Acer’s Predator Helios 700 features a sliding keyboard and pressure-senstive keys

Recently, Acer unveiled the Predator Helios 700. This powerful gaming laptop will feature an RGB-lit sliding keyboard. Moving the keyboard forward is meant to expose the cooling fans. Then, small vents will increase airflow to copper heat-pipes. According to Acer, not only will this let the CPU cool faster, but users will see a boost in performance for CPU overclocking speeds.

Predator Helios 700 has specialized keys

The laptop also features Magforce keys with Linear Switch Technology. In short, the WASD keys will be pressure sensitive, granting you more control in games that require throttle or thrust, such as racing, sim, and some flight games. The keys are also designed with turning in mind, so any racing game that uses the WASD keys to steer the car will benefit from the added control.

Will this be the solution for those who want to play racing games but don’t use a gamepad or dedicated wheel? Older racing games saw players utilizing twitch reflexes in order to steer. Meanwhile, for players who don’t want the Magforce keys, you can easily swap them out with standard keys.

But what’s under the hood? The Helios 700 will have three models. The top model will feature an Intel Core i9-9980HK processor. The two other models feature the i7-9750H processor. As for graphics, the Helios 700 will have the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. All three models of the Helios 700 will come with 8 GB of dedicated GPU memory. The laptop is also boasting a refresh rate of 144Hz. It even comes with a dedicated “PredatorSense” key, allowing you to open the laptop settings to tweak the backlit keys or power settings on the fly.

The screen is a 17.3 inch, LCD screen with LED backlights. The Helios 700 comes equipped with 32 GB of DDR4 SDRAM, with four total RAM slots. The solid state hard drive contains 1 TB of storage. As for USB input, Helios 700 has three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, and two Type-C ports, making for five total USB slots.

Of course, this more-than-ten-pound laptop will cost a pretty penny. The list price is $3999.99. As reviews have stated, the Helios 700 will be a true desktop-replacement laptop, so will you be picking one up yourself? Let us know what you think about this beast in the comments below.