Customer Ratings & Reviews

If you want basic computer functionality like being able to download, install, and run anything from the web, look elsewhere. Most software is not compatible with this OS. There's no storage drive, so you only get a quarter of a terabyte to work with. The only part of the four hours I used it that wasn't painful and needlessly complicated was the factory reset, which is supposed to be complicated, so you don't do it by accident. The only positive thing about this experience was the relative ease of returning it to the store to exchange for something fit for purpose. The accompanying image is it not letting me scale a browser window to fit the screen - a function I did figure out eventually, but even then the computer seemed to protest it - and I wish I'd taken a photo to show text on discord wouldn't wrap, but would bleed off the screen, making it unusable - which is particularly bad, because discord text usually wraps fine on the smartphones and tablets this OS is obviously for!

As a gamer you know that you can never have enough gaming platforms. In this case i wanted to try something a little more powerful than a tablet but not as much a full fledged gaming laptop. And in this instance a gaming Chromebook is a nice middle ground but we'll discuss this in a bit. :::Initial impressions::: Taking this out of the box the first thing youll notice is that this is a heavy duty product. It feels premium because it is heavy so it isnt something youll be holding for extended periods of time with one hand. And it has a premium look to it as well it has pretty much all the kind of I/O that you would find on a windows based gaming laptop. From a gamers perspective this is both esthetically pleasing and in terms of hardware it is what you would want. I am curious though if the storage could be upgraded. Although 256 is plenty for a Chromebook it would be great if possible. :::General thoughts::: If you have ever owned an Asus gaming laptop then you know exactly what you are getting. The typical red color scheme is back and looks good. At first i was a little confused on who this product would really benefit but after using it for sometime it grew on me and I ended up answering my own question. So I am going to avoid the usual review spiel about specs I don't see the point in repeating whats already available on the product page. So lets take a look at what matters the display, battery life and how well the hardware and os works. -Display- The display is glossy and is quite a bit reflective but it's not any different from whats already out there. Now here is the thing for a "cloud gaming" device the display is only as capable as the network, the service you are using. Dont get me wrong the display is clear and plenty bright but don't give it too much thought because Chromebook gaming isn't as demanding as actual PC games in high settings. -Keyboard- This keyboard is what is available on the gaming laptops so it is tried and true. Asus isn't new to this so the travel is good the keys do not stick and it feels right. Also a plus is the backlit keyboard. WASD is highlighted in red and looks good. There's a full sized keyboard along with the number keypad on the side I definitely wasn't expecting that but it is a great addition. -Hardware- You have a desktop intel based cpu under the hood along with 256gb of storage so there is more than enough power to run everything on this. Just remember though most folk will use this for cloud gaming. I use Gamepass & Steamlink and I am more than happy with my experience. There are games on the play store that you can download but they won't really fully utilize the hardware to its full capability. :::Pros & Cons::: Pros: -powerful hardware -beautiful screen -battery life is great (chromebook quality) -keyboard is top notch -quality materials Cons: -The OS :::Closing thoughts:::: This product is meant for those who like to game on a number of other platforms. I use steam, gamepass, emulation and sometimes games from the play store. As long as you dont expect this to work like a windows laptop then you'll love this. Chrome OS is different and offers a completely different experience from Mac & Windows. So here is the million dollar question why should anyone buy this? If you are looking for a gaming device that isnt crazy expensive then consider this. It is more powerful than a tablet, as powerful as a windows device and comparable battery life. ::TL;DR:: You want a gaming laptop device that isnt the same old thing then you need to pick one of these up and grab a controller if thats your thing and a pair of headphones. You'll have a great time as I currently am.