When I first heard of the Asus ROG Flow Z13 Kojima version again at CES 2026, truthfully, I did not bat an eyelid. But upon trying out this Chiral beast of a machine — the Death Stranding references are throughout this 2-in-1 gaming pill — throughout the present, my curiosity was actually piqued.
Now that I’ve this 2-in-1 sitting in entrance of me, I’m excitedly in awe of this collaboration between Asus and iconic sport director Hideo Kojima. You know, the man behind the famend Metal Gear franchise, and most just lately, Game of the Year nominee Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Sam Porter Bridges would be proud
Based on the philosophy of “for Ludens who dare” (Ludens being Kojima Production’s mascot) from Asus and Kojima, along with the strong artistic style of Yoji Shinkawa, Kojima Productions Art Director, the Asus ROG Flow Z13-KJP edition is the best kind of combination between worlds: an ultraportable (and powerful) gaming system united with a game that has you use optimized tech for traveling.
Seriously, the ROG Flow Z13-KJP looks like it fell out of a (epically long) Kojima cutscene, and that alone says a lot about its design. From the sharp, gold-infused chassis with small hints of text showcasing warnings like “Ensure lock is tight,” similar to the futuristic delivery equipment found in the game, to turning on the 2-in-1 to be greeted by a Ludens logo and music theme, this has Kojima Productions written all over it.
From a practical point of view, this is the very same Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) we reviewed last year. Same 13-inch 2.5K (2560 x 1600) Mini-LED display with a 180Hz refresh rate, chiclet keyboard cover with RGB lighting, port array, etc. But it’s the final touches that make this Kojima-inspired 2-in-1 a treat, and it’s still subtle enough to be an (understandably gorgeous-looking) everyday device.
Even the chunky charging bring comes with a Ludens logo slapped on, you can also expect more stickers that come in the box to add even more Death Stranding-esque design to the 2-in-1.
Then, there’s the ultra-sleek, all-white (with gold linings) customized carrying case designed to carry the Z13-KJP, and I absolutely adore that it brings one of Sam Porter-Bridges’ (the protagonist of Death Stranding, played by Norman Reedus) many cases into reality.
It’s a solid, sturdy case with the look and feel of a premium piece of equipment for transporting important cargo, with its insides lined with foam cutouts that take the shape of the Z13-KJP itself. It tucks the gaming tablet away beautifully, but I’d use this to store files and documents, too, while putting it on display in my office.
Would I actually use this case to carry the ROG Flow Z13-KJP while I’m out and about? Look, as much as I would love to strap it onto one of my arms or legs like Sam himself, I highly doubt it. Not when I can easily slip this compact gaming tablet into my backpack instead. Still, it’s a special case I very much dig.
From the Chiral crystal etchings (the materials found in the game) to the attractive color tones on the (excellent-feeling) keyboard itself, this is the quintessential PC gaming machine that Kojima fans will adore, and others will admire (as many in my office have).
For Ludens who dare (pay this much)
Considering the ROG Flow Z13-KJP delivers the highest configuration of Asus’ 2-in-1 gaming tablet, along with the unique Death Stranding touches, you can imagine just how pricey this machine will be.
Did you guess £3,599? Congrats, you’re right on the money. And apologies to your wallet in advance, as that’s one steep price tag. Right now, I have yet to hear of an official U.S. price, but converting this cost puts it at around $4,800. Plus, throw in RAMageddon and U.S. tariffs, and this special edition gaming tablet will drain your funds.
However, it’s worth noting that a normal ROG Flow Z13 with the same specs is priced at $3,299, which is already an extremely excessive value. But with the Kojima touches, you’ll be able to count on that value to shoot up even additional.
But that is the factor; it is a “special edition” product made to be extra of a collector’s merchandise, and a shocking one at that. Asus is not any stranger to pumping out distinctive fashions of its lineup of merchandise, just like the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 Doom Edition graphics card, the ROG Zephyrus G14 Alan Walker Special Edition and even the Zenbook 14X OLED Space Edition again in 2022, which celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of Asus laptops on the Mir Space Station.
At the very least, the ROG Flow Z13-KJP comes with a free copy of Death Stranding 2 by way of a redeemable sport code in Asus’ Armoury Crate. That would not launch on PC till March 19, although, so no, I did not get an opportunity to play the sequel on this machine.
With the beginning value of the common ROG Flow Z13 being $2,099, that is already dear sufficient. But that does not include the high-end specs of the Kojima counterpart, so you’re paying a hefty premium for a top-of-the-line gaming 2-in-1 that may play absolutely anything (with the precise settings). Speaking of…
Made for Death Stranding (and past)
Okay, however can it really play video games? If you have seen our Asus ROG Flow Z13 review, you’ll know just how impressive the 2-in-1 gaming tablet can be for playing the latest titles. With the Z13-KJP edition, though, you’re getting the highest configuration this device can go up to.
That includes an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU with strong Radeon 8060S integrated graphics, an insane 128GB of DDR5X RAM and 1TB for storage. The chip alone rocks 16 CPU cores, along with 40 graphics cores, and that incredible amount of RAM (in this economy?) will bring optimal performance for gaming and productivity.
Putting it through the Geekbench 6 benchmark, it achieved a 2,965 single-core score and an 18,475 multi-core result. That’s an impressive outcome, even compared to the ROG Flow Z13 with an AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 APU.
When put against the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (with its own iGPU now onboard) in the Dell XPS 14 (2026), it even beat that! But the powerful Intel Core Ultra X9 388H in the Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) was still hard to beat in single-core performance… but not in multi-core.
|
Laptop | Geekbench 6 single-core | Geekbench 6 multi-core |
| Asus ROG Flow Z13-KJP (AMD Ryzen AI Max 390) | 2965 | 18475 |
| Asus ROG Flow Z13 (AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395) | 2896 | 17876 |
| Dell XPS 14 2026 (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H) | 2867 | 16927 |
| Asus Zenbook Duo 2026 (Intel Core Ultra X9 388H) | 3031 | 17283 |
So, a beast of a 2-in-1 gaming machine it is, and when put into action, it reflected those numbers. Of course, it would almost be a crime if I didn’t try one specific game first on this: Death Stranding.
I was easily getting highs of 173 FPS at 1080p resolution, and bumping this up to 1440p still gave me an excellent 140 FPS. That’s thanks to AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) tech for frame generation and resolution scaling, which the APU uses to its advantage.
For something a tad more recent, I checked out the fast-paced Ninja Gaiden 4. Impressively, I was hitting a rock-solid 55 FPS, and that was at 1600p resolution with high settings! No sudden dips, either, but of course, for increased frame rates, I could easily drop the resolution down to 1080p.
Otherwise, here are the gaming benchmarks you can expect on the ROG Flow Z13-KJP:
Impressive, right? It won’t reach the highs of 4K gaming, and it still struggles to deal with ray tracing in titles. But for a 13-inch gaming tablet to deliver smooth frame rates at high settings is a triumph, and I’m sure Death Stranding 2 will perform just as well on this 2-in-1.
Take note: Asus has (again) shipped the ROG Flow Z13-KJP with just 4GB of memory to the GPU by default in settings. So, to make the most of your games and get better frame rates, make sure to head into the AMD app and bump this up to 16GB.
Is it worth it?
Do you enjoy the aesthetic of Death Stranding, and are enthralled by the designs of Kojima Productions? Well, Asus made it tangible with the ROG Flow Z13-KJP. And it helps that this is one mighty machine for on-the-go gaming (and productivity, too).
It’s a beautiful combination of form and function, with the stylish themes of Death Stranding (and Kojima Productions as a whole) tying closely with the practicality of Asus’s 2-in-1 portable gaming beast.
Anyone who’s a fan of Kojima’s works will give this gaming tablet a second glance, but at $3,000+ / £3,599, that’s a hard sell for even a die-hard supporter. It’s a niche product made to be a collector’s item, but it also comes with the premium gaming chops to play the latest titles. Still, it’s not for everyone, but I’m very happy it still exists.
I will say, though, if my wallet allowed me, this would certainly scratch my itch.
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