Gaming PCs were one of the main draws at the Comex 2017 technology fair which ended yesterday, driven by a growing interest in professional gaming and a demand for high-performance computers.
Custom gaming PC maker Dreamcore took up booths for the first time at the event, while other brands like MSI launched new models to reel in customers.
Exhibitors whom The Straits Times spoke to were also bullish about sales at the four-day event, which was held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
About 600,000 visitors attended the show, which was organised by Exhibits Inc, a Singapore Press Holdings subsidiary,
Ms June Ng, senior manager at Exhibits Inc, said: "More gaming brands came on board this year, such as Dreamcore and Aftershock's Prism gaming monitor. Key players like Aftershock and Lenovo also kept their booth sizes compared with last year's Comex."
MSI marketing manager Green Lin said that he expects 20 per cent more sales for this year's Comex as compared with 2016. "Consumers here are more demanding; they want more higher-end products. There are also some who are multimedia professionals and need gaming PCs for non-gaming purposes," he said.
Mr Marcus Wee, managing director of Aftershock PC, said the company's sales of gaming PCs have been growing every year for the past six years, with the increasing popularity of e-sports, or professional gaming. He said gamers want the fastest machines so they do not experience any lag when taking part in competitions.
Comex visitors such as Eo Sze Meng , 17, were among those who snapped up a gaming PC. The mechanical engineering student from ITE College Central said he spent about $3,000 on an Aftershock S-series laptop.
Master's student Ivan Ho, 26, bought an Aftershock Prime-15 ultra-portable gaming laptop. "I am hoping this laptop, while portable, will deliver a high-quality gaming experience, similar to my PlayStation 4," he said.
The trends at Comex 2017 mirror the wider industry patterns.
Market intelligence firm IDC said that while the overall traditional PC market in Singapore posted a 15 per cent decline last year, gaming PC shipments increased by 6 per cent. Revenue from gaming PC sales reached $84 million last year, an increase from $72.6 million in 2015.
Similarly, a report by German market research company GfK showed that sales of gaming PCs in the Asia-Pacific surged by 39 per cent in the first half of the year, compared with the same period in 2016.
The senior director of technology retail tracking at GfK Asia, Mr Gerard Tan, said: "After several challenging years competing with new technologies like tablets and smartphones, gaming PCs have finally developed from a niche segment to a strong selling mainstream product."
