ASUS’ Republic of Gamers is kicking off CES 2026 with something a little different from the usual keyboards and GPUs: the ROG Cetra Open Wireless, a pair of open-ear gaming earbuds that try to blend low-latency esports gear with the “hear-what’s-around-you” ethos of modern fitness buds.​

Instead of sealing your ears like traditional in-ear gaming buds, the Cetra Open Wireless hook over your ears with liquid silicone loops and rest just outside the ear canal, so you can still hear traffic, teammates in the same room, or the knock on your door while you grind ranked matches or jog around the block. The design is very much in line with the broader open-fit trend popularized in fitness audio—think Shokz OpenFit or Bose’s Ultra Open—but with the ROG flourish: angular lines, visible branding, RGB lighting on the outside of the driver housing and a detachable reflective neck strap for a bit of cyberpunk visibility at night.​

What makes these interesting for gamers is the connectivity story. ASUS is bringing its SpeedNova 2.4GHz tech—previously seen in its gaming mice and in the ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova—to an open-ear form factor. In practice, you get dual-mode wireless: standard Bluetooth for phones, tablets and laptops, and a dedicated 2.4GHz low-latency link via a USB‑C dongle for consoles, PCs, handhelds and phones that support USB‑C audio. That dongle supports one-way passthrough charging, so you can plug it into a device like a gaming phone or handheld and still charge the device while playing, which is a small but very “someone thought this through” detail for marathon sessions.​

Inside each earbud sits a 14.2mm driver with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated diaphragm, which ASUS is using to pitch the usual trio of crisp highs, deep bass and a wide soundstage. For an open-fit design, bass is usually the Achilles’ heel—there’s just no seal to reinforce low frequencies—so ASUS is layering in some software tricks. Two onboard sound profiles, Phantom Bass and Immersion Mode, are built into the buds themselves. Phantom Bass is meant to boost low-end perception without just turning everything into a muddy boom, while Immersion Mode focuses on dialing down some ambient noise to help you stay locked into your game or playlist without cutting you off from the world.​

Physically, ASUS is leaning hard on comfort and control. The liquid silicone ear hooks are shaped for all‑day wear, with that removable reflective neck strap adding both security and a bit of safety for runners and cyclists who want to stay visible at night. Instead of the increasingly common touch surfaces, ROG has gone with tactile physical buttons on each earbud. That’s a smart call for a product aimed at sweaty workouts and high‑stress gaming; touch controls can misfire with rain, sweat or accidental grazes, while clicky buttons remain usable when your fingers are wet and make it much harder to trigger commands by mistake.​

Durability and endurance are tuned for active use rather than pure audiophile sessions. The Cetra Open Wireless carry an IPX5 rating, so they can shrug off sweat and rain without you babying them. Battery life lands at up to 16 hours of continuous playback in Bluetooth mode with RGB off, on-board sound modes disabled and the mic muted—a reasonable figure for open-ear buds that aim to live on your head most of the day. If you forget to charge them before a run, a 15‑minute top‑up gets you up to three hours of listening time, which is more than enough for a commute or a workout.​

From a market perspective, ASUS is stepping into a packed but fast-growing segment. Open-fit buds have gone from niche to mainstream over the past couple of years, with options ranging from Shokz’s sports-first OpenFit line to more lifestyle-focused picks from brands like Bose and Huawei. The ROG Cetra Open Wireless differentiates itself by going all‑in on gaming features: the SpeedNova 2.4GHz link, the USB‑C dongle with passthrough charging, RGB, and a sound profile tuned for positional audio and dialog clarity as much as music. That makes them less of a generic “AirPods alternative” and more of a bridge product—something that can live on your ears from the morning commute through a gym session and straight into an evening of ranked Valorant or Genshin on a handheld.​

There are still open questions ASUS hasn’t fully answered yet—exact regional pricing, full codec support matrix, mic quality in noisy environments, and how well those audio modes work outside of marketing slides—but the intent is clear. ROG wants to be the brand you think of, not just for the desk-bound battle station, but for the in‑between moments: walking the dog, sprinting to catch the train, or sneaking in a few rounds on a handheld at a café. The Cetra Open Wireless is a bet that gamers don’t just want “gaming” audio when they sit down at a PC; they want something that keeps up with the rest of their day, without blocking out the world—and without the input lag that usually comes with cutting the cord.