ASUS Unveils World's First Wi-Fi 8 Gaming Router with 'Octopus' Design

Summary

At Gamescom 2026, ASUS officially unveiled the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 series, the world's first Wi-Fi 8 gaming router, marking the next generation of wireless standard in gaming networking. The series includes two models: the GT-BN98 Pro, targeting North America, and the GT-BN98, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, with slightly different band combinations to suit regional spectrum allocations. Visually, the GT-BN98 retains ROG's iconic 'octopus' design, featuring a mecha-style red-black and silver-gray finish, with 8 external copper-tube antennas arranged in a ring pattern to significantly enhance signal coverage for large gaming environments. Under the hood, it packs a 4-core 2.6GHz processor, 2GB RAM, and 256MB flash storage, coupled with tri-band Wi-Fi 8 technology, delivering higher aggregate throughput and lower latency, especially beneficial for cloud gaming, competitive multiplayer, and VR applications. For players, Wi-Fi 8 represents a leap in wireless performance, overcoming previous bottlenecks and providing a more reliable connection than ever. For the industry, ASUS's early move not only consolidates its leadership in high-end gaming networking but also accelerates the commercial adoption of Wi-Fi 8, prompting other brands to follow and upgrade the overall gaming network experience.