Virtual Reality might have hit a speed bump in some people’s lives after the Oculus Rift pricing was revealed, but it’s still very much on track to be the next big thing in 2016. The catch is that VR requires a beefy PC behind it to run – which makes carrying it around a little bit of a chore. That’s why companies like MSI are developing ranges of laptops to foot the VRAM bill, and there’s going to be some very different laptops to choose from.
Eventually getting back from CES in Las Vegas, MSI has revealed four of its laptops that are now certifiable, VR-ready according to Nvidia standards – which means they pack enough power to meet those minimum specifications for the Oculus Rift, Vive VR and more. These laptops were actually used in showcasing both headsets at CES, and MSI is now ready to put them into the hands of prospective VR enthusiasts. And if you’re one of those people, you’ll have the choice between:
- GT72S 6QF Dominator Pro and GT72S 6QF Dragon Edition (29th Anniversary Edition)
- GT72S 6QF Dominator Pro G Heroes Special Edition
- GT80S 6QF Titan SLI 29th Anniversary Edition
- GT80S 6QF Titan SLI Heroes Special Edition
All four come equipped with the newly implemented GTX 980 MXM design for laptops, which delivers identical performance to the desktop variant of the graphics card with the same name. The difference here is that the GT80S Titan models both come with SLI configurations of these cards – which more then delivers for VR but ends up notching up the price considerably. They’re all equipped with the latest Skylake processors from Intel too, with the model varying on the laptop.
As for local availability, MSI hopes to have these in the county soon (with some pricing too), regardless of the fact that there’s still a lack of local distribution for the Oculus Rift itself. Regardless of that if you’re looking for a VR experience on the go this is one of your best bets, but don’t expect them to come cheap.
Then again if you’re in the market for a Rift, you already know that. We should have reviews up for some of these relatively soon.
Last Updated: January 22, 2016
The Grand Admiral Chief Prime
January 22, 2016 at 13:08
VEE ARR VEE ARRR
VE JOOOF OF VE NATIOOON
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 22, 2016 at 13:09
I don’t expect them to be cheap, I don’t even expect them to be expensive, I expect them to be unaffordable.
Loftus
January 22, 2016 at 13:14
Time to become truckers and start killing prozzies for organ harvesting.
Raptor Rants
January 22, 2016 at 13:30
wow……
RinceThis
January 22, 2016 at 13:56
indeed 0_O
chimera_85
January 22, 2016 at 15:38
Hahahahaha
VampyreSquirrel
January 22, 2016 at 13:28
Calling it now… these laptops will start at a minimum price of R35000 and will go up to over R50000.
Their non “VR Ready” laptops reach almost R60k.
Edit: Or more… the GT72S-6QE Dominator Pro (Older version) starts at R47500.
RinceThis
January 22, 2016 at 13:56
No Way! 0_O
VampyreSquirrel
January 22, 2016 at 14:19
Way!
RinceThis
January 22, 2016 at 13:56
And how much are these? Spend R8000 on a headset, then R20,000 or more on one of these? GITFS
VampyreSquirrel
January 22, 2016 at 14:27
Check the pricing on Evetech, Takealot, and the like for the GT72S-6QE Dominator Pro with the Geforce 980M…
Or… just check this Evetech link for the cheapest MSI laptop with a 980M gfx card… http://www.evetech.co.za/n/1624/msi-gt72s-6qe-dominator-pro-g-i7-gaming-laptop-with-256gb-ssd-and-48gb-ram.aspx
geel slang
January 22, 2016 at 15:24
Only 48GB RAM, hope its enough.
VampyreSquirrel
January 22, 2016 at 15:25
Doubt it
chimera_85
January 22, 2016 at 15:39
Damn, don’t think so hey
chimera_85
January 22, 2016 at 15:38
Even if I won the lotto I would not pay so much money for a laptop, irrespective of what price they are going to sell it for here haha