Laptops have come a long way in such a short amount of time, it’s hard to believe that the first proper gaming laptop was only invented in 2011. But the fascinating sequence of events that led to the gaming laptop’s birth were set in motion long before that pivotal year.
Let’s take a look at some crucial moments in time that led to the peak portable gaming machines we have today, shall we?
1940s
When it comes to the first dedicated gaming machine built, a safe bet is the Nimatron machine, which debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1940. Designed by nuclear physicist, Edward Condon, the machine was constructed to play nim, an ancient maths strategy game. As far as portability goes, Nimatron didn’t score high marks, standing at a colossal 12-feet tall.
1950s
In 1958, Texas Instruments engineer Jack Kilby created the first integrated circuit – essentially paving the way for the microchip, and all modern technology as we know it today.
1980s
In 1980, Nintendo introduced the world to the very first Game & Watch – little handheld electronic gaming devices that featured a single game and displayed on an LCD screen. Nintendo went on to sell a combined 43.4 million of these bad boys worldwide, making the Game & Watch Nintendo’s first truly globally successful video game.
1981 saw the release of the Osborne 1, the world’s first mass-produced portable computer. The machine cost $1,795 USD, weighed in at just under 11kg, and featured a 5-inch display, 64 KB of memory, a modem, and two 5.25-inch floppy disk drives.
1990s
The 90s was when PC gaming really started to boom. According to Tech Gape, “Graphics cards like the NVIDIA NV1 and the ATI Rage 1 powered huge PC only titles like Doom, Quake and Half Life with stunning 3D graphics. GPUs were big circuit boards so it was unthinkable at the time for these to be implemented into the range of laptops at the time”.
2010s
The 2010s was the decade gaming laptops became ‘a thing’. 2011 saw the world’s first gaming laptop come into existence, and what followed was a slew of innovation in the space. In 2016, ASUS introduced the world’s first liquid-cooled laptop, and they still remain the only brand to use liquid metal cooling.
Today
Today, gaming laptops aren’t just for gamers anymore — modern gaming laptops have become the standard-setters when it comes to peak laptop experience. They’re so powerful that they’re now the weapon of choice for professionals looking to video editing, graphic design and even developing games while on the go.
If you’re looking for peak performance in a modern package, ASUS has you sorted. If you’re a professional at the top of your game and require a workhorse with the capacity to develop AAA level games, then the Zephyrus Duo 16 is the laptop for you. Boasting a second screen, this design allows seamless multitasking with its 14.1” touchscreen display. Plus, it’s perfect for the mobile creator, with its large 90Wh battery and 100W charging over USB Type-C.
If you’re after something a little more suited to general lifestyle and gaming use – an all-rounder that basically gives you everything you need for a general-use lifestyle laptop while also boasting the firepower to play the latest and greatest gaming titles, check out the versatile ROG Flow Z13. Or if you want to pack your working life and personal life in the one reliable package, the Zephyrus G14 has you covered, thanks to its being tailored to achieve maximum performance in office and business settings. This all-AMD powerhouse is ready for any gaming or multitasking you can throw at it.
But if it’s pure performance in a gaming setting that you really require, then grab yourself a Strix G15 – a gaming laptop designed specifically to meet the high-performance requirements unique to professional esports players. This is the crème de la crème when it comes to pure gaming performance – giving pros and casuals alike the ultimate portable gaming experience.