Asus' ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Controller Is Now Available

Asus has announced that its spendy caller ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Controller, which it showed astatine Gamescom successful August, is officially disposable astatine Best Buy for a collar-tugging $189.99. The controller works with some Xbox Series X/S consoles and Windows PCs, including the ROG Ally and Ally X. (Presumably that includes the Xbox Ally and Ally X, too.)

This caller pro-style controller is Asus' reply to immoderate of the fanciest and champion Xbox controllers you'll find, including Microsoft's first-party Elite II. It's each achromatic but for details similar an RGB portion that lines the extracurricular borderline of the grips, and features tunneling magnetoresistance, oregon TMR, joysticks. (Those are the other drift-resistant sticks, too Hall effect.) The triggers besides diagnostic TMR, arsenic good arsenic micro switches for dual-mode, much responsive speedy tapping. In fact, it's micro switches each astir – the look buttons, bumpers, and different rear buttons usage the attack arsenic well, and should beryllium much responsive and durable than the accustomed membranes that gamepad buttons person sat connected for decades.

This wouldn't beryllium a competition-style gamepad if Asus didn't brag astir its polling rate, oregon the frequence it sends and receives accusation with the console. That's 1000Hz, which ought to supply much accuracy and responsiveness successful twitchy shooters for those who tin archer the difference. The institution promises debased latency show some successful wired (USB-C) and 2.4GHz wireless modes. The Raikiri II besides offers Bluetooth connectivity, which should beryllium good for mundane gaming but you wouldn't privation to vie with it.

Some last details: Asus points retired that you tin usage its 3 connectivity modes for "seamless switching" betwixt an Xbox, PC, and ROG Ally device. The controller lasts up to 50 hours connected a charge, and ships with a charging hard lawsuit for erstwhile it's clip to foodstuff it backmost up. In the box, there's besides a charging stand, 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and swappable joystick caps.

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.