It's been over 15 years since I first donned the turquoise pigtails and cosplayed Hatsune Miku alongside my Vocaloid-obsessed friend. Multiple photoshoots, Vocaloid games, and too many figures later, I'm deep in the Miku rabbit hole, which is why the second I bore witness to the Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku collab, I knew I had to see it in person.
Miku is the perfect character to serve as the basis for a gaming tech collab. Created by Crypton Future Media, she originated in 2007 as a mascot for one of the many synthetic voices that could be used alongside the Japanese Vocaloid music software Vocaloid, so tech is in the diva's DNA.
Where to order the Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku collection
- Mini Wireless Mouse Hatsune Miku Edition: $109.99 at Best Buy
- P1 Hatsune Miku Edition mouse pad: $24.99 at Best Buy
- H1 GEN II Hatsune Miku Edition, Wired Gaming Headset: $99.99 at Best Buy
- K3 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition keyboard: $99.99 at Best Buy
This brand-new collab features her adorable self represented across an Asus TUF gaming Mini Wireless Mouse, TUF Gaming P1 mouse pad, TUF gaming K3 Gen II gaming keyboard, and most suitably, a TUF Gaming H1 GEN II wired gaming headset. The headset isn't a 1:1 copy of any she's worn throughout her long singing career, but it still perfectly encapsulates her iconic turquoise, pink and white colorscheme, as does the rest of this utterly charming PC accessory line.
Mini Wireless Mouse and P1 Mouse Pad Hatsune Miku Edition
The ASUS TUF Gaming Mini Wireless Mouse (Hatsune Miku Edition) remains one of my favorite parts of the entire collab. It's not going to give the best gaming mice a run for their money, as the TUF Gaming line as a whole is all about producing more budget-friendly peripherals. But it's still packed with a 12,000 DPI optical sensor, mechanical switches, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and wired connectivity, and up to 134 hours worth of battery life.
Asus could have very easily gone down the cheap route, but the compact accessory is full of little design elements that any big Vocaloid fan would get a big kick out of. Most noticeably, Miku's silhouette is featured on the dome and glows the same turquoise color as her pigtails. I do wish the silhouette were a bit bigger, but at least it's bright and luminous and pairs nicely with a half ring of matching light, which sits just below the edge of the mouse.
Other charming details include the "01 Miku" design printed on the right button, which is the perfect homage not just to her CV01 official Vocaloid codename, but also the 01 tattoo often round on her left arm. If you want to display your Miku fandom more proudly, Asus also supplies a set of stickers for both the left and right buttons, too.
Throughout my testing, the mouse was a little smaller than I personally prefer. I'm also a palm grip kind of gal, so I felt I was constantly having to move around my hand and wrist to find a more comfortable hand position. I'm definitely a huge fan of its 65g weight, however, as it was very easy to slide it across the matching P1 mousepad, whether I was selecting songs in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix, or just using it day-to-day to write up hardware news and reviews.
The 260 x 360 mm mouse pad is made up of a non-slip rubber base, and never moved an inch when I didn't want it to. The mousepad itself is a prime example of why Asus is the king of licensed PC tech in my eyes, as it displays a stunning piece of official Hatsune Miku artwork and a series of little details that truly make it feel like fellow Vocaloid fans were behind its design.
Naturally, the TUF Gaming and Vocaloid logos are there, but so are little pink music notes and, of course, the stunning Hasana artwork of Miku too. The whole line has opted for a unique Hatsune Miku outfit, which still encompasses a lot of her original iconic look, which I absolutely adore. The art is so lovely, I honestly felt bad that it was usually hidden under the mouse and my big, chonky hand during testing.
K3 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition keyboard
The K3 Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition keyboard is another one of my favorite parts of this entire collection, as it goes ham with the license and oozes her adorable charm throughout the entire board. The 97-key board features optical-mechanical RGB switches, a Silicone-gasket mount with dampening foam, a detachable top plate, and RGB lighting with Aura Sync support.
Like the headset, this is a wired-only keyboard, and the wire is awkwardly placed in the middle of the board, which is a bit of a pain for cable management. Fortunately for me, my Hatsune Miku-loving eyes were almost always distracted away from the annoying cable and fixated on the adorable custom-printed keycaps instead.
The escape key is all pink, featuring that '01' graphic as seen on the gaming mouse, and the spacebar features the same Hasana art created for the collection, with "born to the different" printed to the side. In amongst the charming turquoise-colored keys, Hatsune Miku's name can be found plastered over one of the enters, and her silhouette appears on the other. Those little heart-shaped music notes also make a re-appearance on some of the function keys, creating what is one of the most gorgeous keyboards I've had the pleasure of placing on my desk.
The keys are super comfortable to press too, whether you're using it for work, or to catch up with the latest Disney Dreamlight Valley updates on Steam. During the multiple weeks I had with the gorgeous collection, I played the Steam version of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix, as what else to test gaming Miku tech than one of her very own games.
Annoyingly, it's not designed with keyboards in mind, and a lot of the Project Diva games originated on Sony hardware. Playing through Magnet using an IJKL layout over the PS Vita controls was not a fun experience, and I could barely get through songs on easy, which was annoying as someone who normally dominates music rhythm games. That's not the keyboard's fault, and at least browsing through the massive song list purely using Hatsune Miku peripherals felt like a nerdy dream come true.
Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition Headset
The Gen II Hatsune Miku Edition Headset is a wired pair of cups sporting 40 mm ASUS Essence audio drivers and a TeamSpeak-certified unidirectional mic. It's designed with PS5 support in mind, but it's definitely not going to give the best PS5 headsets a run for their money anytime soon, as Asus made the decision to opt for a USB-A connection or a 3.5mm jack. Sure, I could and did pop it in one of the USB ports on my Sony console, but as my sofa is on the other side of the room, it wasn't the most ideal way to play the new season of Marvel Rivals, or any game for that matter.
At least, the headset itself looks really snazzy, if I do say so myself as the resident GamesRadar+ hardware team Miku fan. Like the rest of the collection, the cups feature the same turquoise, white, and pink colorway, but to me, it's the nicest-looking accessory out of the bunch. The turquoise headband and matching leather-coated cushioned earcups are so nice, I could easily see the headset being one Miku would actually wear on stage.
To mirror the gaming mouse, the left cup features a Miku silhouette that lights up the second you hook the headset up to your PC, and the right has the TUF Gaming logo. Each light is bright and looks super flashy if you're on a Discord video call to your friends, but not bright enough that it catches the glare of your PC monitor, which I fully appreciated.
When it comes to the sound, the wired headset wasn't enough to make me put away the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, which shouldn't be too surprising given its limited features. Its 40mm ASUS Essence audio drivers don't sound bad, but the lower bass frequencies in my favorite Vocaloid tracks, from Just Be Friends to Magnet, felt a bit hollow. Without that gut-punching bass, even Anamanaguchi's Miku sounded a bit lifeless, too.
Should you buy the ASUS TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku collection?
If you're a Hatsune Miku fan who has been dreaming of putting together one of the best gaming PC setups that's dedicated to the virtual singing sensation, then by all means, the Asus TUF Gaming collection would make a perfect addition to your desk.
With the Mini Wireless Mouse just $109.99, the P1 mouse pad just $24.99, the K3 Gen II keyboard just $99.99 and the H1 GEN II gaming headset just $99.99, this is a reasonably inexpensive way to inject your setup with as much Miku-goodness as possible - if you can find it in stock. As it sometimes goes with licensed tech, you aren't getting the very best in gaming peripherals Asus has to offer here, so if performance is your biggest concern, this is not the collection for you.
The collection feels more like it was created with Miku fans in mind who want a cute and cozy setup, while showing off their favorite virtual singer. As someone who has not only cosplayed a ridiculous number of versions of Miku, and owns a fair share of Miku figures and merch, I feel the perfect intended audience for a collection like this, and it's definitely won me over with its stunning artwork and unique use of her default outfit colorscheme.
This collection isn't it as far as Asus Hatsune Miku hardware goes, as there's also a ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card on its way, featuring the same art and color combinations. That's good news for those of you who like all of your PC tech to be perfectly synchronized, but I can't help but wish a soundbar and a wireless controller were also on the cards.
Playing Vocaloid games, like Project DIVA Mega Mix on Steam, are more suited for a controller, especially as the original arcade games feature massive PlayStation-branded buttons. Not only would having a controller available feel more fitting, but as Vocaloid is all about music, an officially licensed Hatsune Miku soundbar would also feel like a perfect addition to the line.
Even with my little quibbles with the set, I hope this is the start of more Asus collabs to come. If they can use their ROG division to create multiple collections for characters from the anime Evangelion, having another TUF Gaming lineup styled around Megurine Luka, or even one for Kagamine Rin & Len, would give myself, and fellow fans, more options and more ways to show off their love of all things Vocaloid.
The limited edition Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Miku collection is available from today (July 14) in Microcenter and Best Buy stores in the US, and there's plans to make some of it available on Amazon later this month.
If this Asus TUF Gaming Hatsune Collab isn't for you, check out our guides to the best gaming chair, best PC controller for gaming, and our guide for the best RAM for gaming so you can find the best add-ons for your PC rig.
