ASUS Unveils New Ultra-Fast Gaming Screens for Competitive Players
ASUS has introduced three new gaming monitors and a gaming mouse aimed at competitive esports players, announcing the lineup at the Gamescom 2026 event on August 25. The new monitors join an existing ASUS model to create four options at different price points, all built around screen technology that professional players helped shape. (ASUS press release)
All three new monitors share the same screen size — 24.5 inches — and the same resolution of 1920 x 1080, also known as 1080p. They use OLED technology, which means each tiny dot of light on the screen, called a pixel, produces its own glow and can switch off completely to show true black. Where the monitors differ is in their refresh rate, which is how many times per second the screen updates its image. A higher refresh rate makes motion look smoother, which matters a lot in fast-paced competitive games where every fraction of a second counts. (ASUS press release)
The most advanced model is the ROG Swift OLED PG259QWS Ace. It updates its image 720 times per second, or 720Hz — far beyond the 60Hz that a typical computer monitor uses. It also reaches a peak brightness of 1,700 nits (a nit is a standard unit of brightness; a typical phone screen peaks around 800 to 1,000 nits) and supports Dolby Vision, a format for enhanced picture quality (Engadget). The screen achieves this using what ASUS calls a TrueBlack Glossy Tandem OLED construction, which stacks two layers of light-producing material together to reach brightness that a single layer could not manage on its own (ASUS press release). The PG259QWS Ace also includes a feature called the "Position Sensor," which measures how high the monitor sits and how tilted it is, then shows those numbers on the screen (Engadget). This is designed for tournament players who need to set up their equipment exactly the same way at every competition venue. ASUS has named this model the official monitor of the PGL CS2 Major Singapore 2026, a major professional gaming tournament (ASUS press release). It is priced at $1,099 and will be available in early Q4 2026 (Engadget).
The second model, the ROG Strix OLED XG259QDPG Ace, updates 560 times per second and adds a special film and coating ASUS calls "BlackShield," which the company says makes dark areas of the screen look up to 40 percent deeper black (Engadget). The third model, the ROG Strix OLED XG259QDNS Ace, includes the same BlackShield treatment but updates at a lower rate of 360 times per second and is described as the most affordable option. ASUS did not share a price or release date for this model (Engadget).
A fourth model, the ROG Strix OLED XG259QWPG Ace, was shown earlier this year at Computex 2026. It updates 540 times per second, was developed with input from professional players, and is priced at $699 for early Q4 2026 availability. It now sits between the 560Hz and 360Hz models in the lineup (Engadget).
ASUS markets the Ace as the world's first 24.5-inch OLED monitor designed specifically for professional esports gamers (ASUS press release). When ASUS first discussed the Ace concept at Computex in June, the fastest refresh rate was 240Hz. Three months later, the top model reaches 720Hz with a stacked OLED design. That jump in a single quarter points to two things: the companies that manufacture OLED panels are improving the technology quickly enough to support very high refresh rates at the brightness levels competitive play requires, and the professional gaming tournament circuit is creating real demand for equipment that would have seemed experimental a year ago.
The Position Sensor feature on the flagship model is a small but telling detail. Competitive players at in-person events often struggle to set up a borrowed monitor at the same height and tilt as their screen at home. Showing those measurements on the screen is a niche feature, but it is the kind of detail that matters when prize money is on the line and players have limited time to set up.
Looking at the full pricing picture, ASUS has created a four-step ladder of OLED gaming monitors. The $1,099 model tops the range with 720Hz, the highest brightness, and the tournament partnership. The $699 model at 540Hz sits in the middle. The 560Hz model slots in just above that, with its price not yet announced. And the 360Hz model, also without a confirmed price, appears aimed at a more accessible tier, though OLED screens still cost notably more than traditional LCD monitors with similar specs. Whether the market will support four different OLED gaming monitors at overlapping prices is a question the Q4 launch will start to answer.
The broader trajectory is clear: OLED is no longer just a premium technology for watching movies and other content at home. It is being built specifically for competitive gaming, where speed and smoothness matter most, and ASUS is positioning the Ace line to lead that push. The screens are fast, bright, and designed with purpose. What remains uncertain is whether enough players and buyers will pay OLED prices for 1080p screens to make the investment sustainable.
