WITH GAMING on the rise and sales of new laptops through the roof, it’s curious to see things from the manufacturer’s point of view.
Right before the opening of the six-day, online-only APAC Predator League 2020/2021, the Pan Asia-Pacific president of Acer’s gaming brand Predator got candid about the kind of feedback it has gotten from its most loyal customers.
“The most important feedback coming to Acer is: Can we get an even better performance PC or machine, and can we reduce the fan noise when we play?” said Andrew Hou in a press conference with members of regional tech and esports media.
“They want it more powerful, but on the other side, they want it more silent,” he added, laughing. “That’s kind of controversial, right?”
A notebook with more powerful hardware necessarily means that the fans have to be bigger, better, and (very often) noisier to cool down the internals.
Nevertheless, Hou believes that the Taiwan-based brand has gotten that tricky balance right, especially with the Aeroblade technology that’s present in laptops like its popular Helios and Triton lines. Acer claims that the Aeroblade 3D fan, which is now in its fourth generation, packs the world’s thinnest fan blades for better airflow.
It’s been a banner financial year for Predator and its parent company Acer, with a 34 percent year on year growth in the gaming category.
When asked why sales have jumped, despite the general economic downturn of the pandemic, Hou replied, “The answer is very easy. Because of learn from home [and] work from home. People are actually all of a sudden figuring out, ‘Wow, my notebook is too old.’” And people looking to do both office work or blended learning and game at the same time often look to high-powered gaming laptops as their next big-ticket purchase.
Still, the great jump in demand during the pandemic created its own challenges.
“As you all know, the supply chain is in severe shortage,” Hou said candidly. “I think the opportunity is still there for the gaming segment, but however, the supply will be a big issue. The overall supply chain is very tight, and the shortage is still there. That's why Acer is trying all different aspects to resolve these shortage issues.”
The Predator League took a break last year because of the pandemic, but has come roaring back in an online-only format this year. Games began today, and will run all the way until the weekend.
Teams will compete in two different PC esports titles, PUBG and Dota 2. Perhaps the most highly anticipated storyline is whether TNC, a Predator-sponsored team, will be able to defend its Dota 2 championship title. It’s looking good for the storied squad as they easily cleaned up GXR in their first match.
Tune in to the Predator Gaming Facebook page to watch the streams.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph