MSI Announces Huge Range of Pascal Powered VR Ready Laptops

Virtual Reality is commonly perceived as the next big innovation in the gaming industry which allows players to enjoy a whole host of immersive experiences never thought possible. While it’s still an expensive proposition, developers are working on long-term projects to maximise the potential of this technology. Furthermore, the latest releases could include a revolutionary title which brings VR to the attention of a wider audience. Of course, VR requires a great deal of processing power and many laptops, as well as the current crop of consoles, struggle to cope with the additional demands.

Thankfully, unlike the previous generation products, NVIDIA’s Pascal mobile architecture doesn’t pale in comparison to the desktop versions. According to NVIDIA, the performance should be within 10% of the desktop variants and quashes the notion that laptops are inferior.  Granted, the desktop still provides an easier upgrade path and improved affordability, but at least gaming laptops have enough horsepower to uphold a fluid frame-rate in VR games. MSI has completely overhauled their gaming laptop range and unveiled a number of designs sporting the GTX 1060, GTX 1070 and GTX 1080. Please note, the mobile editions bear the same name as their desktop counterparts and have a few slight concessions when it comes to clock speed. Rather impressively, the mobile chips feature the same number of CUDA cores, texture units and ROPs.

MSI’s Pascal VR-compliment catalogue includes the GT83VR which can be configured with a 2-way GTX 1080 or GTX 1070 SLI setup and offers impeccable performance given the relatively compact form factor. Not only that, the GT73VR Titan can accommodate a GTX 1070 SLI, GTX 1080 or GTX 1070 specification depending on your specific requirements. Users with a lower budget can select the GT72VR and GT62VR which revolves around the GTX 1070 graphics solution. If you’re unable to afford laptops within this segment, MSI has deployed the GTX 1060 on the GS63VR Stealth, GS43VR, GE62VR Apache Pro, and even added it as an option on the GT72VR and GT62VR.

Interestingly, the entry price of VR capable laptops from MSI has plummeted which showcases the blistering pace of advancement. For example, the GT72S Dominator Pro G contained a GTX 980 and launched around $3099. Now, the GE62VR Apache Pro has the same certification thanks to the GTX 1070 and should retail for $1699. While it’s still a considered purchase, VR-ready hardware doesn’t have as much of a premium attached to it as before. This is fantastic news for consumers.

Are you excited by the prospect of VR Ready laptops, or still prefer to use traditional desktops?

Thank you MSI for inviting us to Taipei to cover their press conference.