Asus takes aim at Elgato with a compact touchscreen side display

Asus is making a play for one of the more interesting corners of the creator desk setup: the secondary touchscreen display.

The company has unveiled a compact side screen under its ROG branding, stepping into a category that has become popular with streamers, creators, and multitaskers who want always-visible controls close at hand.

That puts Asus into more direct competition with Elgato, a brand that helped turn small desktop control displays into a staple of modern streaming setups. The pitch is simple: keep your main screen focused on the actual work, game, or broadcast, and move supporting tools to a dedicated panel beside it.

It is an idea that has spread well beyond livestreaming. A secondary touchscreen can be useful for system monitoring, chat windows, scene switching, audio controls, app shortcuts, calendars, or quick-launch tools. For anyone juggling multiple apps at once, the appeal is obvious.

Asus seems to understand that this is not just about adding another display. It is about making desk space more functional.

The new device, highlighted this week, looks like it is built to sit next to a primary monitor and surface controls that would otherwise eat up room on the main panel. That kind of setup has become increasingly common as gaming hardware brands push deeper into creator workflows, trying to sell not just PCs and monitors, but a full ecosystem for broadcasting, editing, and managing a live setup.

There is also a bigger trend underneath this launch. Gaming brands are increasingly chasing tools once seen as creator-specific accessories. Stream decks, mini displays, microphones, capture gear, and software overlays have all become part of the same desk-side hardware conversation.

For Asus, the move makes strategic sense. The company already sells monitors, laptops, peripherals, components, and other ROG-branded gear. A side display fits neatly into that ecosystem approach, especially for customers who want matching hardware and unified software on the desk.

The challenge, of course, is that this space is no longer empty. Elgato has strong mindshare among streamers, and that matters. In categories built around convenience, software support and ease of use can matter just as much as the hardware itself.

That means Asus will need to do more than offer a nice-looking panel. Buyers in this category tend to care about how easily the screen plugs into daily habits. Can it surface useful widgets? Can it be customized quickly? Does it feel like a real workflow upgrade instead of one more gadget to manage?

Those questions will likely shape how much traction the device gets beyond the ROG faithful.

Even so, the timing feels right. Desk setups have become more personalized, more software-driven, and more modular. Users are increasingly willing to add purpose-built screens if those screens reduce friction.

That is the real opportunity here. Not just a mini monitor, but a command center.

If Asus can back the hardware with a polished experience, it may have a credible answer to one of streaming’s most recognizable desk accessories. At minimum, it shows the fight for space on your desk is far from over.