Asus ROG Tessen review: brilliant mobile FPS performance

Asus
ROG
Tessen:
Two-minute
review

The
Asus
ROG
Tessen
is
an
excellent
mobile
controller
that’s
well-suited
for
FPS
gaming
in
spite
of
some
small
setbacks.
Its
overall
design
is
mostly
superb,
with
durable
metal
rear
paddles
and
a
unique
folding
mechanism
that
makes
it
even
easier
to
take
on
the
go.
Its
tactile
face
buttons
and
d-pad
are
satisfying
to
use,
though
the
latter
is
definitely
better
suited
for
fast-paced
competitive
games
than
any
retro
titles
or
traditional
platformers,
even
if
it
is
on
par
with
the
feel
of
some
of
the

best
PC
controllers.

While
not
utilizing

Hall
effect
technology,
its
thumbsticks
perform
well
and
the
triggers
are
a
highlight
–
delivering
a
quick
but
satisfying
motion
that
makes
every
match
of


Call
of
Duty:
Warzone
Mobile
that
much
more
enjoyable.
Throw
in
some
pretty
RGB
lighting
(which
is
unfortunately
controlled
by
a
rather
underwhelming
app)
and
compatibility
with
most
mobile
phone
cases
and
you
have
a
very
strong
overall
package.

Even
so,
there
are
a
few
areas
with
room
for
improvement.
The
more
angular
design
of
its
grips
won’t
be
for
everyone
and
I
found
that
they
could
often
be
a
little
uncomfortable
during
longer
sessions,
digging
into
the
palms
of
my
hands.
It’s
by
no
means
the
worst,
but
it
is
one
of
the
few
areas
where
the
comparable

Backbone
One
2nd
Gen
takes
a
clear
lead.

There’s
also
the
fact
that
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
only
officially
supports
Android
despite
being
a
wired
USB-C
controller.
I’m
sure
there’s
some
nitty
gritty
technical
reason
why
this
is
the
case,
but
it’s
still
disappointing
now
that

iPhone
15
(and
soon

iPhone
16)
series
phones
use
the
connector
standard.
The
lack
of
a
3.5mm
audio
jack
for
headphones
is
also
a
notable,
and
mildly
annoying,
omission.
Hopefully,
a
small
hardware
revision
will
be
able
to
remedy
these
complaints
in
the
future.

Overall,
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
is
still
remarkably
close
to
being
a
best-in-class
mobile
controller
at
its
price
range.
If
you’re
willing
to
look
past
these
few
minor
frustrations,
it
offers
a
very
capable
and
enjoyable
mobile
gaming
experience.

Asus
ROG
Tessen:
Price
and
availability

• 
  $109.99
  /
  £109.99
  /
  AU$179
• 
  Available
  via
  Asus
  and
  Amazon
• 
  Slightly
  more
  expensive
  than
  the
  Backbone
  One

The
Asus
ROG
Tessen
costs
$109.99
/
£109.99
/
AU$179
and
is
available
directly
from
Asus
or
at
online
retailers
such
as

Amazon.
It
comes
in
slightly
more
expensive
than
the
Backbone
One
2nd
Gen
which
costs
$99.99
/
£99.99
/
AU$179.99.
This
price
seems
quite
fair
given
the
additional
features
found
on
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
though,
such
as
the
rear
paddles
and
folding
mechanism.

That
said,
this
controller
does
not
offer
any
iOS
support,
so
those
who
often
switch
devices
would
be
better
off
saving
the
cash
and
picking
up
a
Backbone
One
2nd
Gen
instead.
I
would
also
recommend
that
those
who
can
stretch
for
the
$149.99
/
£149.99
/
AU$269.95

Razer
Kishi
Ultra
do
so,
as
that
controller
is
significantly
more
comfortable,
offers
iOS
support,
and
features
Hall
effect
components
–
though
loses
in
terms
of
portability
due
to
its
much
larger
size.

Asus
ROG
Tessen:
Specs

Asus
ROG
Tessen:
Design
and
features

• 
  Great
  overall
  look
  and
  feel
• 
  Folding
  mechanism
• 
  Fits
  most
  phone
  cases

Much
of
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
looks
and
feels
premium.
It
has
a
very
similar
design
to
most
telescopic
mobile
controllers,
though
with
the
addition
of
two
hinges
on
its
extending
portion.
These
allow
the
controller
to
be
folded
cleanly
in
two
for
greater
portability.
As
a
result,
I
had
no
trouble
fitting
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
in
a
rucksack
and
could
even
cram
it
into
the
large
pockets
of
my
cargo
jeans.
Despite
its
compact
form
factor,
there’s
still
plenty
of
space
for
a
full
phone
case
when
you’re
using
the
controller
which
is
very
convenient.

It
is
a
tad
unfortunate
that,
due
to
the
orientation
of
the
mechanism,
the
thumbsticks
are
left
sticking
out
when
the
controller
is
folded,
making
it
easy
to
catch
them
on
your
bag
if
you’re
not
careful.

The
controller
has
pleasantly
springy
triggers
with
a
good
level
of
travel
and
shoulder
buttons
that
are
clicky
and
responsive.
Thumbsticks
are
on
the
smaller
side
and
have
little
friction,
though
I
found
them
to
be
smooth
and
perfectly
comfortable
to
use.
The
face
buttons
and
d-pad
are
mechanical
with
a
very
pronounced
tactile
click.
They’re
enjoyable
to
press
and
the
shallow
travel
distance
of
the
d-pad
is
ideal
for
quickly
organizing
your
gear
in
a
battle
royale
like


Call
of
Duty:
Warzone
Mobile.

It’s
not
perfect
in
games
that
require
extensive
use
of
the
d-pad
for
movement,
though,
and
I
soon
found
myself
missing
the
softer,
more
spongy
d-pad
of
the
Backbone
One
2nd
Gen
after
a
few
hours
of

Dead
Cells.
On
the
back
of
the
controller,
you’ll
find
two
rear
paddles,
both
made
of
aluminum
and
sporting
a
pleasant
grippy
texture.
They’re
easy
to
press
and
well-positioned
and
the
use
of
metal
gives
them
a
more
premium
feel.

In
addition
to
the
standard
home,
menu,
and
start
buttons,
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
features
a
dedicated
button
to
open
the
Armoury
Crate
software.
This
is,
unfortunately,
extremely
basic,
with
an
ugly
UI
and
few
features
beyond
button
remapping
and
the
ability
to
configure
the
bright
RGB
strips
located
on
the
bottom
of
each
grip.
These
lighting
elements,
on
top
of
a
few
subtle
printed
graphics
and
plenty
of
different
textures,
lend
the
controller
quite
a
distinctive
aesthetic
–
which
is
appreciated.

Asus
ROG
Tessen:
Performance

• 
  Best
  for
  fast-paced
  games
• 
  Compatible
  with
  native
  titles
  and
  cloud
  gaming
• 
  Grips
  can
  be
  uncomfortable

The
Asus
ROG
Tessen
is
a
fantastic
fit
for
fast-paced
games,
particularly
first-person
shooter
(FPS)
titles.
I
was
impressed
with
its
snappy
responsiveness
in
both

Call
of
Duty:
Warzone
Mobile
and

Call
of
Duty
Mobile.
The
use
of
a
wired
connection
also
eliminates
any
potential
latency
and
facilitates
pass-through
charging
via
a
USB-C
port
on
the
bottom
of
the
right-hand
grip.

I
was
pleasantly
surprised
by
the
performance
of
the
thumbsticks,
which
have
more
than
enough
motion
for
navigating
tight
corners
in

Asphalt
Legends
Unite
and
power
through
dungeons
in


Zenless
Zone
Zero.

As
previously
mentioned,
the
d-pad
is
very
shallow
so
can
be
quite
harsh
on
your
fingers
if
you’re
playing
very
d-pad-centric
titles.
In
addition
to
native
games,
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
performed
well
when
it
came
to
cloud
gaming,
with
full
compatibility
with

Amazon
Luna
and

Xbox
Cloud
Gaming.

The
rear
paddles
are
easy
to
reach
and
can
be
fully
customized
through
a
range
of
possible
inputs.
My
only
real
complaint
with
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
is
that
the
very
angular
shape
of
its
grips
can
be
uncomfortable
over
extended
playing
sessions.
Spending
a
few
long
train
journeys
with
the
controller,
I
found
that
they
uncomfortably
dug
into
the
palms
of
my
hands
after
just
a
few
hours
which
wasn’t
ideal.

This
won’t
be
a
problem
if
you
intend
to
play
in
shorter
bursts,
but
could
be
a
very
compelling
reason
to
choose
another
product
if
you
love
to
pour
hours
into
mobile
games
at
a
time.

Should
I
buy
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen?

Buy
it
if…

Don’t
buy
it
if…

Also
consider

Not
fully
sold
on
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen?
Here
are
two
very
strong
alternatives
to
consider.

How
I
tested
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen

• 
  Tested
  for
  over
  a
  month
• 
  Tried
  with
  top
  mobile
  games
• 
  Directly
  compared
  to
  other
  mobile
  controllers

I
tested
the
Asus
ROG
Tessen
for
over
a
month,
using
it
as
my
main
Android
gaming
controller.
I
paired
the
controller
with
a

Samsung
S23
Plus
and
played
a
wide
variety
of
games.
This
included
native
mobile
titles
like

Call
of
Duty:
Warzone
Mobile,
Call
of
Duty
Mobile,
Vampire
Survivors,
Don’t
Starve:
Pocket
Edition,

Diablo
Immortal,
Asphalt
Legends
Unite,
Zenless
Zone
Zero,
Genshin
Impact,
and
more.

I
also
tried
the
controller
with
various
game
streaming
services,
such
as
Amazon
Luna
and
Xbox
Cloud
Gaming.
On
Amazon
Luna,
I
played

Watch
Dogs
Legion,

Mighty
Switch
Force
Collection,
River
City
Girls,
and


Star
Wars
Outlaws
while
Xbox
Cloud
Gaming
saw
me
enjoy
a
few
hours
of


Forza
Horizon
5.

During
my
time
with
the
controller
I
relied
on
a
pair
of

Beats
Solo
4
and

Beats
Studio
Buds+
headphones
for
audio
and
compared
my
playing
experience
with
my
hands-on
testing
of
many
other
mobile
controllers
such
as
the
Backbone
One
2nd
Gen,

Turtle
Beach
Atom,

Scuf
Nomad,
and

Razer
Kishi
Ultra.

Read
more
about
how
we
test

First
reviewed
September
2024