Asus has announced that its spendy new ROG Raikiri II Xbox Wireless Controller, which it showed at Gamescom in August, is officially available at Best Buy for a collar-tugging $189.99. The controller works with both Xbox Series X/S consoles and Windows PCs, including the ROG Ally and Ally X. (Presumably that includes the Xbox Ally and Ally X, too.)
This new pro-style controller is Asus’ answer to some of the fanciest and best Xbox controllers you’ll find, including Microsoft’s first-party Elite II. It’s all black except for details like an RGB strip that lines the outside edge of the grips, and features tunneling magnetoresistance, or TMR, joysticks. (Those are the other drift-resistant sticks, besides Hall effect.) The triggers also feature TMR, as well as micro switches for dual-mode, more responsive quick tapping. In fact, it’s micro switches all around – the face buttons, bumpers, and other rear buttons use the approach as well, and should be more responsive and durable than the usual membranes that gamepad buttons have sat on for decades.
This wouldn’t be a competition-style gamepad if Asus didn’t brag about its polling rate, or the frequency it sends and receives information with the console. That’s 1000Hz, which ought to provide more accuracy and responsiveness in twitchy shooters for those who can tell the difference. The company promises low latency performance both in wired (USB-C) and 2.4GHz wireless modes. The Raikiri II also offers Bluetooth connectivity, which should be fine for everyday gaming but you wouldn’t want to compete with it.
Some final details: Asus points out that you can use its three connectivity modes for “seamless switching” between an Xbox, PC, and ROG Ally device. The controller lasts up to 50 hours on a charge, and ships with a charging hard case for when it’s time to juice it back up. In the box, there’s also a charging stand, 2.4GHz wireless dongle, and swappable joystick caps.
Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom’s Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.
