I’m a fan of Asus' Republic of Gamers gear, from the laptops to keyboards to chairs to mice to the world’s most powerful Android phone, the Asus ROG Phone 2. But maybe — just maybe — the Asus ROG Balteus Qi mouse pad is going a bit too far.
Nah, just kidding. I’m all for souped-up crazy stuff like this pad, which doubles as a Qi wireless standard charging pad for your phone or watch. It also has a LED lighting system all around its rim, so you can go all sci-fi b-movie in the darkness of your room while you play whatever your favorite digital poison is.
The Asus Balteus Qi mouse pad measures 12.6 x 14.56 inches, which is quite a big surface. For comparison, a letter-size sheet is 8.5 x 11 inches. Asus claims that its surface has a microscopic pattern for optimal gaming mouse performance. The bottom of the mouse pad is made of a rubber that, according to the Chinese company, won’t slip while you are frantically trying to whack out enemies left right and center.
The mousepad has a Qi wireless charging area on its upper right corner. Just place your device there and it will start charging right away.
The LED rim comes with 15 full color lighting effects — like breathing or rainbow color cycling — that can be changed with a button on the small metal cylinder that sits opposite to the Qi charging area. The specs don't mention the ability to synchronize the lights with what you are seeing on screen though, like Philips Ambilight TVs do. That would be really cool and would help with immersion.
The Balteus Qi costs about $109 in China. No news about its worldwide release yet, but you can try to buy it here.
The cylinder also has USB 2.0 port so you can connect your mouse there. That way, Asus says, the cable will never get in the middle of your gaming session.
