In some years, there hasn’t been a lot at Computex that’s truly new. 2024 is not one of those years. We got new AI chipsets from AMD and Intel and a closer look at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus silicon. In addition to the AI takeover of Computex, companies went all out in unveiling new handheld gaming PCs, and we also saw a large investment in the sim racing space from companies like Corsair and Thermaltake.
If there was ever a year to pay wrapt attention to Computex news, this was the one.
I've spent the last week speaking to every major brand and getting my hands on every product I could, so for everyone who couldn’t make it out to Taiwan, here’s our list of the top ten products from Computex this year.
Acer Predator SpatialLabs View 27
Acer has shown off the Spatiallabs 3D technology before, and we are completely blown away every single time. This year at Computex, Acer set up two Predator SpatialLabs monitors on the show floor to let fans duke it out in Street Fighter 6 in 3D. It doesn’t sound too impressive, but the Spatiallabs 3D eye-tracking has only gotten smoother since the 2022 Predator Helios Spatiallabs edition.
Asus ROG Concept Dali
The longer I looked at it, the more impressive the Asus ROG Concept Dali got. The e-ink cover display may only have six colors, but they look so much better than any e-ink I’ve ever seen. This laptop is only a concept for now, but if enough people demand it, we could see a version of the Concept Dali go into production.
MSI MEG 321URX monitor
MSI bills the MEG 321URX as the world’s first AI monitor, and it very well may be. The monitor saw some attention back at CES earlier this year, but personally I think the Monster Hunter: Rise demo at Computex made a better case for why you’d want a monitor with an NPU in it. In terms of PvP games, the enemy detection features could present an unfair advantage, but in a coop game like Monster Hunter, it just seems like a logical next step in monitor tech.
Asus ROG Harpe Aim Extreme
The Asus ROG Harpe Ace Extreme is one of those products where picking up the demo unit on the Computex show floor, I assumed it was just a dummy mouse because it was so light it didn’t even feel like Asus put a battery in it. It’s a carbon-fiber ultralight mouse designed for competitive eSports players who need quick reaction times. But its also so light it could be a very convenient travel mouse for those looking to save weight in their carry-on luggage.
Corsair Sim Racing
This is still just a prototype, so Corsair has yet to give this sim racing cockpit a name, but it is a fully customizable, modular system. The pedal block and seat can each move, the racing wheel can also be extended closer to the driver, there are slots along the outside rails to connect a shifter to either side of the cockpit, and there’s even space for your gaming and streaming accessories like an Elgato Stream Deck. The thing that really sold me on this cockpit is its height range. Supporting gamers as small as 4’8” to over 6’. The frame will also fit most existing sim racing gear, so you can bring over your favorite accessories. It can also support up to 4 monitors or a 65-inch TV.
MSI Claw 8 AI+
The Lunar Lake update to the MSI Claw was first unveiled this week alongside a Fallout-themed version of the current 7-inch Claw. While we’ve had some difficulties with the base model of MSI’s handheld, the promised updates like an 8-inch IPS display and 80-watt-hour battery coming with the new version later this year are enough to have us excited regardless.
Drop x Lord of the Rings keyboards
Drop’s customizable keyboards are an enthusiast’s dream. Not only can you swap the case materials between ultralight carbon fiber to 24-karat brass, but you can also add weights to the base, hot-swap switch plates and keycaps, and change out the gaskets. Drop recently partnered with The Lord of The Rings for a series of Elvish, Dwarvish, and Black Speech keyboards and keycaps. They even have artisan keycaps styled after The One Ring and a Barad-Dûr keycap holder.
Acemagic X-1 dual-screen
Dual-screen laptops have kind of decided on a set design with a screen on the top and bottom of the traditional clamshell form factor. The Acemagic X-1 is different. It opens horizontally on a 360-degree hinge with a keyboard below the primary display. Controls on the keyboard’s function row allow you to mirror the display, extend the display, or display only on one screen. What makes the X-1 so interesting is that, with a 360-degree hinge, it becomes the ideal laptop for running presentations, with the second display flipped around to the back of the first.
SCUF Nomad
The SCUF Nomad is hoping to break the hold that the Backbone has on the mobile gaming community. Optimized for iPhones, the Nomad takes everything SCUF knows about gamepads and translates it into an adjustable phone controller with comfortable grips, hall-effect joysticks, and custom-mappable buttons. It’s the most comfortable phone controller I’ve held so far.
Gigabyte AI Top
Okay yes this is a desktop and normally we at Laptop Mag don’t really cover those. But the Gigabyte AI Top is a full desktop ecosystem designed to allow small developers to train their own large language models and small language models without needing to rent AI processing from a cloud computing service or buy a whole server farm. It’s a more budget and security-conscious way for small developers to create and train their own AI software, which could lead to better AI programs for the rest of us to use on our personal computers. Which makes it noteworthy all on its own.
