that of the ROG Phone, then it is an excellent product. It’s certainly a mobile gamer’s GadgetMatch.
Is it newsworthy? In the general sense, not really. Not anymore. But is it a goddamn good product? Hell yeah it is. One that deserves the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.
More on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate here.
It doesn’t get any more ‘ultimate’ than this. The grand Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections game is officially coming out on November 16 and pre-orders are now available.
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections retells the entire story of the classic Ani-Manga franchise. It’ll tackle everything from Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto. A special story focused on Boruto has been created specifically for the game.
The game features over 130 characters — the most in an Ultimate Ninja Storm game. Announced alongside the release date are three new playable characters: Boro, Delta and Koji Kashin from the Kara Organisation.
Pre-order details
The game is now available for pre-order on PlayStation and Xbox digitally, and on all platforms physically except PC. Players will be able to choose different editions. Pre-order now on Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia’s e-store or visit any participating retailers in your country.
Package Early Purchase Bonus & Digital Pre-Order Bonus
All pre-orders of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will give players access to the following bonus content:
Three (3) Costumes
- Naruto Uzumaki (The Final Battle)
- Naruto Uzumaki (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)
- Sasuke Uchiha (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume)
Receive an extra pre-order bonus item set which you can use in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER if you own this full game on top of Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections.
- Nanashi T-shirt
- Merz Costume — Costume: Merz Style and Hair: Merz
These bonuses will be available in NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER after 16 November 2023.
Standard, Deluxe & Sound Ultimate Edition
The contents for the Standard, Deluxe and Sound Ultimate Edition of the game are as follows:
Standard Edition
The main game, NARUTO X BORUTO Ultimate Ninja STORM CONNECTIONS
Deluxe Edition
- The main game
- Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
- Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
- Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume
Sound Ultimate Edition
- Contains the same content as the Deluxe Edition
- Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories
- Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack — 5 anime songs and 3 in-game items
Premium Collector’s Edition
- The main game
- Two (2) Figurines
- A Steelbook
- Special Reversible Inlay
- (Six) 6 Collectible Cards
- (One) 1 Official Scroll
- Season Pass containing 5 playable characters that will be announced at a later date
- Season Pass Bonus — 1 costume
- Deluxe Bonus — 1 costume
- Ultimate Bonus — 5 costumes and 2 accessories
Additional DLC
Nostalgic Anime Song & Item Pack (available from launch)
With this pack, you’ll be able to change the in-game music during matches and enjoy the battle by listening to nostalgic Naruto songs. This pack comes with 5 iconic songs from the NARUTO anime and 3 in-game items.
NARUTO anime songs:
- Haruka Kanata / ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
- GO!!! / FLOW
- Blue Bird / Ikimonogakari
- Silhouette / KANA-BOON
- Kaze / Yamazaru
In-game items:
- Substitution Item: Microphone
- Substitution Item: Orange Headphones
- Ninja Info Card Skin: Nostalgic Anime Song Skin
No other video game character has a more iconic voice than Mario. For decades, the red-and-blue plumber has graced gamers with many an “It’s-a me, Mario” and a “Mamma mia.” However, as any fan of old cartoon characters can attest to, even iconic voices don’t last forever. Longtime voice actor Charles Martinet is officially retiring from his role as the Italian plumber.
Today, Nintendo, through a post on X, confirmed that Martinet is stepping back from all recording roles at the company. The voice actor had voiced the character since Super Mario 64, the character’s debut in 3D. He has since provided voice work in all games where Mario has a voice. He also voiced Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. Outside of Nintendo, players might recognize him as the voice of Paarthunax, the dragon in Skyrim.
We have a message for fans of the Mushroom Kingdom. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/U1ASicOuTO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 21, 2023
After the announcement, Martinet’s last foray as the plumber in a video game might be in the upcoming title, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Nintendo recently announced the new 2D platformer coming in November.
Martinet is not leaving the company entirely. He is now Nintendo’s official Mario Ambassador. As the voice actor already does now, he will likely pop up for Nintendo during themed events.
Nintendo has not announced who will replace Martinet as the voice of Mario going forward. However, the announcement does say that a video message from both Shigeru Miyamoto and Charles Martinet is coming at a later date. Presumably, the video will address the character’s voiced future.
SEE ALSO: Nintendo Direct June 2023: All the trailers you missed
Gaming
Lenovo’s Legion Go can come bundled with AR glasses, leak says
Might be revealed during IFA 2023
Is the Legion Go even real? The more we find out about the upcoming console, the more unbelievable it looks. Only a few days ago, a leak revealed that the device will have removable controllers like the Nintendo Switch — a feat yet to be accomplished by contemporary handheld consoles. Now, another leaks reveals something even more extraordinary: bundled AR glasses.
Again coming from Windows Report, the Legion Go can reportedly come bundled with a pair of AR glasses to go along with gaming sessions. Players can wear the glasses for their display and control the action with the main console. The report, however, does not reveal what specs the glasses will have. If anything, it’s expected to have a high refresh rate to accommodate gaming.
After news of a bundled pair of AR glasses, there isn’t much more to reveal from the report. Given previous rumors, the device might come with AMD Phoenix chipsets under the hood, along with other goodies.
Additionally, it might not take long before an official reveal. The report states that Lenovo might debut the new console during IFA 2023, which will happen in a few weeks. During the event, the brand might also reveal how the bundled glasses will work.
Given how the market doesn’t have removable controllers or a bundled pair of glasses, it will be interesting to see how the Legion Go will pair up against the more notable consoles already out in the segment.
vivo Y36 BGC shoot: Super Night Algorithm at work
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections release date
Caviar is selling a Barbie collection of smartphones
Samsung is reportedly testing a Galaxy Z FE
The voice of Mario is retiring from the character
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