Acer: Emerging tech to be the digital fabric connecting the new world
Our world is bursting with screens. This is what comes to mind when entering the Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation, Acer Inc.’s global press conference in Berlin on August 29.
Jason Chen, President/CEO, Acer at the Berlin media briefing.
As Acer, which specialises in advanced electronics technology shows so lucidly at its avant-garde press conference bringing hundreds of global press together, it’s more and more clearer and that the future is now and that “now” is ‘constantly changing’.
As the journos were holding onto the different and complicated screens in their hands, purses and pockets, it hits you that screens are a part of us – they are in the beds while we sleep, and we encircle ourselves with screens on our desks and counter tops. Our television sets are morphing into interactive screens as we set them online so they show everything easily.
At the press conference it’s so real that your “shared spaces” move with you crossways your screens, and become one of your realities. It’s the digital world you wish, where you can live. Always ready for you to use in whatever ways you want. This is the same for all spheres of life – including entertainment.
Technology is about to move much faster and converge with entertainment, until life is entertainment and entertainment is life, according to President and CEO of Acer Jason Chen. Addressing the journalists in a casual pair of jeans and a T-shirt, the energetic CEO gave a presentation on Acer’s many new products and innovations coming to consumers everywhere.
He started with the unveiling of some new pet products, new 360 cameras, and a new Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset. The main unveilings came from the new Predator (the new product series dedicated to PC Gaming from Acer) products, which include a new ultra-thin monitor, the Predator X35, the Predator Orion 9000 which is a new gaming desktop, and lastly, the Predator Galea 500 headset. (Or dare I say it, your lives.)
“With this shipment to as important a player in the entertainment industry as IMAX, we are absolutely thrilled that we are well on our way in bringing the virtual reality experience to the next level and to the world,” said Mr. Chen who noted that the realisation of the most premium VR (virtual reality) experience ever offered isn’t just Acer’s dream, but one of an entire ecosystem that encompasses hardware makers, videogame developers, theater companies, filmmakers and many others.
Blurred lines
Mr. Chen highlighted that movies and videogames have exceedingly become ever more closely intertwined. The lines are blurring between movies and videogames, and are moving past just two mediums that have traditionally only complemented one another. He said they were converging to become a more dynamic, immersive form of storytelling, and virtual reality would feature prominently in this development.
So basically, they want to ‘heighten’ their consumers’ senses and complete the ‘whole room’.
“We’re extremely proud to be able to show the first manufactured units of the StarVR headset produced in our collaboration with Acer. Since announcing the StarVR headset in 2015, we’re finally at a place where we can see the pieces of our vision coming together. From day one we’ve been convinced that we can deliver premium experiences with premium hardware. The search for great partners sharing the same vision was long, but we’re happy to be able to lay down these two fundamental parts in Starbreeze VR-ecosystem together with Acer and IMAX. We can’t wait for people to start experiencing world-class virtual reality in the StarVR HMD and at IMAX VR® centers,” said Bo Andersson Klint, CEO Starbreeze, a game development company with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.
Acer Inc. and Starbreeze AB announced earlier in the year that their respective Board of Directors had approved the establishment of a joint venture, for design, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and sales of the StarVR Head-Mounted Display. The joint venture has since obtained regulatory approval and will be known as Acer Starbreeze Corporation. With its best-in-class cinematic experience, StarVR targets professional- and location-based entertainment markets such as high-end cinemas, gaming arcades, automotive retail and aviation training. StarVR provides a truly immersive VR experience with its unique ultra-wide 210-degree horizontal field of view, with custom optics that deliver great image quality across the eye’s natural vision.
“We are looking forward to the launch of our first IMAX VR® centre and pleased with the progress demonstrated by the initial shipment of StarVR® HMDs from Acer and Starbreeze, as this exciting industry continues to develop and grow,” said Robert D. Lister, Chief Business Development Officer, IMAX Corp.
It’s all down to size and power for Acer as was witnessed at their product introductions. For instance, Acer Revo Base encapsulates surprisingly powerful performance into a compact 1-litre chassis. It measures 5.3 cm in height with a 14 x 14 cm footprint, features up to Intel® Core™ i7 processors, and up to 8GB of DDR3L system memory, ensuring that it runs smoothly when handling intensive tasks such as decoding top-quality multimedia content. The Windows 10-powered Revo Base comes with integrated Intel® HD graphics and high-definition sound.
The Revo Base, a mini personal computer can be connected with up to two displays simultaneously while additional storage and other peripherals can be connected via its four USB 3.1 Gen. 1 ports. It also sports high wireless technology, which offers up to 3x faster speeds than the previous standards, allowing users to enjoy smooth streaming and seamless browsing without a local-area network (LAN) cable. A compatible mount allows it to be placed out-of-sight in even more constrained spaces.
As the press conference progresses with more technologies that are seldom unheard of in this part (Sri Lanka) are discussed, what comes to mind is lyrics of the song, ‘ Analogue Players In A Digital World’ which says ‘We are analogue players in a digital world, Think smart, play it fast, technologies don’t last.’
Acer officials said that ‘the best is yet to come’, and that’s a promise they’ll fulfil.