Yesterday we were left speechless as we ventured into a new frontier, boldly going where South Africans have yet to go before. Acer South Africa hosted an Exclusive Media Session at The Nexus, home of all things Gaming and Technology oriented, based in Randburg, Johannesburg. The Nexus offers Game Development Courses, a Production House and even have a fully kitted out E-Sports Arena. Upon arrival, we were greeted by many familiar faces from the Acer Africa Team, and were led up the “Staircase to Heaven” where the Predator Experience Room lay waiting beyond the veil. A room full of treats.

It’s Tobii Yo!

The Acer Predator Experience Room, spearheaded by Charmaine Van Niekerk, Product Manager (Gaming) for Acer Africa, took our breath away. Charmaine has an extensive background in Gaming, having come from Electronic Arts, she really knows what Gamers want and need!

In this room of wonders we (and you will) get to test out Gaming the it is meant to be for the next 6 Months. The glorious contents of this room consisted of the newly refreshed Acer Predator 17 X Gaming Laptop, The Acer Predator Gaming Laptop Carry Bag, The Acer Predator G6 Desktop, Z35 Gaming Monitor (See our review here) and the Pearl-Drawing-Card, The Award Winning Acer Predator 21 X Gaming Laptop featuring Tobii Eye-Tracking!

The Acer Predator 21 X Curved Screen Laptop has launched internationally, but due to the price tag, we can understand why only 20 units have been sold to date (at the time of writing this article). The retail price, due to import taxes, sits at a hefty R200,000.00 for the Acer Predator 21 X, which means, they are “made-to-order”. The 21 X is completely customizable, with a chassis and shell that can be tailored to your style. The military style carry case, with heavy padding, is worth R50,000.00 alone. Yes, you read that right, I did not accidentally add an extra zero by mistake. You have a week or two to get your hands on this epic machine before it travels the country for the rest of South Africa to experience.

For the Businessman Gaming Enthusiast

We are go to look at the brand new Acer X5 Gaming Notebook (if memory serves me correctly) which is pretty much a thinner “watered down” Predator shell, with all the potency inner workings of a Gaming Beast. Instead of sporting the Predator Logo, the lid and screen display the Acer Logo, which makes for more practical meetings around a conference table, seeming less threatening, but packing a serious punch.

The Standard Spec Graphics Card is the Nvidia 1050M, with the 7th Gen Intel Processor and a selection of SSD boot drives, starting at a retail price of R14,999.00, making this the ultimate hybrid that is a lot more affordable than the top end business rig and medium range gaming rig. What impresses more, is that it is VR Ready, so bolt on your HTC Vive or Oculus Rift that you can now easily take with you on holiday or to a mates habitat for some entertainment!

Meeting with the rest of the Team

Leaving the room, we stepped into a meeting with Michele and Benny, who head up the Desktop and Peripheral, Notebook and Laptop (Mobility) sectors respectively in South Africa. In our discussion, I touched on the issue with using the Z35 Gaming Monitor with consoles, where it was highlighted that the aspect ratio problems stem from the console restrictions. Michele mentioned that hopefully Project Scorpio would allow for aspect ratio calibration, making the monitor a perfect companion for the all round gamer.

We very briefly discussed E-Sport Sponsorship, where we were pleased to hear that there is a consideration for backing a Team within 2017 once the logistics and brand awareness have been bolstered. Acer Africa has been approached by Teams already, meaning that this initiative is definitely “on the cards”. (Pick me!) Another point worth mentioning was the rest of South Africa, knowing that the gaming community is cross country, you will be thrilled to hear that this Acer Predator Experience will make its way to the coastal regions like Durban and Cape Town, so hang in there dear distant reader. Mall activations are also scheduled, so keep an eye open at your favorite mall (we are talking large malls guys) for an Acer Predator stand.

We would like to thank Acer Africa and the dedicated team for setting up this incredible session and for devoting a day out of their very hectic schedules to show us what Predator can really do. We saw the future. We touched the future. We want the future!

About Acer
Established in 1976, Acer is a hardware + software + services company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of innovative products that enhance people’s lives. Acer’s product offerings include PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets, smartphones and wearables. It is also developing cloud solutions to bring together the Internet of Things. Acer is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016 and is one of the world’s top 5 PC companies. It employs 7,000 people worldwide and has a presence in over 160 countries. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

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