The first time someone describes how the new ASUS Mothership works, you won't get it.
No one I've described it to, does, and even after reading about it before seeing it, I had no idea what to expect.
But in person, it's one of the most inventive gaming laptops I've seen, and the closest I've seen to a gaming laptop truly embracing the DNA of a desktop.
The Mothership starts out looking like any other oversized 17 inch gaming laptop.
But to open it, you place its rear edge where the ports and vents usually are flat against the table or desk.
Press down lightly and a kickstand pops out from the back.
The prototype we tried only work at one angle.
But as soon says the final version will allow for multiple kickstand angles.
Then you fold open the clam shell revealing a keyboard with a side of line touchpad that keyboard can sit at it's slightly inclined angle making for an unusual.
Gaming laptops set up, but it can also full detach.
That way you can sit back with the keyboard, fold the top half of the keyboard panel underneath it, or position it however you like.
In this mode, the mother ship is less of a gaming laptop and more of a gaming all-in-one desktop with a wireless keyboard.
The advantage of a setup like this is that it's more focused on being desk friending than lap friendly Which is what you really want in a gaming PC, laptop, or desktop.
Unlike traditional laptops, the components are all built into the display side.
And that includes new NVIDIA RTX series graphics and Intel Core i9 processors.
The kickstand in the back allows for some pretty substantial cooling, letting these high-powered parts live in harmony in a laptop body.
And if you're looking for something a little more modest but still a top performer, there's a new version of the very slim Asus Zephyrus gaming laptop.
The GX701 takes the basic concept of the Zephyrus, a slim body that lifts up on a rear riser for both cooling and ergonomics.
And put it into a larger 17 inch laptop.
Core 7 processors and max qrst graphics add up to date components.
It's no mothership, but it will be a lot less expensive