Technologies

Asus Rog Delta II Review: Lots To Offer, but Not Worth the Price

There’s a lot to like, as long as you have the right head size.

As a more casual gamer, I used to just play games with my computer speakers or sound bar, never bothering with gaming headsets. I would grab a cheap Microsoft or similar knockoff when I played with friends, but that was about it. That all changed when I got my first real gaming headset a couple of years ago. Now, my eyes (or ears, technically) have been opened. The better sound, and being able to hear everything around you including footsteps, really is a game-changer. Asus recently released two gaming headsets, the budget-focused ROG Pelta and the higher-end Delta II. I enjoyed my time with the Pelta (review coming soon), but is the Delta II worth the upgrade?

What I like about the Asus Rog Delta II

The first thing I noticed about the Delta II was how lightweight they were. At only 318g, they almost disappear on your head. That’s quite a welcome change from the hefty Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3s I reviewed last year, but those are also a far less expensive. Asus gives you two separate ear cushions for the Delta II: a breathable mesh set and a faux leather set. I was worried the leather might get sticky if I got hot or sweaty, but so far it hasn’t been an issue (I live in South Texas, so hot and sweaty is a way of life).

The ear cups are triangular-shaped, but they still fit my ears just fine. My biggest issue is that the headband doesn’t adjust much, so it always felt like the headphones were about to fall off my smallish head. I had to tilt the band closer to my forehead when reclining just to keep them on. I suppose that means my head is smaller than average (not surprised), but it’s still annoying. Also, only the top half of the headband has foam on it, and what’s there is pretty thin. It was never a problem for me, since it didn’t sit fully on my head — but other reviewers have noted it can be uncomfortable.

Aside from the thin foam and large fit, the Delta II feels very well built. There’s no squeaking or anything, as you’d hope for the price. Sadly, they don’t fold up for more portability, but you can at least turn the ear cups to lay flat.

The best part of the hardware is the tri-mode connectivity, which means you can use the included 2.4 GHz wireless dongle (USB-C), Bluetooth or a cable to connect to your devices. Asus’ Dual Flow technology allows you to get audio from two sources simultaneously. So, for example, while you’re gaming on your PC you can still hear notifications coming in from your phone. They work wirelessly with PS5, PC and mobile devices, but unfortunately, the only way to use them with Xbox is with a 3.5mm audio cable.

The detachable microphone sounded just fine for gaming chats, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anything professional. Since it’s a gaming headset, there’s RGB lighting, of course.

Decent audio, as long as you don’t want to customize it

The audio from the Delta II is pretty solid. Games sounded crystal clear and full. I could hear all the footsteps and everything I needed to. If they’re the only headphones you have, they’ll do fine for music, movies, podcasts, and more — just don’t expect mind-blowing quality. If you’re going to use them primarily for gaming, you’ll be perfectly happy.

However, if you’re someone who likes to tweak the audio or play with sound profiles, you might end up pretty frustrated — and that’s purely because the Amoury Crate app is simply bad. First of all, to make any changes to the headphones you have to restart your computer for them to take effect. I also discovered that changing anything — and for some people even just having the app installed — can cause bugs within Windows that make the headphones sound awful. I had to completely uninstall the app to get decent audio again. Now I have a bug where there’s a very noticeable click while gaming.

The app also constantly asks if you want to install a little AI «pet» and other features every time you boot it up. It’s very annoying and honestly, it’s best to just skip the app. The Delta II’s default Flat configuration was fine for me while gaming. If you really want to fine tune your audio experience, I recommend you look elsewhere.

A tad cheaper and it’d be an easy recommendation

There’s a lot to like about the Delta II. They sound great, are pretty comfortable (as long as you don’t have a tiny head) and offer several awesome features. However, the horrible Armoury Crate experience, coupled with the fact that they don’t stay on my head and their $260 list price, makes it hard for me to recommend them. If they were closer to around $200, I could more easily forgive those shortcomings. After all, when you pay this much for a gaming headset, they should at least stay on your head.

Technologies

Nintendo’s Pokemon Legends: Z-A Is a Hit. Just Ask My Kid

Pokemon Legends: Z-A has sucked my family in, and I can’t get my Switch controller back from my son.

I’d love to tell you all about Pokemon Legends: Z-A, arriving this week, and what it’s been like to play on the Nintendo Switch 2. I can mostly do that — but for most of the past five days, it hasn’t really been me playing. What started as co-playing together quickly turned into my kid taking over completely as he got hooked. And honestly, I’d say that’s a good sign.

Nintendo makes a lot of Pokemon games, too many for me to keep track of. But Legends Z-A is the first that’s Switch 2-optimized, although you can play on original Switches, too. I can’t tell you what that’s like, though — my early review access limited me to playing Pokemon Legends: Z-A on the Switch 2 only at home. I was doubtful about how much a city-based game would truly feel like a must-have experience, but so far it’s already become one of my favorite Pokemon games ever.

I’ll let my son tell you. He’s gotten deep into the trading card game and has played most of the recent Pokemon titles over the past year, and he says this is his favorite so far. When I asked him why, he said it’s because the game completely rethinks how battles work. The quick, real-time system feels more immediate and far less sluggish than in past Pokemon games. Plus, he’s loving the story… and honestly, so am I.

A city full of surprises

My son loves the «peculiar» storyline, the fast-paced battles (which he now wants in every Pokemon game) and the constant sense of surprise while exploring Lumiose City.

All of Pokemon Legends: Z-A (at least from what I’ve seen in my 10-plus hours so far) takes place entirely within Lumiose City — a Paris-like metropolis where the CEO of a company called Quasartico Inc. is planning to rebuild everything into a new world where Pokemon and humans can better coexist. The setup reminded me of the Detective Pikachu movie during my demo a few weeks ago, and it turns out my instincts were right.

Pokemon roam in wild zones within the city, occasionally spilling into urban areas, while mysterious rogue «Mega Evolution» Pokemon have begun appearing and threatening the city’s calm. There’s clearly a deeper mystery at play, and while I’m still uncovering it, I won’t spoil anything here.

The game seems to mostly involve a journey to level up in rank from Z to A by battling various Pokemon trainers, but that’s not the whole story. There’s a group of friends you hang out with at a local hotel, along with research missions you have to carry out. Side quests are everywhere. The city, though it can feel a bit sparse at times, stretches all the way up to its rooftops, where all sorts of hidden spots are waiting to be discovered. It feels like a living maze, and one I’m still navigating.

And the city’s always changing, too. Wild zones keep multiplying, and from day to night the city’s dynamics shift. Battles take place at night, with trainers gathering in new pop-up spots each time. It’s not as lively as I’d hoped — this isn’t Grand Theft Pokemon — but the cozy, vibrant world still makes me daydream about what a real-life Universal Pokemon theme park could someday look like.

The Pokemon shine

I keep reminding myself to take extra time to discover and level up my Pokemon. At least that’s what my son’s telling me to do. He loves how many Pokemon can become Mega Evolved in this game, and how much fun the battle moves are to pull off. I’m happy he’s happy. I thought I’d get lost in the RPG aspects of the game, but I think the real-time Pokemon battles put me in a looser state of mind, more able to explore and not feel locked down into systems and rulesets. Swapping Pokemon battle moves and reassigning them to buttons is easy, too.

The stronger focus on trainer battles — and the sheer variety of Pokemon capable of mega evolving — gives the game more of that classic, Pokemon-centered energy than Pokemon Legends: Arceus ever did. I found myself more excited to see how different Pokemon looked and behaved than to uncover new realms to explore. After all, for all of Lumiose City’s secrets, you’re spending a lot more time roaming one massive location than in any other Pokemon game I can remember. Thankfully, the visual upgrades on the Switch 2 make those Pokemon look fantastic in battle.

I do want to spend more time in Lumiose City, though, and can’t help but wonder if this is a glimpse of how all Pokemon games will keep evolving. It’s hard to say, since Legends games like Z-A and Arceus have been more experimental than the rest of the series. But, like Arceus, Z-A is now one of my favorite Pokemon games on Switch. And on Switch 2, it plays smoother and feels better than any Pokemon game ever has before.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.