Mods and Upcoming ROG Gear at PAX Australia 2016

PAX Australia is one of the newest additions to the Penny Arcade Expo family and the only one outside the United States. So, attending in close proximity to PAX West offers interesting insights, both into the contrasts between the two conventions and overall industry trends.

We recently wrote about how the top three trends at PAX West were VR, eSports, and live streaming. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that PAX Australia featured many similar themes, but there were some interesting differentiators as well. First, let's explore some of the similar themes.

 

Virtual reality for all

Virtual reality was everywhere at PAX Australia. Over at the Republic of Gamers booth, we had our favorite G20 and Oculus Rift VR setup on display. Gamers who tried the G20 were floored by how powerful it was in spite of its diminutive size. Their exclamations ranged from, “That was intense!” to “This machine is awesome!” They loved the gorgeous, customizable Aura lighting effects, small form-factor case, and the opportunity for VR-portability in a diminutive package.

The tiny-but-powerful VR-ready ROG G20

Wandering the expo hall revealed just how many others were focusing on virtual reality: as you might expect, multiple AAA developers were showcasing their games in VR, but the real surprise was over at the “PAX Rising” booth, where a variety of indie game studios had their sights set on it, too. From first person shooters to puzzle platformers, these weren’t just games that supported VR as an afterthought – they were tailor-made for a fully-immersive experience.

Just a few examples included Samurai Punk’s “The American Dream”, a reimagining of 1950s white-picket-fence America, but with far more guns; Stirfire Studios’ “Symphony of the Machine”, a plant-growing puzzle game; and Alta’s “Township Tale”, a multiplayer, collaborative village-building game. 

A crowd of people in the "PAX Rising" indie area

PAX Rising made one thing clear: virtual reality isn’t just for big-budget titles. What's more, indie games offer an opportunity to uniquely explore the platform: these developers are pushing VR's limits, whether that means traversing new and interesting genres or challenging our ideas of what kinds of interactions are possible.

A gamer tries our G20 Oculus Rift setup

 

Streaming the dream

PAX West 2016 featured streamer pods for the very first time, and they were a huge success—the conference organizers told us they'll definitely be making a comeback in 2017. So, you might already have guessed it, but PAX Australia also featured a dedicated streamer area. Instead of pods, however, there was a huge Twitch booth—far larger than the PAX West streamer pods.

Streamers hanging out in the Twitch lounge

This streamer lounge resembled a fishbowl in many ways: walking past, you just might see a famous caster sitting in the window and gaming. Inside the lounge, there were sofas and tables, plus snacks and drinks to keep the casters fueled up for their long streaming sessions.

A streamer sits behind a window in the Twitch Streamer Lounge

The Twitch Director of Partnerships ensured a packed meet-and-greet schedule full of well-known streamers from Australia and New Zealand, including Wyld, MrsWyld, LoserFruit, AusLove, HeyItsBBG, and more. During certain time-slots, you could also game with your favorite streamers while they were casting.

Over at the ROG booth, we focused on streaming by featuring our favorite ultra-portable laptop, the GL502. This super-lightweight 2.2kg multitasker is perfect for on-the-go gaming and casting. Better yet, the custom Gaming Center software lets you prioritize network traffic, so you can live the dream of lag-free streaming. 

A closeup of the ROG GL502's orange "WASD" keys

 

The tools you need to go pro

At a convention like PAX, it’s not uncommon to find gamers with their crosshairs centered on pro glory. Some may have already made the leap beyond the beginner's bracket, while others might just be getting started. But regardless of where they’re at in the pro gamer journey, PAX has them covered: there were all the usual suspects, from tricked-out gaming chairs and comfy beanbags to mechanical keyboards (now even on laptops!), high-res mice, and eyestrain-reducing glasses.

ROG GX800 with AURA RGB-backlit mechanical keys

To satisfy gamers of all levels, we were showing some of our favorite peripherals, including the professional-grade ROG Gladius and Spatha mice. With 6400 DPI sensitivity and customizable click resistance, the Gladius is the perfect mouse for FPS gamers. That high resolution doesn’t mean much, though, if your mouse can’t communicate data to your PC quickly enough. That's why it’s also the first mouse in the world to have a 2000Hz USB polling rate, which reduces lag and allows your computer to take full advantage of the mouse sensitivity. Meanwhile, the Spatha is tailor-made for MMO gamers who need a variety of abilities at their fingertips: it provides ultimate customizability with 12 different programmable buttons.

Passers-by testing out gaming keyboards and mice at the ROG booth

 

Creative custom PCs 

Clearly, there were many similarities between PAX Australia and PAX West. But one big differentiator at PAX Australia was the incredible custom PC builds throughout the expo hall. We saw everything from fairly standard liquid-cooled PCs with LED fans to completely over-the-top custom machines, including a TIE fighter, a Battlefield-inspired tank PC, and even more glorious inventions that looked more like spaceships than functioning computers.

A TIE Advanced X1 custom PC

At the ROG booth, we were showing off the creativity of Stephen Hoad, founder of Oz Modz, and our partners over at Bitspower. The custom PC builds Stephen designed are like works of art: painstakingly assembled from the ground up using ROG and ASUS hardware, plus Bitspower water-cooling components. The cases are often completely custom-built—like the Phoenix, which has a cutout of a metal phoenix and ashes in the bottom of the case. These machines are absolutely stunning and drew a crowd of admirers.

The black and red rusted interior of the Oz Modz Phoenix PC

Given our goal to make elite hardware more accessible for everyday gamers, we've partnered with Bitspower and we're hosting seminars for custom PC dealers in various regions. At these seminars, we'll be teaching them how to build custom water-cooled PCs. As a result, more gamers will be able to get gorgeous custom computers like the ones we had on display—without the nitty gritty of building one themselves.

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We know that, for many gamers, a computer isn’t just a means to an end, but a unique personal statement. Whether that's in the form of custom Aura lighting profiles or going all the way to PC modding, we want your computer to be an expression of who you are as a gamer.

 

Trendsetting with style

Perhaps, then, the biggest takeaway from PAX Australia is the emphasis on aesthetics: whether it's a single component or a full computer, it's clear that gamers' expectations for their gear are high – it needs to perform well and look amazing doing it. A mechanical keyboard is great, but it's even better if it has backlit keys – preferably with custom-programmable color profiles. Professional gaming headphones are good and well, but they're even better if they look like something out of Tony Stark's body armor.

Glowing headphones on a red acrylic stand 

All of this is why Republic of Gamers is so hyper-focused on amazing design in addition to performance, from the Iron Man-inspired G752, to  Mayan detailing on our keyboards and other devices, to Aura color profiles that let you sync the colors between your computer, peripherals, and beyond.

The G752's Iron Man-inspired, glowing red fins

Forward-looking, future-thinking

What will the trends at the next PAX be? Will they be unified by common themes? And will each convention continue to have its own differentiators? Only time will tell, but you can bet we'll be there with our army of elegant and epic devices.

XG Station 2's glowing red interior

Whether it's VR, live streaming, pro gaming, or simply a custom PC with amazing aesthetics, we've got something for everyone. If you're at the next PAX, be sure to swing by the Republic of Gamers booth to say "hi" and see what we've got on display!

 

By Kimberly Koenig