2018 was a great year for PC players, as it was the first year in which users didn’t have to choose between a laptop and desktop if they were looking for a gaming machine. Nvidia released their Pascal graphics optimized for laptops, allowing users to see graphics processors such as the GTX 1080 or the GTX 1070 on a laptop to play at 1080p in an ultra, and even 4K, with rates above 120 frames per second. Now, what do we expect from portable gaming for 2019?
It is clear that, as the year progresses, we will see things that are now impossible to imagine, But right now, thanks to what has been presented at CES 2019, we have a series of tools to imagine the changes in portable gaming laptops in 2019. The most interesting thing is that not everything is going to focus on games that perform better but on better user experience. The novelties of portable gaming in 2019 will not only focus on more power but also on a design that allows more contained sizes and, in addition, a notable improvement in terms of screen quality.
Latest generation Intel processors
It is clear that the ninth generation of Intel, before the Sunny Cove processors, will be the ones that offer more performance this year, both in laptops and desktops. The processors in a gaming computer have been left in the background, completely displaced because the games are programmed to squeeze the GPU, but they are still an important element.
The latest portable gaming exhibited at CES 2019 has shown the eighth-generation Intel processors, with the Intel Core i7-8750H being the most popular among high-end gaming notebooks. As we say, it is not so fundamental today to have a state-of-the-art processor to enjoy games at the highest level, but it is clear that not everything is power.
The novelty is the architecture at 14 nm+ (before jumping to 10 nm) that provides more frequency, and better chances of overclocking without ” heating” the processor, and consumption that remains. As we say, it’s something we expect from the gaming laptops of 2019, although they should start arriving from mid-year.
More graphics power
What is imminent is the increase in graphics power in laptops. As we said a few lines ago, the arrival of GTX Pascal, GTX 10, meant for laptops to compete with desktop computers in terms of gaming. Although they were not as powerful as desktop versions, they allowed playing in ultra to resolutions higher than 1.080py, to a rate higher than 60 frames per second.
Now, with the new RTX Max-Q and the RTX for laptops announced at CES 2019, we will have the possibility, according to the CEO of Nvidia, to enjoy laptops that will have more power than a desktop computer of the previous generation. This means graphics improvements for laptops, the arrival of raytracing, and, in addition, the possibility of increasing the resolution of the screens without affecting graphics performance. And, speaking of screens, one of the novelties of portable gaming in 2019 will be the screens for high flights.
The power reaches the 2-in-1 convertible.
Something that will also benefit gaming is the inclusion of discrete graphics cards in convertibles and 2-in-1. In 2018 we saw the Lenovo Yoga with GTX 1050 card and the Surface Book 2 with a GTX 1060. They are the ideal gaming machine to play, but it is clear that you can play with them thanks to the capabilities of those graphics cards. This year it seems that we will go one step further, and we have already seen an advance of this in the Asus Mothership. It is a 2 in 1 that will have an RTX 2080 of 2 GB and an Intel Core i9 of the eighth generation.