PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
More PC brands are turning to consumer events like the MCM London Comic Con to convert the passionate fans into paying customers.
The event, which took place at London ExCel from Friday October 23rd to Sunday October 25th, drew masses of comic book, anime, gaming and other geeky fans to the show. Numbers aren’t confirmed at the time of writing but the past few events drew 110,000 and 122,000 visitors respectively.
Here are PCR’s five industry picks from the show.
Yoyotech’s new Black Box gaming PC range
Gaming system builder and etailer Yoyotech presented its new Black Box watercooled prototype PC on the main show floor.
The idea is to have a minimalist interior, with the owner able to change the colour scheme of the PC at the flick of a switch on a remote control device. There are several colours and options to choose from, plus consumers will be able to customise the etching on the back of the system, or simply lift the front to access the PC’s interior.
It will be available to purchase soon – possibly by the first week of November – and is launching in time for the Christmas season.
There will be several different versions available, priced from £2,000 to £5,000.
Yoyotech also had a range of show deals, from components to accessories, as well as promoting Thermaltake and ASUS products on the stand. It also partnered with Green Man Gaming at the event to sponsor the Go Indie Games initiative – a collection of indie games, supporting indie developers.
Overclockers reveals new website and component deals
OCUK also had show deals, offering cheaper prices on Samsung 850 EVO SSDs, PCI-E NVME SSDs and more, located in the gaming/eSports area.
Some examples included the Samsung M3 2TB external HDD for £65, the Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD for £260 and the Creative Fatal1ty HS-800 headset for £20.
It was also showing off Samsung curved monitors and had its freshly redesigned website on show.
CeX goes big with promotions
Second-hand tech retail chain CeX had a large presence at the show in the main hall, with a giant shark inflatable, an ice cream van selling items and a big stand with several products and deals on show.
Consumers could take a photo of themselves and win cash prizes for the ones that get the most likes on social media.
Qpad keyboards light up gaming area
PC gaming accessory vendor Qpad was on hand in the gaming/eSports area, near Overclockers.
The firm was showcasing its range of keyboards, optical laser mice and headsets to consumers, including its MK-90 flagship £99 keyboard featuring red keys and custom backlighting.
David Kornback, son of Qpad founder Christer Kornback, told PCR: "We’re quite small in the UK at retail, but we’re going to take more of the market. In the Nordics we’re one of the top five brands."
ESL UK breaks eSports viewing figures
eSports/competitive gaming organisation ESL UK pulled in record viewership figures of 35,000 in the UK on the Saturday, as fans tuned in to the ESL Twitch channel to watch the CSGO UK Premiership finals online.
Spectators gathered to watch United Estonia beat Team Infused live on stage to win the majority of the £10,000 spoils.
There was also League of Legends matches played by fans, plus Twitch had a stand with some live Hearthstone games played by members of YouTube gaming collective Yogscast.
Furthermore, ESL UK was selling merchandise on its stand in the eSports area, from T-shirts to team jerseys.
There are now many more consumer events in the UK PC trade’s calendar, from Multiplay i-series to Dreamhack London, MCM, Gadget Show Live and more.
