COMPUTEX 2018 Partners with Gaming Suppliers to Create the Ultimate Experience

Sep 06, 2018

Hardware-software integration boosts the next generation of gaming

Gaming is one of the hottest topics at COMPUTEX 2018 as the event enters its fourth day. It’s the dawn of a golden age in the gaming market, with gaming suppliers gathering at COMPUTEX 2018 to launch new products while major gaming competitions are in full swing. As gaming has become a key revenue engine for leading PC brands around the world, its ever-increasing output is driving growth for companies throughout the industry chain, and enterprises are rushing to develop gaming software and hardware that promise high quality, compact and light-weight, state-of-the-art products, and one-of-a-kind player experiences.

According to Netherlands-based research firm Newzoo, global gaming production output will reach US$905.6 million in 2018, up 38% from the previous year. PC companies around the world are cashing in on the hype and introducing gaming consoles and peripherals to satisfy a wide range of player needs. This year, COMPUTEX 2018 teamed up with nearly 70 suppliers from Taiwan and abroad, including Acer, ADATA, ASRock, ASUS, G.Skill, MSI, Razer and Thermaltake to present heatsinks, water-cooling technologies, and gaming devices in the different exhibition areas. Products on display range from mainboards, laptops, PC cases, high-end graphics cards, power supplies and memory to peripherals like monitors, keyboards, mice, headsets and speakers, showcasing the complete gaming industry chain.

Leading brands purse high-performance smaller, thinner, lighter-weight with more aesthetical designs

Leading IT companies have started tapping the gaming market in the post-PC era. Stability, speed, and performance are critical hardware elements for eSports players. Big brands like Asus, MSI, and ZOTAC have rolled out smaller devices with high-performance specs in the past few years, allowing players to enter the world of high-quality gaming with ease. Contrary to the stereotypical notion of gaming consoles as clunky machines, these products have redefined and reimagined next-generation gaming devices.

At COMPUTEX 2018, MSI demonstrated the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin, the world’s first 144Hz thin bezel gaming laptop with minimized dimensions. The Stealth Thin features a 144Hz, 7ms IPS gaming-grade display that elevates the gaming and entertainment experience with clear and vibrant visuals. At the international exhibitor area, ZOTAC introduced the VR GO2.0, its next-generation backpack PC that just won the COMPUTEX d&i awards. Smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the product sports an ergonomic design with space between the body and the back to enhance ventilation. In addition, ASUS rolled out its game-changing ROG phone that transforms the portable mobile phone into a gaming console. This device focuses on performance and control where mobile games can be freely switched over to a desktop interface with extensions like large screens, network cables, or expanded memory for an optimal experience on both mobile phone and PC.

Gaming hardware-software integration with added AI/VR innovations enhance the user experience

As people start to value eSports and even recognize it as a formal sports category, gaming software, devices, and peripherals are quickly emerging in the market. COMPUTEX visitors find that in addition to high-quality devices from international exhibitors, manufacturers are also adding a touch of customization to their products and incorporating software technologies enabled by AI or VR to improve the player experience. Their focus on audio/visual effects and graphics performance reveals that software-hardware integration has become a critical manufacturer strategy for product development and greater competitiveness.

This year, Thermaltake went all out to promote its AI voice control software line, TT RGB Plus. The company also had an on-site demonstration for TT AI, a voice control technology that supports both Android and iOS mobile devices as well as the Amazon Alexa smart speaker. The technology enhances human-machine interaction to create a new user experience. StarVR, a subsidiary of Acer that focuses on location-based entertainment and high-end commercial VR applications, demonstrated a self-developed VR headset that boasts 5120×1440 resolution and a 210-degree field of view. The headset promises a VR experience that is much more immersive compared to similar products with a 110-degree field of view. Meanwhile, G.Skill introduced its new high-speed RGB memory with vivid, compelling lighting effects and gaming peripherals like keyboards, mice, headsets, and power supplies. Through hardware-software integration, the company can also help players build PCs that reflect their own personal styles and satisfy the high-end customers’ hardware performance needs.

 “As eSports becomes a worldwide phenomenon and the number of fans continues to increase, we believe that gaming competitions will be as popular as traditional sports events like the FIFA World Cup. Players’ constant pursuit for a more immersive experience and devices of better specs is driving growth throughout the PC supply chain. In view of that, many companies have started to invest in related R&D and innovative applications, which in turn is boosting eSports revenues and opening up new opportunities in the post-PC era. This is the critical time for eSports to disrupt the technology industry and TAITRA hopes to use COMPUTEX as a platform to stimulate PC technology advancements and exchange of product know-how, as we seek to build a gaming ecosystem in Taiwan.” said Mr. Walter Yeh, TAITRA President & CEO.

Leading manufacturers of motherboards, PC cases, and cooling systems have gathered at COMPUTEX 2018 to demonstrate the world’s top gaming products. Moreover, both ZOTAC Cup Masters CS:GO and the Cooler Master Extreme Overclocking Show will hold their finals on June 9, when top players from all over the world will compete for the championship titles on the final day of COMPUTEX 2018. COMPUTEX is committed to promoting cutting-edge technologies and encouraging innovations and will continue to work with global companies to showcase the diversity of gaming products to create a prosperous market outlook and new business opportunities in the post-PC era.

Source: COMPUTEX