Acer announced the release of another FreeSync monitor to their lineup. The Predator XR343CKP offers a 34", ultrawide, curved IPS panel with a 3440 x 1440 resolution. Being an IPS panel, the 1 ms response time (with MPRT, so, an added blur reduction mode is taken into account for this response time) is a premium specification. It features an up to 100 Hz refresh rate with FreeSync technology enabling variable refreshes without screen tearing.

The panel offers a typical 1,000:1 contrast ratio with a relatively low 350 cd/m² typical brightness, 172/178 viewing angles, 1.07 billion color depth and standard sRGB color gamut. Display Inputs include HDMI, DisplayPort, and 5x USB ports. All of this can be available for the modest amount of $1799... Which isn't at all the number I expected to be quitting based on the specs alone, and looking at other market offerings. But that's what's being shown on Acer's page - though some retailers, such as Amazon Germany, are offering this for some €893 (~$1000), which is much more realistic.

The gaming market is one with high gross margins in the vast majority of its product lines - this is easily seen with the number of companies that have just slapped the same aesthetic look and "gaming" branding to otherwise "normal" product lines. One such instance, in particular, is the gaming monitor segment, where increasing perception of more competitiveness with higher refresh-rate monitors has brought about an urge to upgrade in the market - and not the least of which was brought about by games such as PUBG and Fortnite (the former even sparked an upgrade frenzy in China's Internet Cafes as they vied for ever more customers who would get an edge on their store over others that didn't sport these high refresh-rate monitors).

According to TrendForce's report, ASUS is the worldwide sales leader i the gaming monitor segment, followed by Acer, with AOC/Philips coming in a close third. TrendForce reports that the increased demand has seen shipment of gaming-grade (or at least branded) monitors has doubled in 2018 compared to last year, and that a sector that has increased significantly is the one of curved monitors, which has been taken up chiefly by Samsung, bringing it to the fourth spot in the manufacturer race. The curved monitor market has achieved a 50% stake in the whole of the gaming monitor, led chiefly by China's demand.

I'm pretty sure many of our readers devote part of their time not only to enjoy video games, but also to broadcast their games via YouTube, Twitch, Mixer or some other alternative. Live Streaming has become a phenomenon for users, but also for hardware & software developers. Suddenly a new, juicy cake appears on the market, and everyone wants a piece.

That's precisely what Streamlabs, developer of Streamlabs OBS is announcing. This free broadcasting app offers more options and a faster and easier startup for beginners than the original solution, OBS (Open Broadcast Software). The company has teamed up with Intel to develop PCs specially dedicated to live streaming. They won't be alone, as they've also partnered with Shuttle, SimplyNUC, ZOTAC and Acer. All of them will join forces to offer hardware solutions with Streamlabs OBS (which by the way, is still in beta stage) and various optimizations for this field already pre-installed.

Acer has announced two incoming budget-yet-premium gaming monitors to power AMD's FreeSync-supporting graphics cards. The new XZ1 series will come in 27" (XZ271U) and 31.5" (XZ321QU), thus appealing to two different market segments. The new monitors both sport a 144 Hz, 1 ms, 16:9 VA panel with WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution. Both are curved affairs; contrast stands at 3000:1; color coverage is at 85% of the NTSC color-space; and we're saying they are HDR10 ready because with their maximum brightness of 250 and 300 cd/m², respectively, they'll never be able to showcase the tiniest amount of HDR10 detail. Like the initial HD ready TVs which only supported 720p resolution but could process higher-density images, so does this HDR10 badge not mean there's an actual ability to properly display HDR10 content as it was meant to be.

Connectivity stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x mini DisplayPort 1.2, and 2x HDMI 2.0 headers. There are two 7 W stereo speakers and a headphone jack in each monitor, as well as a quad-port USB 3.0 Type-A hub. The stands can tilt between -5 to 25 degrees, swivel +/- 25 degrees, and provide height adjustments of up to 120 mm. Both panels can now be purchased at Amazon.com, with pricing set at $527 and $550 respectively (not final retail pricing for the Americas).

Acer at IFA 2018 today announced new monitors catering to both NVIDIA and AMD users - those who want to take advantage of either G-Sync or FreeSync capabilities in gamer-centric monitors, that is. As it stands, Acer has been using the Predator branding for its G-Sync enabled monitors, while the Nitro lineup stands on AMD's side. For NVIDIA, Acer is sticking its guns on the single XB273K - a $1,299 with G-Sync, 144 Hz refresh rates, and an IPS panel, running at 4K resolution. The Predator XB273K covers 90 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut, and is VESA DisplayHDR 400-certified. It also offers Acer's exclusive VisionCare technology to help your eyes manage long gaming sessions with technologies including flicker-free, low-dimming and blue light emission reduction. Oh - and it includes a shroud to protect your gaming feats from prying eyes.

ACER at IFA 2018 announced a new Windows MR headset, with improved build quality and features compared to its first product for that particular market. The OJO 500 features a very respectable 100º FOV, and its two 2.89-inch. 2880x1440 panels offer the 90 Hz refresh rate that's so important for nausea prevention in this kind of setups. There's integrated audio with what Acer calls a "patented sound pipe" that moves sound from the headset's speakers directly to users' ears - and there's a built-in mic array.

Upgrades to the body of the headset mean that the lens casing and strap (in a hard or soft version, with the latter being machine washable) can now be easily removed for easier cleaning duties, and the visor can be lifted so you can actually see what's going on in the real world. Other quality of life (and image quality) improvements include an IPD (Inter Pupillary Distance) dial that allows you to regulate for better image quality and visualization comfort. Two motion controllers will be bundled with the headset, which features inside-out tracking and 6 DoF (Degrees of Freedom). The headset comes with a 4 meter (13 feet) cable, and connects to a PC via HDMI 2.0, while a USB 3.0 connector downloads data (no VirtuaLink support as of yet). It will be available come November of this year for $399 in the US and for a much more eye-watering €499 in the EMEA.

Acer have gone out of their way in designing a gaming chair that makes all other huddle, frightened, in a corner. The Thronos is built upon an "excessively grandiose" philosophy (my words, not Acers'), and... Saying that it's eye-catching really doesn't cover it. No. The Thronos is the gaming chair equivalent of a Redwood tree - you may wish to avoid it, but it's just impossible to look away. Especially because of its 1,5 m height, over 485 pounds in weight (oh don't you just love the price of shipping on that one).

The Thronos is a battle-station, a command center that houses up to three 27" monitors (the cockpit is actually motorized to allow you to adjust these as you see fit) and your gaming rig of choice (be it a Predator-branded one or not), and is fully built in smoky black steel. Built in the same design language of other Predator products, the Thronos has white or blue accents cut into the metal and illuminated via LEDs. The chair reclines a full 140 degrees and features a built-in foot rest. Did we mention it has vibration motors that work alongside the game you're playing? Pricing of this monstrosity wasn't unveiled, but it will not, in any circumstance, be cheap, and you should expect something in the few thousands of greenbacks.A video of this craziness follows.

Acer announced plans to spin-off a portion of its PC peripherals division to a gaming peripherals brand of its own. The company sees opportunity in the swelling, high-margin gaming peripherals market, as online PC gaming is on the rise, and gamers look to eke out competitive edge through better peripherals. The name of the brand is expected to be "GT," short for Gadget Technology.

GT will sell gaming keyboards, mice, mousing surfaces, headsets, gaming chairs, and suitcases to carry your hardware to BYO events. The date set for the spin-off is September 14. GT will be given a paid-in capital of about $1.5 million. There's no word on how this move will affect Acer's Predator line of pre-built gaming desktops and notebooks. In all likelihood we could see GT peripherals re-badged under the Acer Predator logo included with those products, or provided as options.

Ahead of its launch, AMD's mainstream Ryzen 5 2500X quad-core processor made its first appearance in an OEM pre-built desktop, the Acer Nitro N50-100. The 2500X is a 4-core/8-thread part clocked at 3.60 GHz with 4.00 GHz boost, and XFR 2.0 boosting it further. It's expected to be launched alongside the new entry-level Ryzen 3 2300X and the HEDT Ryzen Threadripper 2000 series processors later this year.

Priced at 943.50€, the Acer Nitro N50-100 combines the AMD Ryzen 5 2500X with a Radeon RX 580 4 GB graphics card, and 8 GB of single-channel DDR4 memory. It also features 256 GB of SSD storage, and a 1 TB secondary HDD. Connectivity includes 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, USB 3.1 gen 2, and DVD-RW ODD. Windows 10 Home comes pre-installed. You can customize this desktop with faster socket AM4 processor options, more RAM, and bigger SSDs.

Acer America today announced the U.S. availability of the Acer ProDesigner BM270, a 27-inch monitor producing brilliant 4K UHD (3840x2160@60Hz) visuals with first-rate color reproduction featuring Delta E<1 color accuracy. It also features an adjustable shading hood and Acer Display Widget for easily creating and saving individual profiles and settings via mouse clicks.

"Our latest HDR monitor for content creators boasts outstanding color tuning and uniformity compensation to provide sharp images with stunningly rich color," said Ronald Lau, director - stationary computing. "Its new Acer Display Widget makes adjusting settings simpler than ever, while the adjustable shading hood is ideal for color critical projects."

Acer today at its japan-specific news page revealed the launch of two new desktop monitors that really do defy convention on the real-estate that you can have plopped right in front of your eyes. The new 49" EB490QKbmiiipfx and 55" EB550Kbmiiipx displays (ehrm... a little more attention to the naming convention, Acer?) deliver what's expected to be a sub-par HDR experience (due to their maximum 300 cd/m² brightness), even though they do tout HDR 10 certification. Response times are being set at 4 ms for both models, with a 1,200:1 contrast ratio.

The monitors feature blue-light reduction technology, and 2x 5 W speakers are par of the course. "Flickerless" technology points our proverbial ears to some sort of variable refresh rate technology, but nothing else from the translation seems to suggest this. Input listing points to 1x HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2 compatible), 2x HDMI 1.4, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2 ports. Apparently, these will be launched in Asia first, for 70,000 yen (550 EUR/USD) and 100,000 yen (799 EUR/USD) for the 49" and 55" panels, respectively, starting on June 21st.

Just a while ago the first 4K 144 Hz monitors became available with the ASUS PG27UQ and Acer X27. These $2,000 monitors no longer force gamers to pick between high-refresh rate or high resolution, since they support 3840x2160 and refresh rates up to 144 Hz. However, reviews of early-adopters report a noticeable degradation in image quality when these monitors are running at 144 Hz. Surprisingly refresh rates of 120 Hz and below look perfectly sharp.The underlying reason for that is the DisplayPort 1.4 interface, which provides 26 Gbits/s of bandwidth, just enough for full 4K at 120 Hz. So monitor vendors had to get creative to achieve the magic 144 Hz that they were shooting for. The solution comes from old television technology in form of chroma subsampling (YCbCr), which, in the case of these monitors, transmits the grayscale portion of the image at full resolution (3840x2160) and the color information at half the horizontal resolution (1920x2160).

Acer is providing visitors with an immersive gaming experience at Computex 2018 in Taipei by showcasing its full line of gaming PCs and gadgets, as well as bringing in celebrity gamers to get in on the action with Acer gaming devices. In addition to the company's booth at the Computex exhibition hall, Acer has created product experience rooms, locating them in downtown Taipei and opening them to the public so passers-by can experience Acer's latest gaming PCs and gear, and even compete against celebrity gamers. In line with Acer's vision of breaking barriers between people and technology, this year's exhibit at Computex gives consumers and the media new ways to experience the latest gaming technology.

"Acer is dedicated to bringing breakthrough gaming experiences to consumers through the Predator brand, and this year we are making the latest technology more accessible to the general public by bringing them from the showground to the streets," said Tiffany Huang, President of Corporate Marketing, Business Planning and Operations, Acer Inc. "We hope that through Acer's efforts, Computex 2018 will become more than just an international event for buyers, but an inclusive celebration of technology for everyone to enjoy."

Acer today announced the new Altos R880 F4 GPU server ahead of GTC Taiwan 2018. It can host up to eight NVIDIA Tesla V100 32GB SXM2 GPU accelerators, where every GPU pair includes one PCIe slot for high-speed interconnect.

The Acer Altos R880 F4 is a member of the HGX-T1 class of NVIDIA GPU-Accelerated Server Platforms. It can significantly enhance performance by using parallel computing power for various applications, including oil and gas, defense, financial services, research, manufacturing, media and entertainment, 3D rendering, deep learning, and mission-critical applications.

Acer is preparing one of the first few premium gaming notebooks to pack a combination of AMD Ryzen 7 2700 8-core processor and Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics. Unlike the Intel+NVIDIA original, this Predator Helios variant makes use of desktop-on-mobile processors, as do most desktop-replacement notebooks and portable workstations. The variant benefits from the low TDP and high energy efficiency of the Ryzen 7 2700, and runs it at its stock speeds. This is no small feat, because the Intel+NVIDIA option of the notebook packs a Core i9-8950HK (6-core/12-thread) "Coffee Lake" processor with 45W rated TDP.

The Radeon RX Vega 56 is the other surprising component choice here, considering that the notebook's 17.3-inch display only has Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, which can be hauled by an RX 580, even at higher refresh-rate, and FreeSync thrown in. The Intel+NVIDIA model's GPU option is the GeForce GTX 1070 (which is slower than the RX Vega 56). Other components include 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory, 256 GB NVMe SSD storage, 1 TB of HDD storage, and Killer Doubleshot Pro networking.

Acer today unveiled its new Predator Orion 5000 series gaming desktops, designed for gamers who require superior performance and an adaptable chassis for future expansion. The company also released the mid-range Predator Orion 3000 series gaming desktops, as well as an expanded collection of Predator accessories designed to support gamers as they tackle their mission of choice.

"Getting the specs right is just half the fight. Predator Orion desktops provide a well-rounded choice for gamers with a striking chassis, built-in airflow management, expandability, and award-winning software that brings everything together," said Jeff Lee, General Manager, Stationary Computing, IT Products Business, Acer. "We're excited to add the new 5000 and 3000 series to the Predator Orion family, and together with the top-of-the-line Predator Orion 9000, Acer is providing a full lineup of gaming desktops that cater to a wide range of needs."

Acer today introduced two new premium Chromebooks designed for business use - the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 and the Acer Chromebook 13. Both models feature a stylish and durable all-aluminum design and a full HD+ 13.5-inch display in a 3:2 aspect ratio. The new Acer Chromebooks are powered by 8th Gen Intel Core processors providing exceptional performance and battery life for productivity on the go.

The convertible Chromebook Spin 13 (CP713-1WN) has 360-degree hinges for use as a tablet, notebook, display, or in tent-mode. It comes with a Wacom stylus (for pen input) that can be conveniently stored in the device slot. The Acer Chromebook 13 (CB713-1W) opts for the traditional notebook design for keyboard-heavy tasks.

Acer today introduced the Acer Chromebook Spin 15 (CP315-1H), the industry's first convertible Chromebook with a 15.6-inch display. The large touchscreen display pairs with the convertible 360-degree design to deliver a powerful and portable Chromebook with first-rate entertainment and productivity capabilities. In addition, Acer is launching a new Chromebook 15 (CB315-1H/1HT) line that pairs a large 15-inch display and long 14-hour battery life at a budget-friendly price.

"Acer has led the Chromebook market with a wide range of form factors, sizes and designs to meet the needs of our customers, and we're expanding our line with new exciting 15-inch models today," said James Lin, General Manager, Commercial & Detachable Notebooks, IT Products Business at Acer. "Acer's new Chromebooks with large 15-inch Full HD displays are ideal for collaborating on projects for work and school, enjoying streaming media and running the latest apps. Plus, the Acer Chromebook Spin 15 is the company's first to combine a large 15.6-inch display with a convertible design, so customers can use the device in different modes."

Acer today announced its new Swift 5 notebook designed for users who want superb portability, solid performance, and a touch of style. With a 15-inch display, the elegant chassis weighs less than 1 kg (2.2 lbs), ideal for people always on the go. The Swift 5 is powered by Windows 10, the latest Intel Core processors and features exceptional performance and battery life that lasts through the workday.

"There's been great feedback on Acer's amazingly light 14-inch Swift 5, and we are now pushing the limits with the 15.6-inch model," said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "We've kept the weight under the 1 kg mark by using ultra-narrow bezels and a marginally larger chassis."

Acer unveiled two new Predator Helios gaming notebooks today at the next@acer global press conference in New York. They include the exceptionally powerful Predator Helios 500, featuring up to 8th Gen Intel Core i9+ processors, and the Predator Helios 300 Special Edition that includes upgraded specs from its predecessor and a distinctive white chassis. Both feature VR-Ready performance, advanced thermal technologies, and blazing-fast connectivity.

"We've expanded our Predator Helios gaming notebook line in response to popular demand from gamers seeking extreme performance on the go," said Jerry Kao, President of IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "The Predator Helios 500 and Helios 300 gaming notebooks feature Acer's proprietary thermal technologies and powerful components that, coupled with our award-winning software, deliver unparalleled gaming experiences."

Acer today unveiled new Nitro Series gaming desktop PCs and monitors that expand its Nitro product family, designed for outstanding casual gameplay at affordable prices. The new Acer Nitro 50 Series desktops and Nitro VG0 and RG0 Series monitors easily handle demanding processing and graphics requirements for both content creation and consumption.

• Powered by up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPUs, Acer Nitro 50 Series desktops offer performance that exceeds the needs of casual gamers and can easily handle graphic-intensive tasks.
• Sleek and stylish, the new Acer Nitro VG0 and RG0 series monitors both earned 2018 Red Dot Design Awards.
• They feature AMD Radeon FreeSync and up to a 1 ms Visual Response Boost to deliver smooth and tear-free gameplay.

Acer today announced that several of its popular Windows 10 notebook lines are the industry's first to offer Alexa pre-installed, including the Acer Spin 3 and Acer Spin 5 lines, which are available at retailers now. The news today is the first step in Acer's plans to roll out Alexa across its PC portfolio. Alexa will also be pre-installed on the Acer Nitro 5 Spin convertible gaming notebook line next month. It will also be available on select Aspire, Switch and Swift notebooks, as well as Aspire all-in-one PCs, as they are rolled out to Acer's retail partners over the next few weeks.

Additional product lines already purchased by customers will soon be able to be updated with Alexa via the Acer Care Center. The first Acer notebook lines to receive the update will be the Acer Spin 5 and Spin 3 convertible families on May 23 and May 26, respectively.

Well, so much for April being the month NVIDIA expected its partners to up their game and release their G-SYNC, HDR monitors - that opportunity has come and gone, in another delay for products that were supposed to arrive in 2017. However, as with most launches that fail to meet their timelines, the move is usually to simply shift the goalpost - and that's what's been done yet again. It's still unclear which reasons have led to the delays in launch - whether unrealistic NVIDIA specifications, problems in panel manufacturing at AU Optronics, who have their hands full right now.

However... It now seems (again) we are fast approaching the release date for (at least) two solutions based on the NVIDIA specs (3840×2160 resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, a 1000-nits brightness, a direct LED backlighting system with 384 zones, and feature a quantum dot film to enable HDR10 and coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut). Acer's X27 Predator and ASUS' PG27UQ are the two expected releases, but as you might guess, pricing won't be fair. Here's just hoping that it isn't as much out of court as this preorder page puts it, quoting €2556.50 for ASUS' PG27UQ. It's the extra fifty cents that breaks the illusion, really.

As we reported in March, the first 4K monitors with 144 Hz refresh-rate began showing up in stores. This summer, PC gamers and enthusiasts up for a monitor upgrade, are in for a treat. An increasing number of companies are preparing to launch monitors with not just 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), but also staggering 144 Hz refresh-rates, and support for adaptive sync technologies, such as AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync. To push 4K at 144 Hz, you'll need your graphics card to feature DisplayPort 1.4 (or above) connectivity, as DisplayPort 1.2, or even the newer HDMI 2.0, lack the required bandwidth.

Among the first blazing fast 4K UHD + 144 Hz monitors, are the 2018 Acer Predator X27 (UM.HX0EE.009) first unveiled in 2017, and soon to be joined by the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ. Both monitors feature 4K Ultra HD resolution, 144 Hz refresh-rate, IPS quantum-dot panels, and support for the new NVIDIA G-SYNC HDR standard. The monitors take input from DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, although you will need DisplayPort 1.4 to get 4K @ 144 Hz to work correctly. The IPS quantum-dot panels feature DCI-P3 color-standards, 99% Adobe RGB coverage, and 10 bpc (1.07 billion-color) palette, in addition to 384 LED elements backlighting the panel. The ROG Swift PG27UQ starts at 2,445€ and the Predator X27 at 18,475 DKK Sounds good? Get ready to foot upwards of USD $3,000 for either of them, to go with your $3,000 TITAN V, for a 3,000-inch e-p.

News of an upcoming AMD RX 500X series sprung like wildfire yesterday, as users and publications alike tried to quench a thirst for some more GPU solutions from the red camp. However, if recent leaked numbers and information from 3D Mark prove correct, it seems the RX 500X series will likely bring some disappointments to those who were hoping for a refined, Vega-imbued AMD Polaris redesign, or simply push for better clocks and power/performance ratios under a new manufacturing process.