Taiwanese PC vendor Acer Inc (宏碁) plans to focus on developing gaming PCs and commercial virtual-reality (VR) applications in the next few years, a top executive said yesterday.
“The priority of Acer’s corporate transformation is clear. We want to gradually shift our focus from PCs to gaming PCs, commercial VR and artificial intelligence [AI] in the coming years,” Acer chief executive officer Jason Chen (陳俊聖) told reporters at the company’s booth at the Computex Taipei fair in the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
It is important for Acer to build stronger computing power and accumulate experience before taking the next step, Chen said, adding that gaming is a fast-growing business for the company.
The firm has been allocating research and development (R&D) resources on increasing the performance of its gaming products — such as raising the quality of cooling systems — in a bid to increase its popularity among gamers.
SHIPMENTS RISE
The company did not disclose revenue figures for its gaming products, but said that its shipments of of gaming PCs last year jumped an annual 64 percent.
Despite the strong growth momentum, Chen said Acer expects the gaming industry to reach its peak three years from now, so the company is entering the commercial VR field in search of new growth drivers.
“We decided to focus on commercial use, deploying a business-to-business model, as soon as we entered the VR industry, because we think that VR equipment and technology are too expensive for consumers at the moment,” Chen said.
It is unreasonable to expect consumers to spend “millions of dollars” on buying VR equipment for their homes, but US$12 for a ticket to watch a VR film at a theater is an acceptable price, Chen said.
COMMERCIAL CLIENTS
Acer is targeting commercial clients such as movie theater operators and interior designers, he said, adding that the company is also seeking to team up with international VR content providers.
Acer plans to develop its AI business further down the line, Chen said, adding that it has made “a little” progress in the field so far.
“We do not have a clear business model to share at the moment,” he said.
Acer’s booth at Computex is divided into three large areas, one of which showcases the company’s Predator gaming products, which include monitors, desktops and notebooks.
Acer set up a box office at the booth to demonstrate VR film-watching solutions, developed in collaboration with IMAX Corp and Starbreeze AB.
The company also has a section displaying its Build Your Own Cloud applications.
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