At Computex 2017, MSI teased several new gaming laptops, each of which purports to be VR ready. One of them also has a mechanical keyboard, following a trend that we expect to see more of this year at the big show in Taipei.
MSI GT75VR
Why buy a gaming desktop when you can take all the desktop features with you? MSI’s new flagship laptop, the GT75VR, is a beast of a gaming machine, with high-end specs such as dual GTX 1070 GPUs in SLI, an Intel Core TM i7 7820HK, and a mechanical keyboard.
If you don't want or can't afford dual 1070 GPUs, MSI will sell the laptop with a single GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 GPU. Its Intel Core i7-7820HK CPU can be overclocked for over 4GHz of performance. The 17.3-inch, 120Hz, 4K display supports HDR for vivid colors, and MSI claimed it covers 100% of the Adobe spectrum.
The MSI GT75VR's SteelSeries RGB mechanical keyboard (with low-profile Kailh switches) has customizable backlighting on the individual key level, and the palm rest has a unique diamond shape. The software suite includes Nahimic VR and MSI TrueColor. Cooler Boost Titan technology maintains a low GPU temperature for awesome performance.
MSI GS63VR, GS73VR
If you're shopping for a powerful mobile gaming rig, you usually have to choose between getting a thick and heavy system with a more powerful graphics card and a slimmer machine with a slower GPU. However, with MSI's new GS63VR Stealth Pro, you don't have to compromise on size to get powerful Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics and a responsive 120Hz, 3ms HDR Display.
Citing its 0.69-inch (17.7mm) thickness, MSI claimed that the 15-inch GS63VR is the slimmest laptop on the market with this GPU and display type. It also weighs a mere 4.2 pounds, which would be reasonable for a non-gaming 15-inch laptop and is impressive for something with this much horsepower.
Although we can't say for sure whether there's another laptop somewhere in the world that's this powerful and slim, the new MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro is certainly the sveltest we've seen. The late 2016 version of the MSI GS63VR had the same exact thickness and weight but packed a GTX 1060 GPU.
MSI's Cooler Boost Trinity technology features five different heat pipes and advanced "Whirlwind" fan blades to keep the laptop running smoothly. The laptop also features a non-mechanical SteelSeries keyboard with customizable backlighting. ESS Sabre audio promises high-quality sound.
Those looking for a slightly larger laptop will want to check out the 17-inch GS73VR, which also has GTX 1070 graphics and a 120Hz, 3ms HDR display. At publication time, MSI had not disclosed the GS73VR's weight or dimensions.
MSI also has yet to announce detailed specs or any kind of pricing for either laptop. However, it's safe to assume that both will be available with Intel 7th generation (Kaby Lake) quad-core CPUs and a variety of storage and RAM combinations. We'll learn more when we see both systems at Computex Taipei.
MSI GE63VR, GE73VR Raider
The MSI GE63VR and GE73VR have a new sports-car-influenced design and plenty of horsepower under the hood to match. Previously, the company's GE series laptops were the "Apache Pro" line, but MSI is now calling these 15- and 17-inch laptops "Raiders." Both look like they are ready to do some serious damage.
The laptops use an overclocked Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU and Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU. The GE63VR's 15.6-inch screen and the GE73VR's 17-inch display are both HDR-capable, 120Hz panels with 3ms response times and cover 94% of the NTSC wide color gamut.
The new look has red, angular racing stripes on a black aluminum chassis, with a big bump in the middle, but it maintains MSI’s design and red dragon shield.
A SteelSeries keyboard allows for custom RGB backlighting per-key, and Dynaudio speakers promise truly immersive sound.
MSI has so far been tight-lipped about pricing and availability for these laptops. We’re expecting more details when we see them at MSI’s Computex booth.
Andrew E, Freedman, Avram Piltch, and Seth Colaner contributed to this report.
