Mobile gaming—that’s one of the things that powerful Android phones excel at. While they can certainly push beautiful graphics and smooth FPS, they still fall short in providing precision and ergonomics. That’s where mobile gaming controllers come in, like the ROG Tessen.

The ROG Tessen was built with portability in mind and features a foldable design, making it easy for users to carry or store. It’s not pocketable when folded, but it won’t take up much space in a crossbody bag.

The controller features mechanical switches for the face buttons and D-pad, offering short actuation and tactile feedback. Also included are shortcut buttons for accessing Settings, Options, Menu, ROG Armoury Crate, and Home. Additionally, it has L1-L2 and R1-R2 trigger buttons at the top, along with a pair of aluminum paddles at the back.

Despite the extensive number of buttons, the ROG Tessen is surprisingly light. It’s made entirely of plastic, but it has a good, durable quality with a matte finish and textured grips. As for the quality of the prints on the buttons, only time will tell if they will fade or not.

Installing the phone is pretty much straightforward. Keep the left side folded and slide your USB-C-equipped Android smartphone into the USB-C jack. Extend the telescopic bridge and secure it to the other side of your phone. If the phone doesn’t feel secure, you can use the rubber support pads included in the package.

It can accommodate a wide range of Android smartphones up to 7 inches in size, with a thickness of up to 14.5 mm. We were able to use the ROG Phone 8 on it with a case and didn’t encounter any issues.

At this point, the ROG Tessen’s AURA RGB Lighting will switch on. Download and open the Armoury Crate app from the Play Store to start customizing the buttons and adjusting the lighting effects.

The ROG Tessen supports a ton of games, including Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Diablo Immortal, Tower of Fantasy, and Minecraft. We used it on Zenless Zone Zero, but we had to go to the game’s settings and select the controller as our input and map some of the buttons there. You might want to check your favorite game’s settings first to see if it supports external controllers before buying this.

We’re still getting used to using a controller for mobile games, but we can already see the advantages. The on-screen controls are no longer visible, allowing us to view the game at its fullest. We don’t have to hold the device directly, which makes it more comfortable when the device starts to warm up. Plus, we can take advantage of the near-instantaneous 500 Hz polling rate inputs delivered via USB Type-C, ensuring that every press registers as we use the physical buttons.

When you’re running low on battery, the ROG Tessen features a USB-C charging port at the bottom right of the controller. It’s capable of 18W pass-through charging, so you can keep gaming without having to remove the controller.

Mobile gaming controllers are no longer a new concept, and we don’t expect everyone to want one. If you’re already comfortable using on-screen controls, that’s not a problem. But if you want something portable that can provide you with precise controls and a more immersive, console-like gaming experience, the ROG Tessen is a solid choice.

The ROG Tessen is priced at PHP 5,890 and is available at official ASUS and ROG online concept stores and authorized resellers.