The most important Computing conference is officially here, and I cannot wait to see what hundreds of tech companies have in store this year.
Computex 2022 was more of a somber event, its biggest releases centering around components with AMD showcasing its Ryzen 7000 CPUs, the first PCIe 5.0 SSDs debuting, Nvidia revealing its Grace CPU Superchip and liquid-cooled GPUs, and Mediatek rolling out its Wi-Fi 7 chips. And while those were exciting launches, I kind of missed the quirky stuff that Computex has been known to flaunt – even if many of them never really make it to mass production.
Now that the world is back in full swing after the pandemic lull, I want the event to bring back its pre-pandemic era like Taylor Swift is reliving her 1989 era. I want beer-tap custom cases, space-age gaming chairs, fun keyboards, PC cases that moonlight as a standing desk (or is it the other way around), and lots and lots of RGB.
Bearing that in mind and knowing what some brands have under wraps, here are five things we cannot wait to see at Computex 2023.
1. Giving a certain cat a run for its money
Though I cannot reveal a lot at this point, Cooler Master has some exciting new products it’s showcasing at Computex 2023. And it’ll give a certain creator products brand, which has up until now remained unchallenged, the rivalry it so needs.
Personally, I’m a massive fan of that feline-esque brand, especially since it has designed some of the best webcams and mounting systems in the world. So, when Cooler Master told me that its new products are going to put it to shame, I demanded (nicely, of course) that they show me before the rest of the world.
I’ll have more deets on that line soon, so keep an eye out.
2. Quirky gaming thrones
Computex 2019 saw the launch of Cooler Master’s I-want-it-but-I-can’t-afford-it Orb X gaming station, which this author personally saw in action in Los Angeles, Acer’s aptly-named Predator Thronos, and many other weird yet wonderful gaming chairs. And I’m hoping to see more of that this year.
Rumor has it that Cooler Master has another gaming throne that will allegedly make you feel like you’ve taken to the skies, and if that’s true, we’ll make sure to test that one out for you (it’s a hard job, but someone’s gotta do it) and tell you all about it.
But I also want to see cool gaming chairs that are more accessible to a typical gamer. A gaming station that will take up a chunk of a one-bedroom city apartment and put you in bankruptcy is definitely a flex, but what about stuff that we can actually afford?
3. New funky gaming laptops
Granted, last year, Corsair unveiled its first-ever gaming laptop, the Corsair Voyager a1600. And this year, we already know that Acer has added a new one to its Predator portfolio, the Acer Predator Triton 16. But I also want to see more. I want innovative features, beautiful designs, and fun colors – like the Dell G15 laptop that sports a purple-and-teal colorway.
I think the whole TechRadar Computing team in general is tired of the same black or dark grey color, tapered cuts, and sharp angles on gaming laptops. 10 years later, and they all still sport the same old-school gamer aesthetic. Let’s see something fresh!
4. Keebs, lots of keebs
If you’ve read a chunk of my pieces, you know I’m a little obsessed with mechanical keyboards. I’ve been spending about $150 or more each month buying new keebs to add to my collection, which I know is rash in this economy. But I’m sure many of you spend more on gaming collectibles so I dare you to throw the first stone.
But I digress. What I was trying to say was that I cannot wait to see awesome keyboards on the floor this year. I’ve seen quite a few keyboard brands on this year’s exhibitor list, so there’s a lot of potential for my wish to be granted. And I’ll make sure to test them out for you. Like I said, it’s a hard job.
5. All the crazy PC cases and builds
2019’s Computex was a wild ride for PC builders. There was a steampunk-inspired PC housed in a wooden chest, a bicycle PC build, one that looks something straight out of the Enterprise, another that looks like an ice block, something that looks like it’s going to hatch that would impregnate us all with alien babies, and of course, one that’s just as much a beer keg as it is a gaming PC. Fun times.
I’d like to see all that amazing creative stuff again this year. Obviously, most of them will never see the light of day, but they might inspire more gaming PC manufacturers to be braver in their designs.
Stay in the know on all things Computex 2023 by bookmarking and following our liveblog. And be sure to check in regularly as we’ll have a lot more coverage during the four-day event including hands-on reviews on all the coolest releases.
