Chris Szewczyk, globetrotter
This week I’ve been largely enjoying Grand Theft Auto IV: It has been a very long time since I visited this traditional. Despite the fact that it is 15 years outdated, it feels as recent as something I’ve performed in far more current occasions. There is no substitute for a great story.
This month I’ve been largely testing graphics playing cards: I reviewed AMD’s RX 7600 and that meant re-testing a number of competing playing cards from Nvidia, AMD and sure, Intel! That Arc A750 shocked me after just a few months of driver maturation.
Computex is without doubt one of the largest commerce reveals on the earth. After the cancellation of CeBIT in 2018, Computex grew to become an important computing and data know-how occasion of its kind. However is it nonetheless related in a put up Covid world, the place so many shows, product reveals or showcases may be carried out nearly?
Within the case of Computex the reply is sure, and I am going to clarify why. But it surely’s fascinating to distinction Computex with one other main world commerce present, the a lot beloved however most likely now completely defunct E3.
Commerce reveals had been just about all referred to as off in 2020 and 2021. For these of us within the business, it actually sucked, although it was completely comprehensible, too. There have been extra urgent world issues throughout these occasions. In 2022, Computex made a return, however strict entry necessities into Taiwan meant it was a hybrid present, with a mixture of in particular person and digital occasions.
Sadly, E3 didn’t get better from the Covid years with the main exhibitors preferring to host their very own occasions, whether or not on-line or in particular person. In March we obtained phrase of the cancellation of the E3 2023 version, maybe without end.
Computex stays extremely related although, and it is a very totally different sort of present to E3. I am fairly sure that Computex will likely be with us for a few years to return.
Computex is not like E3
The PC Gamer {hardware} staff is proud to showcase the large manufacturers’ cubicles and all the important thing tech and funky stuff related to PCs and gaming. We would present you merchandise from, for instance 30 or 40 distributors protecting plenty of totally different bits of tech, various from issues like elements to laptops, peripherals and so forth. However TAITRA (the organizers of Computex) put out a press launch in March saying it anticipated there to be 1,100 exhibitors and over 3,000 cubicles.
That is a number of distributors. Many of those lesser identified, if not unknown exhibitors exhibit every kind of fascinating wares, and loads of mundane ones too. They don’t seem to be there to impress media or get the eye of passers-by. They’re companies there to promote stuff to different companies. Individuals go there to community and kind partnerships. And that’s why Computex will at all times have a future in a single kind or one other.
E3 is/was largely a gaming showcase. It is a approach for publishers and distributors to hype up their video games and wares to the general public, both in particular person or through the media. I am simplifying issues, however its simply as simple to launch a YouTube video as it’s to carry a glitzy keynote that will likely be seen by folks on YouTube anyway. E3, whereas beloved, is not actually essential from an data dissemination perspective.
Gaming is a multi-billion-dollar business pushed by multi-billion-dollar corporations. These corporations have a lot cash, they’ll simply host their very own world occasions, and get 100% of the eye and media focus with out having to share any of the information cycle.
In brief, E3 wants the large publishers greater than the large publishers want E3.
Sales space babes. It is time to transfer on.
Shifting again to Computex, there’s one thing that is value discussing. The ‘sales space babes’. They’re ever current throughout your entire present. Whereas the world at massive more and more sees the follow because the product of a bygone period, it appears as if Taiwanese tradition hasn’t but reached that time.
I am a heterosexual male, with my very own aesthetic preferences. However I additionally grew up with three sisters, that is given me full respect for ladies and an appreciation of feminism. I simply don’t see how a fantastic lady holding one thing as mundane as an M.2 SSD is in any far more more likely to make me purchase stated SSD. Girls are usually not decorations or objects for male titillation. Its not like Computex doesn’t have feminine or LGBT guests too!
I recall seeing one notably beautiful younger girl in the course of a serious thoroughfare surrounded by maybe a dozen photographers. She was smiling for the cameras, displaying off a placard directing guests inside a sales space. As the group moved away, I noticed her sigh deeply and rub her cheeks, however then just some seconds later another person needed to take an image together with her, and abruptly she was smiling once more. It is nothing lower than totally exploitative.
It will likely be fascinating to see if they’re as prevalent as they had been on the final Computex I attended in 2019, I’ve obtained to hope not.
What to anticipate from Computex 2023
In years previous, Computex has seen a fair proportion of main launches, or previews of a brand new piece of tech or upcoming product. Issues like CPUs and new motherboards to go together with them in addition to graphics playing cards have all been offered at one time or one other. This yr seems a bit quiet on that entrance, although that’s seemingly due to the place we’re on the main firm’s launch cycles.
It seems like simply yesterday Nvidia launched the RTX 4090, Intel it is thirteenth Gen vary, and AMD its Ryzen 7000-series CPUs and RX 7000 GPUs. We’re a great distance off a brand new CPU or GPU launch although we’d but see one thing from Intel, concerning its subsequent gen Meteor Lake CPUs.
There are at all times new laptops on show. Anticipate to see plenty of thirteenth Gen fashions with Nvidia RTX 40-series cellular GPUs. AMD too can have methods on show together with these with its newest APUs, and perhaps, simply perhaps some cellular GPUs. One can hope.
And it might be remiss of me to not point out the beautiful vary of case mods and droolworthy methods. Under is a small collection of a few of my private favorites from occasions passed by. There will likely be many extra on show on the 2023 present.
Picture 1 of 8
Storage is one space we should always see a number of motion. All the large producers are gearing as much as launch their newest PCIe 5.0 SSDs and you’ll be certain there will likely be a number of demo methods displaying off large sequential (if largely irrelevant) switch speeds.
There will likely be truckloads of recent peripherals. New keyboards, mice, and headsets will likely be in abundance as they at all times are.
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang goes to be there to ship a keynote, too, although the symptoms are that he’ll spend time speaking about issues like AI, enterprise options, automation and robotics and so on. GeForce may not even get a point out.
Some of the rewarding Computex experiences is discovering a bizarre or whacky product on a lesser trafficked aisle.
Keep tuned for PC Gamer’s protection of all of the superior tech from throughout the present over the following week. I am positive there will likely be some garbage too, however it’s at all times fascinating garbage! Actually, one of the rewarding Computex experiences is discovering a bizarre or whacky product on a lesser trafficked aisle, or for that matter discovering a hidden gem.
Jacob, Katie, and myself are packing our baggage proper now and on the point of head to Taiwan en masse to convey you all probably the most fascinating PC gaming goodness.
