At CES 2017, Acer debuts its $9,000 gaming laptop

THINK APPLE’S new MacBook is expensive? It’s got nothing on the latest laptop from Acer.

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the computer maker unveiled the Predator 21 X, which they say is the first notebook computer with a curved screen. But forget about the features: the real jaw-dropper here is its price when it launches in February: US$8,999.

What does $9,000 get you? That curved screen is a 21-inch display with a 2560 x 1080 resolution, top-of-theline Intel Core processors and Nvidia Ge Force GTX graphics processing unit. It also boasts five system fans to prevent overheating, 64GB of DDR4-2400 memory and up to four 512GB solidstate drives. Basically, it’s the laptop equivalent of owning a Ferrari.

Perhaps the most interesting feature on the Predator is eyetracking technology through a partnership with company Tobii. Players can use the tech in games, identifying enemies or aiming by just looking at a spot on the screen. Acer says 45 games will support eye tracking. It will also include an ultra-durable hard-shell carrying case, because breaking a $9,000 laptop would really be the worst. The Predator 21 X launches in North American next month. Acer’s approach to the PC gaming market is very different from other companies introducing devices aimed at gamers on a budget. Earlier this week, Dell introduced an Inspiron laptop starting at a much more modest $799. Meanwhile, Lenovo unveiled its Legion gaming laptops starting at $900.