The 12.3-inch auxiliary monitor is designed for chat, system monitoring and touch controls, but its cable demands and near-monitor pricing limit its appeal.
Asus’s ROG Strix XG129C is a compact 12.3-inch touchscreen aimed at users who want an additional display without sacrificing much desk space. It is best understood as a narrow auxiliary panel rather than a general-purpose gaming monitor. In practice, it suits system monitoring, chat windows and light touch control, especially where a full-sized second screen would be awkward. Reviewers have consistently described it as a niche product, but one with a clear use case for cramped setups.
The display itself is unusual. Asus uses a 12.3-inch IPS panel with a 1,920 x 720 resolution in a 24:9 format, which produces a long, slim image area rather than a conventional small monitor shape. PC Gamer noted that the 75Hz refresh rate and 300 nits of brightness are adequate for static information, but not especially compelling for gaming. Asus says the 10-point multitouch layer is intended to make interaction easier, while the wide layout is designed to show Discord chats, guides or AIDA64 system data with less wasted space.
Connectivity is where the XG129C becomes more demanding than it first appears. The monitor has HDMI, a USB-C port for power and another USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode, but touch input also depends on USB-C being connected to the PC. That means some systems may need separate connections for video, power and touch, which can quickly turn a small monitor into a cable-heavy setup. Can Buy or Not and PCWorld both highlighted that requirement as one of the product’s most practical limitations.
Asus bundles a one-year subscription to AIDA64 Extreme, along with ROG SensorPanel themes for showing CPU and GPU temperatures, usage graphs and similar data. The company also provides its DisplayWidget Centre software for changing settings, and its Dial & Control Panel tools for custom shortcut-style controls. That combination gives the XG129C a degree of flexibility that a normal portable display does not have, but it also makes the product harder to recommend broadly. At S$339 through Shopee and Lazada, or S$299 on Challenger when available, it is priced close enough to full-sized monitors that many buyers may prefer to spend a little more for a conventional second screen, unless desk space is at a premium.
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