Gaming machines

Acer just unveiled a new "Predator" line of gaming machines coming later in 2015. Beginning in Q3, the company will roll out a desktop, laptop, and tablet, with all of them focused on providing a top-notch gaming experience. At a global product event today, CEO Jason Chen said the success of Acer's V Nitro series has encouraged the company to go further in targeting gamers. Unlike that V Nitro hardware, all of these products very much look like gaming devices.

The Predator laptop will be available in both 15- and 17-inch configurations and features programmable buttons — which are customizable by game — movement keys, and what Acer describes as a “massive” cooling system to keep the powerful machines running smoothly. Both models will launch in Q4. As for the desktop, Acer isn't yet saying much in regards to tech specs, only promising "the latest graphics, the latest processors, and the latest chipsets" when it ships in Q3.

And then there's the Predator tablet, which features four front-facing speakers for a surround-like experience. Acer says it will give off haptic feedback during games, much like the gamepads that control your console. "It’ll shake in your hand as you’re playing, " an executive said on stage. Rounding out the gaming announcements is a new 35-inch, 21:9 curved gaming monitor that supports N-Vidia's G-Sync and DTS audio. It seems Acer is getting very serious about competing with Alienware, Razer, and other companies that specialize in gaming hardware. But as we said before, Acer's not yet offering details on full hardware specs, let alone pricing or release date.