Verdict
If a compact mobile gaming solution is what you’re after, the Asus ROG Tessen is a wonderful (if expensive) gadget that adequately supports the fluid Android hardware space.
Pros
- Great microswitch buttons
- Rear paddles give it a professional feel
- Fold-down design is very welcome
Cons
- Not the most comfortable shape
- Quite expensive
-
Folding designThe ASUS ROG Tessen extends to fit most phones and folds down to dramatically shrink in size. -
Rear paddlesTwo buttons on the back help the ASUS ROG Tessen feel like a professional console controller. -
Wide compatabilityHalf a dozen inserts mean almost any Android device should be able to fit securely into the ASUS ROG Tessen.
Introduction
Taking learnings from controllers built for its own handsets like the ROG Phone 8, Asus has turned its attention to the wider mobile market with the highly adaptable ROG Tessen mobile controller.
With an angular design, folding design, and plenty of inserts, it could very well be the one to beat. With iOS completely unsupported, though, it’s not as adaptable as it makes itself out to be.
Design
- Semi-ergonomic shape won’t suit larger hands
- LED flair
- Great build quality with neat hinge design
The Asus ROG Tessen is as gamer-focused as a mobile controller can be. Its rounded grips feature both matte and glossy black paint, with a variety of geometric patterns serving as visual eye candy.
The asymmetrical thumb sticks are small, just like the GameSir X2S, and aren’t recessed in any way, retaining that familiar Xbox/Nintendo Switch feel.
Echoing today’s more elaborate controllers, you’ll find two additional buttons on the underside for your digits to reach for jumps and reloads, keeping your thumbs firmly on the sticks.
The bottom of the right grip features a USB-C port for pass-through connections to your device. The USB-C port on the inside is centred.
While it doesn’t pivot like one of the GameSir solutions, you can connect things on an angle thanks to the clever hinge design.
Removing the bulk and problematic pocketability of similar controllers, it’s able to shrink and fold for easy stowing. Pull it wide and let it clamp on your device to play, then simply reverse the process and bend it backwards to compact it down to put away.
The Asus ROG Tessen is good for direct connections only. There’s no Bluetooth functionality in the traditional sense. You can use a wire to hook it up to something like a Steam Deck or laptop in a pinch, but it’s certainly not designed with that in mind.
A word of warning, however: the LED trim can quickly sap your device if you leave the two connected overnight.
The cardboard packaging for the Asus ROG Tessen is impressive. The folded controller sits in an elaborate cube reminiscent of intricate puzzle boxes. Chambers house a multitude of rubber inserts to accommodate a wide range of devices. There’s even a little stand for the pad itself.
Interestingly, we didn’t need a single insert to get a secure fit with the wide Nubia Z60S Pro in its included plastic shell.
Even with its ability to fold down, a carry case wouldn’t have gone amiss. The sticks protrude out, and with the device folding shut in a way that exposes both, you’re always going to risk them snagging in your bag. No amount of hall-effect tech can save them from that fate.
Performance
- Solid microswitches with swift travel and snappy feedback
- Extra back buttons are a nifty inclusion
- Support in games is largely luck of the draw
The Asus ROG Tessen was recognized immediately by our Android device, with the home screen instantly allowing itself to be manipulated by its sticks.
In games like Dead Cells, controller input was swift and snappy. The microswitches work well with each button’s generous profile, keeping them easily accessible while wonderfully fast to the touch with near-imperceivable travel time.
Games like Diablo Immortal, however, weren’t without issue. The ‘tap to continue’ prompt couldn’t be passed with the controller, with even the usual tap failing to progress us into the action.
Whether the controller or the game is to blame isn’t clear, but it’s a reminder that controller support is still a touchy subject for mobile games.
The four tiny buttons at the bottom of the controller face, two on each side, feel like more traditional rubber dome switches, popping up and down with proper pressure. These are your standard menu and navigation buttons.
One of these, the ROG logo button, is presumably there to launch the Armoury Crate app should you have it installed. We say presumably as, even with the app installed, the button did nothing. The controller acknowledged the app, but it wouldn’t summon it.
In the end, it hardly mattered. Although the Armoury Crate app recognized the ROG Tessen controller, we had no control over any aspect of it. The app requested it be connected via Bluetooth for this reason, but that was another non-starter.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You’re looking for a compact mobile gaming solution
If you know you need the most compact and versatile way to bring console-quality gaming on the go, the Asus ROG Tessen is a great bit of kit in supported situations.
You’re just toying with emulators and the idea of mobile gaming
The Asus ROG Tessen is one of the pricier mobile game controllers today. If you’re testing the waters of mobile gaming, try a cheaper alternative first.
Final Thoughts
Although the wider app-controlled package seemed like a no-go in our testing, the actual usability of the ROG Tessen mobile controller is still solid enough to recommend.
The buttons and sticks turn top-tier Android apps into full-fledged games, but the grips are a tad too short to be comfortable long-term. It’s exciting to see the bonus back buttons of modern console controllers here, too, which could make it stand out in hyper-competitive titles.
We hope to see the hinge fold in the opposite direction next time. That could rid the feeling of the sticks getting damaged in transit. Its price also puts it considerably higher than the Gamesir G8 Plus, X2s, or the frequently discounted (yet prettier) Backbone pads, suggesting that the nifty folding trick comes at a cost. It’s still far from the cost of the Razer Kishi Ultra, but £110 is a big ask.
How we test
We test all our devices thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used to play a variety of on-device and streamed games on an Android handset
FAQs
No, this is a wired controller only that directly connects to a device via a male USB-C into a handsets USB-C port.
The Asus ROG Tessen only supports the Android operating system.
Verdict
If a compact mobile gaming solution is what you’re after, the Asus ROG Tessen is a wonderful (if expensive) gadget that adequately supports the fluid Android hardware space.
Pros
- Great microswitch buttons
- Rear paddles give it a professional feel
- Fold-down design is very welcome
Cons
- Not the most comfortable shape
- Quite expensive
-
Folding designThe ASUS ROG Tessen extends to fit most phones and folds down to dramatically shrink in size. -
Rear paddlesTwo buttons on the back help the ASUS ROG Tessen feel like a professional console controller. -
Wide compatabilityHalf a dozen inserts mean almost any Android device should be able to fit securely into the ASUS ROG Tessen.
Introduction
Taking learnings from controllers built for its own handsets like the ROG Phone 8, Asus has turned its attention to the wider mobile market with the highly adaptable ROG Tessen mobile controller.
With an angular design, folding design, and plenty of inserts, it could very well be the one to beat. With iOS completely unsupported, though, it’s not as adaptable as it makes itself out to be.
Design
- Semi-ergonomic shape won’t suit larger hands
- LED flair
- Great build quality with neat hinge design
The Asus ROG Tessen is as gamer-focused as a mobile controller can be. Its rounded grips feature both matte and glossy black paint, with a variety of geometric patterns serving as visual eye candy.
The asymmetrical thumb sticks are small, just like the GameSir X2S, and aren’t recessed in any way, retaining that familiar Xbox/Nintendo Switch feel.
Echoing today’s more elaborate controllers, you’ll find two additional buttons on the underside for your digits to reach for jumps and reloads, keeping your thumbs firmly on the sticks.
The bottom of the right grip features a USB-C port for pass-through connections to your device. The USB-C port on the inside is centred.
While it doesn’t pivot like one of the GameSir solutions, you can connect things on an angle thanks to the clever hinge design.
Removing the bulk and problematic pocketability of similar controllers, it’s able to shrink and fold for easy stowing. Pull it wide and let it clamp on your device to play, then simply reverse the process and bend it backwards to compact it down to put away.
The Asus ROG Tessen is good for direct connections only. There’s no Bluetooth functionality in the traditional sense. You can use a wire to hook it up to something like a Steam Deck or laptop in a pinch, but it’s certainly not designed with that in mind.
A word of warning, however: the LED trim can quickly sap your device if you leave the two connected overnight.
The cardboard packaging for the Asus ROG Tessen is impressive. The folded controller sits in an elaborate cube reminiscent of intricate puzzle boxes. Chambers house a multitude of rubber inserts to accommodate a wide range of devices. There’s even a little stand for the pad itself.
Interestingly, we didn’t need a single insert to get a secure fit with the wide Nubia Z60S Pro in its included plastic shell.
Even with its ability to fold down, a carry case wouldn’t have gone amiss. The sticks protrude out, and with the device folding shut in a way that exposes both, you’re always going to risk them snagging in your bag. No amount of hall-effect tech can save them from that fate.
Performance
- Solid microswitches with swift travel and snappy feedback
- Extra back buttons are a nifty inclusion
- Support in games is largely luck of the draw
The Asus ROG Tessen was recognized immediately by our Android device, with the home screen instantly allowing itself to be manipulated by its sticks.
In games like Dead Cells, controller input was swift and snappy. The microswitches work well with each button’s generous profile, keeping them easily accessible while wonderfully fast to the touch with near-imperceivable travel time.
Games like Diablo Immortal, however, weren’t without issue. The ‘tap to continue’ prompt couldn’t be passed with the controller, with even the usual tap failing to progress us into the action.
Whether the controller or the game is to blame isn’t clear, but it’s a reminder that controller support is still a touchy subject for mobile games.
The four tiny buttons at the bottom of the controller face, two on each side, feel like more traditional rubber dome switches, popping up and down with proper pressure. These are your standard menu and navigation buttons.
One of these, the ROG logo button, is presumably there to launch the Armoury Crate app should you have it installed. We say presumably as, even with the app installed, the button did nothing. The controller acknowledged the app, but it wouldn’t summon it.
In the end, it hardly mattered. Although the Armoury Crate app recognized the ROG Tessen controller, we had no control over any aspect of it. The app requested it be connected via Bluetooth for this reason, but that was another non-starter.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You’re looking for a compact mobile gaming solution
If you know you need the most compact and versatile way to bring console-quality gaming on the go, the Asus ROG Tessen is a great bit of kit in supported situations.
You’re just toying with emulators and the idea of mobile gaming
The Asus ROG Tessen is one of the pricier mobile game controllers today. If you’re testing the waters of mobile gaming, try a cheaper alternative first.
Final Thoughts
Although the wider app-controlled package seemed like a no-go in our testing, the actual usability of the ROG Tessen mobile controller is still solid enough to recommend.
The buttons and sticks turn top-tier Android apps into full-fledged games, but the grips are a tad too short to be comfortable long-term. It’s exciting to see the bonus back buttons of modern console controllers here, too, which could make it stand out in hyper-competitive titles.
We hope to see the hinge fold in the opposite direction next time. That could rid the feeling of the sticks getting damaged in transit. Its price also puts it considerably higher than the Gamesir G8 Plus, X2s, or the frequently discounted (yet prettier) Backbone pads, suggesting that the nifty folding trick comes at a cost. It’s still far from the cost of the Razer Kishi Ultra, but £110 is a big ask.
How we test
We test all our devices thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used to play a variety of on-device and streamed games on an Android handset
FAQs
No, this is a wired controller only that directly connects to a device via a male USB-C into a handsets USB-C port.
The Asus ROG Tessen only supports the Android operating system.
