I do not consider myself a mobile gamer. Playing games on a glass slab has never been so comfortable for long stretches. It was an activity for underground commissions in the Before Times, but I usually spend my free time playing games on my PC and Nintendo Switch at home. Lots of mobile games… bad. There are valuable titles, but they are not easy to find, and if I come across’ em, I still don’t like playing games on my phone for so long.
Asus ’new smartphone, the ROG Phone 5, makes mobile gaming faster and more fun. Two touch-sensitive buttons on the side of the phone enhance the experience, as does helpful software that makes physical controls compatible with any game – and custom-made decorations, such as follow clip-on to keep things cool.
To be clear, you don’t need a gaming phone to play mobile games. Most run just fine on cheap or expensive phones. But the ROG’s raw power and helpful add-on goes a long way, like a high-cost port to prevent a weird cable from blocking your grip, or headphone jack. I can spend hours playing on this phone, which is the first thing.
God-Tier control
There are many mobile games that do not support controller, including popular titles like Genshin effect, Elder Scrolls: Blades, and PUBG Mobile. There are winning ways you can try to make it work, but this is what makes the ROG Phone 5 stand out. Asus’ Game Genie software makes mapping game touchscreen controls to a controller very easy.
You can do this with an Xbox controller, PlayStation, or Google Stadia if you have one lying around, but I prefer AsG ‘ROG Kunai 3 GamePad itself. It works like a traditional Bluetooth or wireless controller or can be connected to the edges around the phone as a Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons.
To use it, you launch a game, open the Game Genie in-game tab, and spend a few minutes pressing buttons over touchscreen controls so the controller can trigger them. You can simulate swipes and taps, and even record and activate a movement with a physical button, allowing you to have controls for almost every action. Trust me, games like Genshin effect and Oddmar deserves to be played by an administrator. The tactile feel is much more satisfying, and your hands won’t feel so tight.
If you don’t have an administrator, that’s fine. The right shoulders of the ROG Phone 5 are equipped with AirTriggers, two touch-sensitive ultrasonic buttons that you can adjust with almost any game. I still prefer to use a physical controller, but they are helpful in titles where you often find your fingers blocking the screen. AirTriggers is not working perfectly (I had problems with the Vikings game Oddmar), but I wonder why they don’t have more phones.
Game Genie can do all sorts of other helpful tricks, such as disabling calls and alerts while playing, keeping your brightness steady, and preventing you from accidentally shutting down a game . You can also use it to monitor your phone’s temperature, frame per second (fps), record game clips, or pull up Google search results without interruption (just in case you’re stuck on a puzzle).
Another important piece of software is X Mode, which allows you to customize how the phone runs in games. Do you want the best performance possible? Enable X Mode + to get as much power as you can from the CPU, GPU, and RAM, and it even limits back-end CPU usage from other apps. Want to make sure the battery lasts longer than replacement? You can tweak the profile to make it look good.