It has Wireless AC up to 1300 Mbps (450Mbps in Wireless N, and 867Mbps in Wireless AC), features include reduced lag for applications like Netflix, HD video, YouTube, games (like StarCraft II), VoIP (Skype), P2P (BitTorrent), and more.
Cloud-based updating for better profiles, so you're always up to date getting the best router performance, which just gets better and more complete as time goes on.
It includes 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and it uses Qualcomm Wireless technology. Qualcomm, for those who don't know, make the Killer Ethernet ports that are oh-so-heavily advertised by MSI Z77 and Z87 Gaming Motherboards, and GIGABYTE Z87 Sniper motherboards.
You can pre-order it on NewEgg here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127525
(I think 200$ is a little overpriced. I think gaming-oriented routers seem very nice, but these features will eventually trickle down to other, lower-tiered routers. If something similar drops in price to between 75$ and 150$, I think this'll be really popular. By adding support for external, replaceable antennas, and by allowing users to choose power output can also help. I'd like to know if it supports aftermarket Router Software, like Tomato.)
Anyways... any thoughts on this, guys and gals stalking the Tek forums? xD
Don't really see the need for it. Sure, it's probably good to maximize the speed of your online gaming, but I doubt that it will give you that much speed difference from the usual router since 10Mbit/s is still 10Mbit/s. In the end, the biggest difference is what you get from your internet provider. If the wireless speeds were as fast as the wired ones, then it would be an incredible investment, but I doubt they are. I have never seen a wireless connection give less delay than a wired one. Depending on what my network provider is giving me atm, let's say I get 10Mbit/s, then I would rather invest in faster speeds from my provider. If I had 1Gb/s, then I would probably invest in that router if I felt that it was needed. But if it's just me using the network, then I would just prioritise myself in the routers' settings.
It might be good for smartphones and other devices, but I would not invest in it for that. I barely use my network on the smartphone cause I will probably never look at it as I look at a computer.
Well, not necessarily, guys. Remember, the advantage of this router isn't simply the data throughput of gigabit. That's just one side.
The interesting thing is how it's optimized to reduce lag, and also prioritize dynamically your games, VoIP, and other applications. This allows you to not suffer from internet bandwidth bottlenecks when other people are using your internet connection (if you've got a family who shares your connection).
The interesting thing here isn't the hardware. Because there are other routers that are probably faster and/or better than this one. The thing which makes this a "gaming" router is the software inside the router, and that's what's being sold for a premium.
Obviously, if you've got 10Mbps as your connection speed, such a router wouldn't help. But if you've got, say, 40Mbps or even 200Mbps as your internet speed, this might come in handy. However, the prioritization of applications is more useful in moments where your internet speed is limited. After all, what's the point of QoS when you already have all the bandwidth you could ever use? The idea here is to keep your games from being lagged up, in spite of internet connection bottlenecks.
But, meh, maybe I'm reading too much into this. I still think it's overpriced, and unless it can deliver amazing performance and value, I think it won't sell as much as they'd like. And I'd love to see routers with such features drop in price to around 75$-125$. That'd be epic.
This is bullshit. Every router can do network shaping and most do it all the time. If you get a good router or install a new firmware (dd-wrt) you should be able to configure it yourself...
Yahhh, guymen powarrrr, for dat ultimate guymen experience :DDDD
Seriously, all it takes for me is just a router that I trust more like those from Asus. A router that you can customise all of its settings found in most enterprise ones. Fibre is here around my place but how can I afford it? All I could do is stick to phone lines and ADSL, and hoping that reliability keeps up to the maximum.
Well, the idea is that this automatically improves itself for better compatibility with games. So, say Battlefield 4 launches. Now, you just get the updated info regarding QoS for BattleField 4, and you don't even have to look up the info for it. No more looking at the port, having to go into the router settings to configure it; one button clicked, and it updates, and you're done.
The idea here is simplicity. By making rules and software that are easy to use, and update themselves automatically, you get a better experience. And that does matter for the consumer (but maybe not for the expert user who knows how to configure this stuff). And this doesn't require installation of any sort; no modifying your router firmware using DD-WRT or Tomato, it works right out of the box. (And, as we well know, convinience is a very powerful tool for attracting and keeping users.)