Asus has officially announced the world's first Thunderbolt 5 external graphics card, the 2025 XG Mobile, a potent single-cable portable docking station that promises to revolutionize the way we approach portable gaming and computing.

This sleek, smoky black translucent box may not look like a gaming PC, but it packs a punch, adding the power of Nvidia's top-flight GeForce RTX 5090 mobile chip, up to 140 watts of electricity, two monitors, a USB and SD-card-reading hub, and 5Gbps ethernet simultaneously to any laptop or handheld device it's connected to.

The 2025 XG Mobile is not only the first Thunderbolt 5 external graphics card but also one of the first Thunderbolt 5 docks, leveraging the new 80 gigabit per second bidirectional link to do more with a single cable than ever before. This means that users can enjoy up to 64Gbps of bandwidth for its Nvidia graphics, more than USB4 and tied with Oculink.

What sets the 2025 XG Mobile apart from its predecessors is its use of a standard Thunderbolt 5 connector, making it compatible with any Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 laptop or handheld, including Asus' own ROG Ally X. This marks a significant departure from Asus' last-gen XG Mobile, which required a proprietary port found only on a few Asus devices.

Asus has managed to fit all this power and functionality into a sub-2.2-pound package with a fold-out kickstand, making it 25 percent lighter and 18 percent smaller than the previous proprietary model. The device also features HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 for video output, a pair of 10Gbps USB-A ports, and a vertical stand.

However, this level of portable power comes at a cost. The top-tier XG Mobile with an RTX 5090 laptop chip will set buyers back $2,199.99, although Asus does plan to offer a lower-end $1,199.99 version with Nvidia's mobile RTX 5070 Ti. While it may not be the most powerful eGPU on the market, the 2025 XG Mobile's compact design and versatility make it an attractive option for those seeking a potent travel desktop solution.

Asus' innovative device is expected to arrive later in Q1, and its impact on the gaming and computing industries will be closely watched. With the growing adoption of Thunderbolt 5 technology, the 2025 XG Mobile may be just the beginning of a new era in portable computing and gaming.