MSI 20th Anniversary Pop up in Sydney | 1-4th August 2024

Event details and location

MSI’s 20th anniversary pop-up was held on the top floor of Macquarie Centre, at the Macquarie Centre Corner on Level 4, in front of TIMEZONE. The exhibition was open from Thursday 1 August to Sunday 4 August 2024, between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, with free entry.

The display was designed to showcase MSI laptops, gaming gear and selected products from the company’s lineup. Visitors could also take part in an event activity that provided a card, followed by a prize wheel at the end.

MSI Claw handheld

One of the featured products was the MSI Claw, using an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor. Pat highlighted its rear buttons, front triggers and analogue sticks, as well as the handheld’s grip and screen. The device also included a USB-C port, microSD card slot, power button and 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Pat described the display as having deep blacks while playing a dark game, and said the performance appeared strong during the hands-on demonstration. The unit was connected to power at the event and was producing noticeable heat from the top. The transcript also notes that MSI had said its Intel-based design would avoid the SD card problems reported with the ROG Ally, although this was not independently tested during the visit.

The Claw also included AI-related hardware, which Pat described as one of the early handheld applications of this type of chip. A full review would be needed to assess performance beyond the demonstration.

Gaming laptops and special editions

The laptop area included an MSI Raider 18 HX with an Intel Core i9 processor and an RTX 4000-series graphics processor. Pat played games on the machine and described the performance as smooth. The laptop used a matte Mini LED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which helped reduce reflections in the brightly lit event space. Pat also noted that the Mini LED panel made darker areas in games such as Starfield more visible.

A Titan model was shown with a substantial cooling system, including multiple cooling pipes. Pat could hear the cooling system operating while the laptop was running Starfield, although he considered the noise manageable with headphones.

MSI also displayed a laptop created in collaboration with the AMG Mercedes brand. Its design included AMG branding, red accents, Dynaudio speakers and a camera privacy cover. Another prominent product was a Monster Hunter 20th anniversary edition laptop, featuring Monster Hunter-themed details on the touchpad and a 20th anniversary logo. Performance figures shown at the event included 80 frames per second in Baldur’s Gate, 170 in FIFA, 156 in Strange Brigade and 92 in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, according to Pat’s walkthrough.

Laptop materials and purchase bonus

The exhibition included samples comparing plastic, aluminium and magnesium alloy laptop construction. Pat described the magnesium alloy sample as stronger and less flexible than the plastic and aluminium examples, while also being lighter. The weights mentioned were 1.81 kilograms for the magnesium alloy example and 2.7 kilograms for the aluminium example.

MSI’s event information also advertised a limited-edition MSI 20th Anniversary Dragon G, valued at AUD$289, with purchases of selected TITAN, Raider or Stealth series laptops from 1 to 4 August 2024.