Gaming
ASUS ROG Strix GL702VM Review: Portable gaming powerhouse
ASUS’ ROG line of gaming laptops has an updated entry to the fast-growing gaming market. Let’s a take a look at the ROG Strix GL702VM with its NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics unit.
We recently reviewed the ROG Zephyrus, and it set the bar for a true portable gaming laptop. It doesn’t cut corners with its high-end specs, but it has a ridiculously high price tag at the same time. The laptop we have now wants to set the right balance.
At first glance, the laptop already shows its gaming characteristics. Let’s first have a tour of the laptop’s body.
It’s no doubt an ROG laptop with its design and colors

The lid lights up!
Like most gaming laptops, it has striking red accents

It’s gray overall with red accents
We have red backlit chiclet keys with a relatively small trackpad

No mechanical keys here
There is a plethora of I/O ports for your convenience

USB 3.0, USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card reader, and DisplayPort
Even its bottom bestows its gaming characteristics

Modern patterns on the bottom plate
Great gaming performance on the go
The 17.3-inch display of the ROG Strix GL702VM doesn’t make it a portable PC, but by gaming laptop standards, its size packs in a lot of power. For one, the display is a 4K anti-glare panel which has great saturation levels and wide viewing angles. It makes all kinds of content pop, from high-resolution videos to colorful gaming titles. The processor inside is a quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ with 16GB of DDR4 memory. As for storage, it gets a combo drive: 1TB HDD and 128GB SSD.

To pump up its gaming prowess, ASUS put in an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 chip with 6GB memory as its dedicated graphics processing unit — the lightweight member of the NVIDIA 10-series graphics card. Both the latest and future titles will be playable on the laptop, plus it has support for virtual reality. During the course of our time with it, we were able to enjoy Grand Theft Auto V with smooth frame rates of around 80fps on high settings and 1080p resolution. Bumping things to 4K consumed a lot of power and memory, but it’s still manageable when you tone down some of the graphics settings like shadows and anti-aliasing.
It also doubles as an everyday multimedia laptop
Gaming aside, the laptop is a beast for everyday tasks. It would be overkill to turn it into an everyday work laptop, but it can handle processing really well, thanks to its compelling specs. Multimedia consumption is also something you can enjoy with its 4K display and powerful speakers.

Without mechanical keys, hitting the keyboard (whether for typing or gaming) didn’t feel as tactile as I’d want. ASUS promotes 1.6mm travel on the laptop, which I found a bit mushy during actual usage. What I enjoyed about the keyboard is the space between each key. The trackpad is a different story, as it’s kinda small but very responsive.
Not exactly super portable, but it’s not that bulky
The king of portable gaming laptops is still the ROG Zephyrus, but the ROG Strix GL702VM could be a good runner-up. It may not have the slim waistline of an Ultrabook (thin but definitely not for gaming) or the average size of an everyday 14-inch laptop, yet it has the power of a dedicated gaming machine. The term “laptop” is still applicable.

Keep in mind that it doesn’t have an optical disc drive. That shouldn’t pose a problem, since we download our games online nowadays. Too bad, though, since you’ll need to find a spare external DVD drive if you want to play the classic games you already purchased.
Is this your GadgetMatch?
It won’t be an easy choice to go for a 17.3-inch laptop when you’re just looking for a laptop that can do more. The ROG Strix GL702VM is targeted at those who want a gaming laptop that isn’t ridiculously heavy. For wallets, however, it’s quite hefty.

This gaming machine retails in the Philippines for PhP 119,995 (US$ 2,335) with the configuration we reviewed. With this amount of cash, you can already build a good desktop rig with even more power, but it won’t give the portability a laptop like this can offer. The 4K display is also a good selling point; however, it’s not necessary for gaming, since we stick to 1080p most of the time.
SEE ALSO: ASUS ROG Zephyrus Review: So thin, so powerful
[irp posts=”16053″ name=”ASUS ROG Zephyrus Review: So thin, so powerful”]
With Nintendo finally opening the eShop and Nintendo Switch Online in the Philippines, you might be wondering how you can switch your account’s region to the right country. After all, before today, you might have set your shop to the neighboring Singapore or other countries that aren’t named the Philippines. If you’re in the same boat, here’s a quick how-to, so you can enjoy paying for services in Philippine peso.
First, you need to log into your Nintendo Account. Take note: you can do this only through their website via a browser, so don’t fiddle around with your Switch or Switch 2 just yet.
Upon logging in, you’ll be redirected immediately to your profile’s information, including your country or region of residence. Just click Edit and select your desired country in the drop-down menu.
Nintendo will then present you a few notices regarding changing your region. The important bit is that you can’t carry over your account balance to the next region. So, if you have a hefty sum tucked away in your current region, it might be wise to spend it before switching. Likewise, your credit card might not work if it was issued from the current region.
Once you agree to the terms, everything’s set!
All you need to do is access the eShop on your console and sign in again. Afterwards, the corresponding services should be in your currency of choice.
For a list of detailed changes and prices, check out our coverage here.
Another Esports calendar in the Philippines wrapped up nicely this past weekend, only from the other side of the MMORPGs. At the Samsung Hall in SM Aura last November 9, the fourth installment of the Honor of Kings official Philippine league came to its exciting conclusion as four teams entered with rich prizes up for grabs. Here’s what went down on the final day of the Philippines Kings League Fall 2026:
Early in the afternoon, the third split of the Kings Campus Series crowned a new champion hailing all the way down from Cebu. In a thriller of a five-game series, the University of Cebu Webmasters took down the University of Sto. Tomas Teletigers Helios, 3-2, and took home the grand prize of Php 140,000. From start to finish, both teams exchanged heart-stopping plays and showed excellent flashes of teamwork that brought the series to a decider.
In the evening, the culmination of the PKL for 2026 took place with the Fall 2026 Grand Finals between the reigning champions in BOOM Esports against JGames Esports. Last November 8, JGames earned a place in their first ever Grand Finals after besting TNT Tropang Alab in a full best-of-seven series. However, even with all the momentum coming from their run in the Lower Bracket, JGames would only settle for 2nd as Boom Esports dominated the matchup, 4-1 and became the first back-to-back champions of the PKL.
The night capped off with a showcase of the three Philippine representatives to the Honor of Kings International Championships in Jakarta this December.
Players who digitally pre-ordered Grand Theft Auto VI can now pre-load the game ahead of its launch.
Rockstar Games confirmed that pre-loading is available to all digital pre-order customers. Those who purchased the code-in-box version can also begin downloading once they receive and activate their codes.
The announcement also reveals new performance details for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
GTA VI targets 30fps on consoles
Rockstar says Grand Theft Auto VI was built from the ground up for the current generation of consoles.
The game targets 30 frames per second on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
According to Rockstar, this approach allows the game to maintain the visual fidelity and density of Leonida’s environments.
The developer says it is pushing both platforms to their limits to bring the game’s expansive world to life.
PS5 Pro gets exclusive visual enhancements
PlayStation 5 Pro players can expect additional graphical improvements.
These include enhanced image clarity through PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and ray-traced shadows exclusive to the PS5 Pro.
The PS5 version also features integrated DualSense haptic feedback, with adjustable settings for accessibility.
Rockstar is also highlighting improved spatial audio through Tempest 3D Audio and faster loading times on PlayStation consoles.
Cloud gaming and Remote Play support
Grand Theft Auto VI will also be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
The cloud version will use Xbox Series S graphics settings. However, performance may vary depending on internet speeds and other streaming conditions.
The game will also support Remote Play on both PlayStation and Xbox.
Alongside the announcement, Rockstar released a new video featuring “Blood in Your Eyes” by Tove Lo, taken from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
Players can visit the official GTA VI website for more information.
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