This Limited Edition Death Stranding-inspired Tablet Is The Coolest Computer I’ve Ever Touched

The Asus ROG Flow Z13 was already a unsocial beast. It’s a chunky gaming tablet pinch awesome AMD Strix Halo integrated graphics. I was really into it erstwhile I reviewed it astir this clip past year. But conscionable look astatine it now, clad successful nan stylings of Hideo Kojima’s crippled workplace and his longtime collaborator, creator Yoji Shinkawa.

This is nan Asus ROG Flow Z13-KJP, a collaboration betwixt Asus and Kojima Productions announced astatine CES. It’s officially inspired by Kojima Productions’ mascot Ludens, though it feels very Death Stranding, which makes sense, since Yoji Shinkawa designed both. Shinkawa is famed for designing legendary characters and gadgetry pinch Kojima, going backmost to nan Metal Gear Solid series, and much precocious nan Death Stranding games.

The ROG Flow Z13-KJP is based connected nan astir powerful configuration of nan modular exemplary Z13, pinch an AMD Ryzen AI Max 395 Plus APU and 128GB of memory. It costs $3,699.99, $400 much than nan MSRP of that model (though $900 much than nan existent waste price), and it will see a Steam codification for Death Stranding 2: On nan Beachon PC, delivered via Asus’ Armoury Crate app. It’s up for preorder now, nonstop from Asus and astatine retailers for illustration Best Buy and B&H Photo. The constricted version isn’t individually numbered, and Asus isn’t disclosing really galore it’s making, but for illustration nan erstwhile constricted editions it’s apt to waste out. Accompanying nan tablet are a matching ROG Delta II-KJP headset ($269.99), ROG Keris II Origin-KJP rodent ($169.99), and a ROG Scabbard II XXL-KJP table mat ($69.99). All in, nan constricted version postulation costs $4,209.96 — sold a la carte successful nan US. It whitethorn beryllium disposable arsenic a bundle successful immoderate regions. As bonkers arsenic that value is, I impulse you erstwhile again: Look. At. This. Thing.

Shinkawa’s power is clear crossed nan creation of nan full collection. The tablet’s anodized “decennium gold” chassis has a smoother and nicer consciousness than nan regular ROG Flow, and there’s a c fibre sheet connected nan apical near of nan tablet’s rear, conscionable because. And adjacent to that is simply a ornamental creation combining golden lines and nan antagonistic abstraction of a instrumentality vent to look a spot for illustration a upland highest — nan benignant of dispute terrain communal successful Death Stranding. Even nan different boring powerfulness proviso is adorned pinch a Ludens mascot design. Meanwhile, nan rodent and headset characteristic a operation of achromatic and achromatic pinch golden accents, positive Kojima Productions iconography for illustration nan company’s Ludens logo illuminated successful RGB light.

Everything is covered successful sci-fi subject motto and iconography. Some are functional labels, for illustration nan M.2 SSD storage, but astir of it is conscionable for looks and laughs. The “For Ludens Who Dare” building is everyplace (a remix of ROG’s “For Those Who Dare” motto), arsenic is nan building “Extra-vehicular Creative Activity Device.” The sanction comes from Ludens’ spacesuit, nan “Extra-vehicular Creative Activity Suit.” (Ludens isn’t successful immoderate games, but does look arsenic a 1:1 statue successful nan institution office and has its ain statement of merch.) Another of my galore favorites is simply a black-on-black “Caution: Actuator cycles: 100M transcend prohibited” connected nan near rodent button, referring to its rated lifespan of clicks. It’s specified a nosy small touch. Maybe much specs should beryllium proudly worn arsenic creation elements connected mundane things?

The other touches widen to each nan Z13-KJP’s accessories, for illustration nan attaché lawsuit it comes in, which is inspired by nan overmuch larger type mounted connected Ludens’ back. The tablet moreover comes pinch a remove earlier flight-style keychain, but sadly there’s obscurity to connect it to nan case. Each point comes pinch a bunch of stickers and a printed thank-you statement from nan Asus ROG and KJP teams. The champion portion of that thank-you paper is nan reverse side, which shows immoderate of Shinkawa’s original conception creation for nan collaboration hardware. I still haven’t played either Death Stranding crippled yet, but I’m a longtime Metal Gear Solid fan, and seeing a glimpse of Yoji Shinkawa artwork ever sends nan bully chemicals flowing to my brain.

Asus besides went nan other mile pinch software. Boot up nan Z13-KJP and you’re greeted by a Kojima Productions logo animation pinch a suspenseful audio stinger, harkening backmost to nan studio’s founding and its original logo trailer. I was not expecting to perceive a sound for illustration that erstwhile I booted up nan tablet, truthful it gave maine a coagulated jump scare. Once successful Windows, nan Armoury Crate and MyAsus apps show a render of nan KJP tablet successful their instrumentality settings, and Armoury Crate has a matching KJP theme. None of these small touches are necessary, but nan thoroughness is appreciated.

The KJP version you tin bargain will travel pinch a keyboard that uses a caller faux-leather thenar remainder and integrative keycaps successful white, black, and golden pinch futuristic-looking legends. But Asus besides made a mini batch of keyboards pinch metallic keycaps: 50 of them for Kojima and his team, and astir 30 for Asus unit members and promotional purposes.

Asus sent maine some nan modular and metallic keyboards to effort out, successful portion because I’m a wee spot of a keyboard sicko. The metallic keycaps person a akin style to nan regular integrative set, but pinch metallic metallic keys successful spot of nan achromatic ones. There’s a subtle luster to them, and they drawback nan ray successful a unsocial way. They sound a small nicer, pinch an ever-so-slightly deeper bottom-out sound than nan integrative caps. Both nan integrative and metallic sets look stylish arsenic hell, though, truthful don’t get excessively overmuch FOMO for not being capable to ain nan aforesaid 1 arsenic Kojima.

I can’t retrieve nan past clip I’ve been this enamored of a computer. There are of people tons of wild civilization PCs retired there. The yearly Dream Machines that Maximum PC utilized to make were the worldly of legends. And Asus has done its adjacent stock of zany constricted editions before, for illustration nan last-gen ROG Flow Z13 ACRNYM. But this 1 decidedly speaks to maine — hence my individual information to hike it up a snowy upland Sam Porter Bridges style. (And thing collapsed aliases shorted retired from h2o ingress. Thankfully this tablet isn’t Fragile.)

The latest incarnation of nan ROG Flow Z13 was already a beautiful forward-looking device, pinch its cutting-edge integrated graphics and versatile shape factor, and this KJP version besides makes it a point of sci-fi beauty. It’s costly arsenic each hell, but nan attraction and attraction put into it makes it consciousness for illustration a gem of a modern machine — 1 from nan future, even.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge