ASUS ROG Strix GL502VS: this VR-ready laptop will blow your mind
When reviewing a gaming laptop like the Asus ROG Strix, it’s hard to believe that a VR-ready laptop could be so far from the typical stereotype of the 10-pounder monsters with external liquid-cooling units attached.
As mentioned earlier, the ROG Strix is a VR-capable laptop, which may come as a surprise, considering that VR-ready laptops are typically a lot thicker and heavier.
This means that the GL502VS is a machine designed to support VR headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vibe, for a fully-immersive, lag-free experience. This can also be verified using the Oculus Rift compatibility tool, available on the Oculus website: https://www3.oculus.com/en-us/rift/ which will check your hardware for minimum specs requirements.
ROG Gaming Center
The software bundled with the ROG Strix is the proprietary ROG Gaming Center by MSI, which is designed to manage resources, and customize/select different profiles according to the games installed.
The interface also features system informations, like CPU and GPU readings, Memory frequency, and system temperature. Settings are also available to change the color temperature on the screen to suit different moods during gameplay
Battery Life
The ROG Strix is a gaming laptop, and the battery life reflects that, with an average 3 hours tops at maximum screen brightness.
Display and audio
The great thing about this particular model is that the screen is not only wide-angle and with an impressive contrast and brightness, it’s also non-reflective, and covers 98% of Adobe RGB color standard, and 100% of Adobe sRGB, which is perfect for video editing and image processing.
VR performance
As mentioned earlier, the ROG Strix is VR-ready. What this means is that it not only can interface with the most demanding VR headsets, it also scores pretty high as well on benchmarks like VRMark, topping 6135 in Orange Room, and 1640 in the more intensive Blue Room experience.
Keyboard and trackpad
Much like every other ROG laptop and desktop, this one too features a colorful keyboard, with clearly marked WASD keys. In this model, the WASD keys are presented with a reversed color scheme.
The Achilles heel of this laptop appears to be the trackpad, which may be slightly less reliable than expected. With that said, chances are, trackpads aren’t exactly the weapon of choice when it comes to playing triple-A titles.
Design
It’s typical for ROG laptops to be loud and colorful, and the Strix is no exception, with bright, glaring accents that are engineered to attract attention anywhere you take this laptop. Needless to say, flashing the ROG Strix at a particularly dim-lit coffee shop or library, will most likely be just a tad short of a light-show, although the Strix is certainly not the loudest gaming laptop on the market.
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