Acer Predator 8 gaming tablet goes on sale for $299 in November
Acer's Predator 8 gaming tablet has Intel's latest Atom processor under the hood, with quad speakers on the front and an Android OS.
BERLIN -- Acer has finally pulled back the curtains on the Intel-powered gaming tablet it originally announced in June. The Predator 8 GT-810 will go on sale in North America for $299 (which converts to around £195 or AU$425) and will exclusively sell on Newegg on November 6 for two weeks. After that, it will be available at other stores.
Boasting top-shelf specs that should satisfy any gamer on the go, the Acer Predator 8 is set to become one of the zippiest Android gaming tablets around. It runs on Lollipop 5.1, houses Intel's latest Atom X7-Z8700 processor -- the same chipset that powers the Microsoft Surface 3 tablets -- with an Intel HD Graphic Gen-8-LP GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 32 or 64GB of internal storage. It's also got a microSD card slot expandable up to 128GB.
To match its high-end internal specs, the viewing experience of the Predator 8 is promisingly spectacular. The 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution FHD screen features an impressively wide range of colors, and it claims to support 100 per cent of the NTSC color gamut -- a great feat for any screen, let alone a tablet. To enhance games, the Predator TacSense feature provides tactile feedback on the screen when gaming, supplying an extra oomph during game play.
You'll find a speaker on each corner of Predator 8. This quad-speaker set-up is meant to make gaming (or video, we assume) more immersive, with virtual surround sound. Acer's Predator MediaMaster is a unique app that helps you take full advantage of the powerful speakers. Depending on whether you're watching a movie, playing a game, or lurking on Facebook, the app has different pre-settings that optimize the screen and sound performance.
Intel showcased Acer's Predator 8 mobile gaming device earlier this year.
The Acer tablet follows in the design footsteps of its fellow Predators, with odd angular flourishes and red edging on the corners. It weighs 0.77-pounds (350 grams) and has a 0.34-inch (8.7mm) thickness, so it's definitely portable enough to carry around everywhere -- just don't expect anything comparable to the featherweight Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 .
Even though it's Acer's first dedicated gaming tablet, the Predator 8 is the most promising one we've seen since the Nvidia Shield tablet. Due to fire hazards currently plaguing the Shield, Acer has a good shot at dethroning Nvidia as best Android gaming tablet.
International availability and pricing has yet to be detailed, so check back for more information as it's announced.
For more of the best of IFA 2015, see CNET's complete coverage.
