As MSI’s laptop division celebrates its 20th anniversary, we sat down with Eric Kuo, Executive Vice President (Notebook BU GM), and Derek Chen, Notebook Sales and Marketing Director, the dynamic duo driving innovation at MSI. We delved into the secrets behind MSI’s laptop popularity and uncovered the DNA behind their product philosophy.
MSI laptops have established themselves as a premier choice among users, particularly renowned for their gaming series. Known for its high performance, solid quality, and striking design, MSI has emerged as a leading brand catering to premium users such as content creators, business elites, and performance-driven individuals.
Their legacy in the laptop industry dates back to 2004. At that time, no one in the market had ever considered playing those AAA games on laptops instead of the desktop. However, with their dedication to innovation, the M510C (project code MS-1003) was born for all the high-performance users.
“MSI has confidence in making premium products with our dedication to our core values: Luxurious Aesthetic, Extreme Performance, and Innovative Technology. We’ve always been driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to meeting the needs of our users,” said Eric Kuo “Our laptop division was established in 2004, and since then, we’ve been dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in mobile computing,” Eric said.
Eric Kuo – Executive Vice President and NB BU GM at MSI, holding the MSI Stealth 18 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Laptop
But MSI didn’t stop there. Three years later, in 2007, the world’s first overclockable gaming laptop – GX600 which is explicitly designed for esports players was born & captured immediate global attention.
The story didn’t’ always go smoothly. In 2009, MSI faced a significant challenge. However, MSI overcame the 2009 global financial crisis by refocusing on high-end gaming laptops and has never looked back since.
While all the others were focusing on raising performance, MSI again focused on fulfilling demands for both computing power and portability by introducing another landmark product: the ultra-slim gaming laptop in 2013.
“MSI was the first to make an ultra-slim gaming laptop to convince the world that a high-performed machine should have never been compromised with portability. We were the first to adopt a full-size mechanical keyboard on our flagship Titan Series with one of our favourite features – the SteelSeries Engine that enables better typing and an immersive RGB experience.” Eric added.
MSI consistently anticipates emerging trends and gamers’ needs by engaging with professional gamers and users to identify key areas to focus on, including performance, sound, screen quality, keyboard, and streaming capabilities. “We knew that if we could deliver on these key areas, we could create laptops that would truly make a difference for our users. This dedication led to MSI becoming the market leader for gaming laptops in 2015,” said Derek Chen.
Derek Chen – Notebook Sales and Marketing Director, MSI
“MSI has always been the first to adapt the latest tech and be brave enough to integrate optimized features on our devices. MSI was the first to offer Killer Networks in their gaming laptops, to provide a superior gaming experience, enabling stable connections, low latencies, wider bandwidth, and enabling gamers to seamlessly stream games and play online without limitations” said Eric Kuo while giving many more examples of how MSI has been an innovator with a core focus on what matters the most for its target audience.
“Time and again, when there are trending technologies like VR, the Metaverse, and AI, MSI is always at the forefront, providing performance-ready devices for the market”
In recent years, they have continued to lead with innovations such as the backpack VR PC in 2016, the first laptop optimized for Content Creators with a Mini LED display and industrial standard colour accuracy launched in 2020 and now AI-ready laptops along with gaming handheld ‘Claw’ on the Intel platform in 2024.
“As long as there are demands for devices, we will always back up those innovative technologies and performance for the users. No matter if it is on a portable gaming handheld or on a gaming laptop,” Eric Kuo adds. “And also, the gaming industry is not only for gamers. Because as you can see, the role in the gaming industry keeps diverging into different roles. For example, gamers are also streamers, simulators, and creators. They all have different demands, which is why we divide them into different lineups, whether it’s gaming laptops or performance-oriented devices that fulfil the demands of streamers, gamers, and creators.
They can create their game characters or game simulations, and at the same time, they are also gamers. When we say gaming or esports, it’s not only for players or gamers but also the whole ecosystem of streamers, game designers, and more. They all have different needs, and we’re committed to meeting those needs.”, adds Eric.
Looking forward, MSI aims to blend luxury aesthetics with cutting-edge technology and exciting partnerships to cater to its diverse audience.
MSI’s Content Creation and Business & Productivity laptops combine modern aesthetics with top-notch performance, housed in premium chassis. This winning combination has been popularly acclaimed by creators and business elites alike, perfectly fulfilling their all-encompassing needs.
As MSI continues to evolve and expand its horizons, the focus on integrating artificial intelligence into their laptops represents the next frontier in their journey of innovation. MSI’s latest AI laptops are a good demonstration of how MSI integrates cutting-edge hardware and seamless user experience together and is always committed to staying ahead of the curve.
“AI is going to change the game for content creators and gamers alike. We’re committed to enabling more AI applications on our devices and ensuring fast speed and security.” Derek Chen emphasizes. “Performance is the key, and we’re committed to delivering laptops that can keep up with the demands of AI. However, performance is not the only thing that matters. We focused on integration by providing various AI software to ensure a great user experience.”
Looking to the next 20 years, Derek Chen says, “We’re excited to see what the future holds, and we’re committed to continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible in mobile computing.”
As a parting note, the MSI team assured us of an exciting line-up of gaming and creator-focused products and launches in the market. We are particularly looking forward to the AI-powered Prestige series of laptops, that we got our hands on at the Computex show floor in Taiwan. We are waiting for the MSI Prestige series to hit the Digit Test Labs so we can test it and have our review out soon!