The market for portable displays that can be plugged into a laptop must be somewhat thriving. But Asus is changing that oversight with the ROG Strix XG17AHPE, a 17.3-inch portable display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. This is like packing the core specs of the best gaming monitors into a smaller form factor.

Asus is one of two companies I know of with plans to target gamers with portable 240Hz displays; MSI is the other, and if the market proves large enough, companies like Gigabyte, AOC, and Samsung will follow suit. But that is a long way off.

The XG17 first appeared at last year's Computex, but has since disappeared. Now Asus has published a product page with a full list of specs. Here are the details:

The built-in battery is an interesting bonus, and Asus claims it can be used for up to 3.5 hours at 240Hz; a one-hour charge will provide 120 minutes of runtime.

Connectivity options include a USB Type-C port, a micro HDMI 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Note that some laptops do not have a DisplayPort input, which may be useful. These open up the possibility of connecting not only laptops, but also smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and even cameras.

"For what it's worth," straight from Asus...

"Mobile graphics processors are getting faster with each generation, perfect for rendering the latest AAA titles at playable frame rates on the go. But today, serious gamers need more than just smooth 60fps; the esports world demands higher performance for quick reactions, and high-resolution refresh displays are the norm for both practice and competition. The ROG Strix XG17 takes on the challenge of delivering ultra-high refresh gaming wherever you go," Asus explains. [This is because while higher refresh rates are permeating the market, 60Hz is still the most common. But beyond that, this could be an interesting accessory for use with Google's cloud gaming platform, Stadia. Overall, however, I think you will find that this is a relatively niche category.

Unfortunately, Asus has not yet announced a price and release date. However, a product page has been created, so we would expect to see it in retail stores relatively soon.