Next @ Acer 2018

New York is humid. Warm. We were here last year too - same event, same city. It was a large-scale show stuffed with news about several different product lines and fronted by a self-confident Acer who slowly but surely is working to take over the PC world with its products. This year's show was somewhat more restrained, but the assurances that they truly are the most powerful computer manufacturer remains. Taking his place on the stage, Jason Chen tells us about how much the company has grown, what awards they've received, and how they see the future for the PC market.

With growth of 45% year-on-year when it comes to notebooks, it's the new version of the Swift 5 that appears first during the show. There's no major revolution here, but with a larger battery, larger screen (15.6inch with touch features), smaller edges and less than one 1KG of weight, it's an attractive computer that's easy to travel with.

The second laptop showed on stage was the Chromebook Spin 13; a small, light little gadget where the screen can be reversed across the keyboard. Acer calls it the world's most powerful Chromebook, and that sounds reasonable considering it actually has an eighth-generation Intel processor built in. In the same spirit, and with the same similar name, the Chromebook Tablet is also shown. This is a solid tablet built around Google's operating system aimed primarily at schools or other educational centres.

Then it was time to look at the brand new Predator Nitro 50, which comes packing an 8th generation processor with a GTX 1070 or Radeon RX580X and 64GB of RAM. The chassis also includes built-in wireless charging with QI standard, which means that almost any new mobile phone can be charged. It's a pretty small and anonymous-looking computer for those who don't want a spacecraft standing on their desktop.

The next gadget being shown was the Helios 300, one of the world's best-selling gaming laptops. The computer itself isn't new, but there's a refreshed version coming and it's called the Predator Helios 300 Special Edition, which comes in white and gold. It's not just the surface that's new either, as the screen now has 144hz refresh rate and new processors. On top of the fact that the laptop has got a new look, the accessories are getting the same treatment, as backpacks, headphones, and even a mouse are also available in the new colour if you want to match your entire collection.

Then, of course, it's time for the big bad powerhouse otherwise known as the Predator Helios 500. It's a big-ass laptop with a 17" screen, 144hz and G-Sync, Intel I9 processor, and a GTX 1070, cooled in a manner that's similar to Acer's special fans, which are designed to make sure the computer never gets too hot and can be overclocked. Acer's laptops are really classy and it's very exciting to see so much technology pressed into such small case.

Among the desktops we get a first look at the Predator Orion 5000, the little brother to the 9000. We're talking about a computer that would have the IT department at NASA staring enviously as it contains the latest generation of processor, SLI support for two GTX 1080Ti. Before the presentation ends, Jason Chen tells us about something called Predator X and a quick teaser is shown. We don't get to see the machine, but it's said that it'll be able to comfortably multitask thanks to some help from its dual processors, although we didn't get to see this beast during our trip, unfortunately.

Some brand new accessories were also on display, and the Predator Cestus 510 is a cool-looking mouse where the user can customise all the buttons. With 16,000 DPI and 400 IPS, we should get some ruthless precision from it.

If you want to transport your laptop, headphones and other accessories, though, but feel that a regular backpack doesn't really provide adequate protection for your gear then Acer's bag, the Predator Hard Case will be able to withstand a drop from an aircraft with the contents remaining intact even after a 2,000-meter drop. We haven't tried to verify that claim though.

After the presentation, it was time for us to run around the demo floor. It's important to have elastic elbows and firm footing if you don't want to get trampled like Mufasa in the Lion King, or if you want to get your hands on the hottest products available. We took the elevator up to the Predator section first and watched the game-related machines in action. As expected, the Orion computers really scream "new tech" and for a moment we pondered whether it would be worth trying to sneak one out without anyone noticing.

There was a lot to take in from Acer this year, but the statement of intent remains the same, as they've got a ton of tech with tons of power, so it'll be interesting to see what the future holds, especially when it comes to the Predator X.