The keyboard seems to be placed rather far forward which forces the touchpad (something difficult to use effectively in quite a few games) into the space that could otherwise be occupied by a dedicated numeric keypad (something that actually IS useful in a variety of games). Furthermore, keyboard placement eliminates space that could serve as a place for a user's palms to rest. It seems like a poor design decision to do something like that and I'm not sure I understand the justification for the odd layout unless Asus is going to encourage the use of an external keyboard and mouse. If that's the case, why not add a docking connector similar to those found on business class notebooks?
Besides the poorly thought out design, the line displayed on the screen of the laptop in the first picture that reads, "The choice of champions," is laughable. What champions? Do they understand their target demographic at all? I'd argue that most people willing and able to pay a premium price for a gaming laptop aren't the same people to which RGB LEDs and wanna-be-cool nerd boy themed marketing methods will effectively attract.
The track pad flips upside down to reveal a numpad, so you can use either the touchpad or the num pad. Watching reviews from LTT among others, it seems that the keyboard is a love it or hate it type of thing. I can't really see it being too much of an issue though, especially as most people using this will be sitting at a table rather than having it burn a hole through their thighs, at which point it seems like it would be more comfortable. Anyways, Asus includes a rubber wrist rest that's sized to fit perfectly up against this laptop.
And while I agree with your sentiments about RGB and the "Gamer" branding garbage, it does seem that much of their target audience does like that type of stuff, however unfortunate it is for the rest of us.
Oh, come on - you can't be serious. Why would you say that about the keyboard? In the conventional, i.e. conservative, notebook design part of the body itself acts as a usable surface - a sort of desk, if you will - to put your hands on, which is practical when you want to use your notebook on your lap or in a cramped space, but not much else really. If you're going to be mostly using your notebook on a desk, it makes sense to bring the keyboard forward. Look at the vast majority of standalone keyboards - no built-in wrist rest. Besides, if you're such a wrist rest aficionado, you'd want to use a separate rest anyway since the surface of notebooks is rarely a nice place to put your hands on - often sharp, high, at the wrong angle, not textured or soft, etc.
I'm not trying to defend this particular model or brand, but more OEMs should start putting the keyboard against the edge of the body.
Manufacturers seem to be finally starting to realize the correct keyboard placement for desktop-replacement notebooks is against the lip of the body - just like the vast majority of standalone keyboards out there. Sure, it'd be awkward to use on your lap or in cramped spaces, but that's not the primary use case of this class of notebook anyway. It'd be nice if they include a magnetically detachable wrist rest for those that would like to use one.
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SantaAna12 - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
2300$ for a 1070?Is there this a paid ad?
Comon Anandtech!
prophet001 - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
That was my first thought.:(
bubblyboo - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
But you don't understand! It's thin! The keyboard is in a courageous location! ROG is the choice of champions! The 1070 is Max-Q!Ryan Smith - Saturday, August 26, 2017 - link
"Is there this a paid ad?"No. In fact the price caught our eyes as well, which is why we published a news post on it.
austinsguitar - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
that is an absurd price... wtf did i just read? 120 hertz is nice but this thing is priced 300 dollars too high. this will not sell well.BrokenCrayons - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
The keyboard seems to be placed rather far forward which forces the touchpad (something difficult to use effectively in quite a few games) into the space that could otherwise be occupied by a dedicated numeric keypad (something that actually IS useful in a variety of games). Furthermore, keyboard placement eliminates space that could serve as a place for a user's palms to rest. It seems like a poor design decision to do something like that and I'm not sure I understand the justification for the odd layout unless Asus is going to encourage the use of an external keyboard and mouse. If that's the case, why not add a docking connector similar to those found on business class notebooks?Besides the poorly thought out design, the line displayed on the screen of the laptop in the first picture that reads, "The choice of champions," is laughable. What champions? Do they understand their target demographic at all? I'd argue that most people willing and able to pay a premium price for a gaming laptop aren't the same people to which RGB LEDs and wanna-be-cool nerd boy themed marketing methods will effectively attract.
keebs63 - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
The track pad flips upside down to reveal a numpad, so you can use either the touchpad or the num pad. Watching reviews from LTT among others, it seems that the keyboard is a love it or hate it type of thing. I can't really see it being too much of an issue though, especially as most people using this will be sitting at a table rather than having it burn a hole through their thighs, at which point it seems like it would be more comfortable. Anyways, Asus includes a rubber wrist rest that's sized to fit perfectly up against this laptop.And while I agree with your sentiments about RGB and the "Gamer" branding garbage, it does seem that much of their target audience does like that type of stuff, however unfortunate it is for the rest of us.
yhselp - Saturday, August 26, 2017 - link
Oh, come on - you can't be serious. Why would you say that about the keyboard? In the conventional, i.e. conservative, notebook design part of the body itself acts as a usable surface - a sort of desk, if you will - to put your hands on, which is practical when you want to use your notebook on your lap or in a cramped space, but not much else really. If you're going to be mostly using your notebook on a desk, it makes sense to bring the keyboard forward. Look at the vast majority of standalone keyboards - no built-in wrist rest. Besides, if you're such a wrist rest aficionado, you'd want to use a separate rest anyway since the surface of notebooks is rarely a nice place to put your hands on - often sharp, high, at the wrong angle, not textured or soft, etc.I'm not trying to defend this particular model or brand, but more OEMs should start putting the keyboard against the edge of the body.
yhselp - Saturday, August 26, 2017 - link
Manufacturers seem to be finally starting to realize the correct keyboard placement for desktop-replacement notebooks is against the lip of the body - just like the vast majority of standalone keyboards out there. Sure, it'd be awkward to use on your lap or in cramped spaces, but that's not the primary use case of this class of notebook anyway. It'd be nice if they include a magnetically detachable wrist rest for those that would like to use one.