At this year’s first-ever, all-digital Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we got a glimpse of exciting innovations in PC gaming, with Microsoft’s device partners announcing new Windows hardware and software for all kinds of gamers. We’re excited that our partners are embracing graphics cards that fully support DirectX 12 Ultimate in their flagship gaming PCs. DirectX 12 Ultimate is the latest gold standard for gaming graphics on both PC and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

From the thinnest, most ultraportable gaming laptops yet, immersive displays and sleek designs, to new graphics cards, there is so much for PC gamers to look forward to in the year ahead.

Acer

Acer announced updates to several gaming notebooks in its portfolio, including the Predator Triton 300 SE, Predator Helios 300, and Nitro 5 with new features and enhanced performance.  

• The new, slimmer generation of the Predator Triton 300 SE aims to appeal to on-the-go gamers. In addition to the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 H35-series processors, it also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU, with support for the latest DirectX 12 Ultimate gaming features. The Triton 300SE also features the latest 5^th Gen AeroBlade Fan and Acer’s Vortex Flow technology to help keep temperatures in check under heavy gaming sessions. Whether playing the latest games or watching films, you’ll view it all on a 14-inch full high-definition (FHD) display that has a 144Hz refresh rate, surrounded by three thin bezels.

• The Predator Helios 300 was refreshed to include the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU to power the notebook’s 240Hz IPS display. 

• The Nitro 5 gaming notebook line got an upgrade with the addition of up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5000 H-Series Mobile Processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU. The notebooks are available with 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch displays, featuring a quad high-definition (QHD) display with a 165 Hz refresh rate or a FHD display with up to a 360Hz refresh rate. 

ASUS

ASUS introduced the ROG Flow X13 and the ROG XG Mobile, offering gamers a portable and connected experience.

• The ultra slim 13-inch ROG Flow X13 is the first 2-in-1 convertible ROG gaming laptop, with up to an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS CPU and dedicated GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, which provides the power needed for demanding workloads and enables strong performance in the latest games. A 360-degree hinge allows users to quickly flip from laptop mode into positions for gaming, drawing, and presenting. A choice of two 16:10 display options provides either a 120Hz refresh rate or an Ultra HD 4K resolution with richer detail. On both displays, Adaptive-Sync synchronizes the panel’s refresh rate with the GPU’s frame rate to reduce lag, minimize stuttering, and eliminate visual tearing.
• The ROG XG Mobile is an ultraportable external GPU that works with the Flow X13 and augments  its gaming performance and connectivity. The device is a fraction of the size of external graphics alternatives, but it incorporates up to a powerful GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU connected directly to the CPU via a custom PCIe 3.0 x8 interface that’s faster than Thunderbolt 4. This top-of-the-line GPU is powered by the new NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which combines CUDA Cores for programmable shading with 2nd generation RT Cores for advanced ray tracing and 3rd generation Tensor Cores that offer greater throughput for AI-accelerated DLSS graphics. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU also support the latest DirectX 12 Ultimate API.

Dell

Dell unveiled several incredibly thin laptops, the new Alienware m15 and m17 R4. And for those that prefer to play on desktops, they also announced the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10.

• The Alienware m15 and m17 R4 come with next-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs that have been engineered with 12-phase graphics voltage regulation for rich marathon gaming sessions, up to 4TB of storage, and faster memory speeds up to 2933MHz. These on-the-go battle stations will stay properly cooled thanks to an advanced airflow and vapor chamber technology that’s included in every configuration, a new advantage of the Alienware Cryo-Tech cooling technology designs in the R4 generation.  

• The Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10, now features AMD’s Ryzen 5000 Desktop Processors with up to 16-core CPUs and your choice of new AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT series graphics or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU, which both support DirectX 12 Ultimate and can more than handle performance-demanding games. Whether streaming, blasting through game levels, or tackling heavy-processing applications, this device can handle it all and stay cool with an innovative airflow design and vapor chamber technology that dissipates heat and gives players an extra boost when they need it most.    

Lenovo

Lenovo Legion hardware and software innovations, giving gamers a variety of ways to experience all the latest games.

• Lenovo’s designers shored up space under the hinge to achieve the narrow tail design while keeping the same compact metal chassis size gen-to-gen on the new flagship Lenovo Legion 7. This made way for millions more pixels than before on a new near-edgeless 16-inch QHD display (2560 x 1600), a serious upgrade over the previous generation’s 15-inch FHD panel. There’s 11% more screen real estate to improve your field of view in-game. Low blue light and flicker-free Eye Care technology helps reduce eye strain during long battle sessions. This laptop is first to be certified as a High Gaming Performance Display (HGPD) with low blue light by TÜV Rheinland.

• For a competitive edge in esports, try the new 16-inch Lenovo Legion 5 Pro with a larger thermal intake and quad ventilation system. Packed with the latest AMD Ryzen Mobile Processors and next-gen NVIDIA GeForce RTX Laptop GPUs for unrestrained gameplay and maximum performance via Dual Burn support, which combines the CPU and GPU to deliver improved framerates.

Razer

Razershowed off an advanced model of its Blade 15 and announced the new Blade Pro 17.

• The small and powerful Razer Blade 15 features a thinner design with durable, lightweight CNC aluminum chassis. The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs power a fast 360Hz refresh rate display to play the latest games at high speeds. Get higher clarity for gaming and creation with the QHD 240Hz or 4K OLED display options. Game or create anywhere with the new Razer Blade 15 laptops.

• The Razer Blade Pro 17 is a mobile desktop replacement powerhouse built for gaming and intensive applications. With Intel 8-Core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs and a new 17.3-inch QHD slim-bezel display with up to 165Hz refresh rate, this device offers maximum portability and performance for gamers and creative professionals alike. Razer also has several dedicated widgets available for Xbox Game Bar, the customizable gaming overlay built into Windows 10.

These are just some of the new products that are bringing powerful experiences to Windows 10 gamers in 2021. Additionally, the new gaming laptops featured here from Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and Razer include one month of Xbox Game Pass for PC with the purchase of your device. With new games added all the time, you’ll always have something new to play. Check back on Xbox Wire and the Windows Experience blog to keep up with the latest PC gaming product releases and news.