Micro-Star International (MSI) has released a total of 25 new VR-supported gaming motherboards targeting the mid-range to high-end sector and 21 new VR-ready mid-range to high-end gaming notebooks for early 2017, and is looking to expand its presence in the gaming industry by releasing multiple models to fill all the gaps in the market, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.
In 2016, MSI released over 50 gaming notebooks and about a quarter of them were VR-Ready models, but some market watchers expect MSI's notebook shipments to have dropped around 10% on year because of the company's strategy of reducing the number of its entry-level model projects. However, the company still enjoyed revenue growth thanks to rising ASPs from its mid-range and high-end notebooks.
MSI shipped about 21 million graphics cards and motherboards combined in 2016, down slightly from 2015 because Intel delayed the release of its new CPU platform. MSI motherboard shipments in 2016 were 14-15 million units, while graphics card shipments were 6-7 million units.
MSI's desktop shipments are expected to have dropped from a year ago in 2016, but the company is looking to further strength its desktop products' quality in orders to increase related gross margins, the paper added.
Article translated by Joseph Tsai
