Rather discreet until now in the world of video games, Thomson wants to strike a big blow by strengthening its range of Roxxor gaming products with powerful PCs at competitive prices and, above all, a portable console running Windows 11 that thinks big.
Well known in the past for its household appliances, radios and televisions, Thomson had its hour of glory in computing at the beginning of the 1980s, with personal microcomputers, such as the famous and legendary TO7 which made the happiness of pioneers. Although the brand has since been split up and bought several times, its digital division was taken over in 2013 by a French group which is trying to find a place in a very competitive market by offering entry-level products at affordable prices, sold in online and in supermarkets. And since then it has continued to slowly gain momentum to offer increasingly robust machines, such as the Thomson M15 EVO (see our test). Better yet, it has made a very discreet entry into the world of gaming in 2021, with accessories and PCs that have gone unnoticed.
It is in this dynamic of moving upmarket that the brand apparently wishes to move forward, and even accelerate today, with the announcement of a complete renewal of its Roxxor family of products dedicated to PC video games, a very competitive market. , with a high level of requirements, both in terms of performance, manufacturing quality and software monitoring. To find a place in this sector which already has many well-established heavyweights such as Asus, MSI, Acer or Lenovo, the brand has decided to attack hard, by announcing not only four new models of gaming laptops , but also a portable game console under Windows 11, the big trend of the moment.
Thomson unveiled its new products a few days ago, during an event during which we were able to take charge and try the different machines in its Roxxor range, which at first glance made a good impression on us, and of which we will tell you we offer an overview in the following lines.
Thomson Roxxor: a complete range of gaming laptops
The renewed family of laptops dedicated to video games from Thomson consists of four models, the G15, G16s, G16 and G17, named respectively according to the size of their screen, from 15.6 to 17 inches. The range is then segmented according to the power and components of each machine. The brand has chosen sobriety for its entire range, all computers of which feature an entirely black chassis, with no embellishments other than the double X of the logo on the back of the screen. The G16 model is already available at certain retailers, and the other three are announced for the end of 2023.
The G17 is logically positioned as the largest and most powerful model in the range, with a 17.3-inch screen in 16:9 format in QHD (2560 x 1440p) and 240 Hz, a 13th generation Intel i7 or i9 processor , an Nvidia RTX 4080 or 4090 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of NVME PCIe 4 SSD storage, all powered by a substantial 99 Wh battery, for an equally substantial total weight of 3.29 kg. Depending on the configuration chosen, the G17 is announced in a price range between €2,999 and €3,699, and is therefore intended for players who are looking for the best possible level of performance, to the detriment of weight and even if it means paying the price. .
The G16s and G16 models form the heart of the range, with very solid configurations on paper and prices that are apparently more affordable for this category of computers. The G16s offers five versions, all equipped with a 16-inch screen in 16:10 format, with QHD+ definition (2560 x 1600p) and a refresh rate of 165 Hz, a 13th generation Intel i5 or i7 processor, a Nvidia RTX graphics card from the 4050 to the 4070, 16 or 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage in NVME PCIe 4 SSD, all supported by a 73 Wh battery, for a weight this time – much more content of 2.45 Kg. This model offers the widest choice of configurations in the range and is announced at prices between €1,499 and €2,099, much more reasonable prices which should satisfy those looking for of a very fast PC in game without breaking the bank.
Its big brother, the G16 in short, takes up almost the entirety of this technical sheet but this time in a unique variation, with a screen that goes from 165 to 240 Hz, a very large Intel i9-13900H processor. , only one choice of graphics card with the Nvidia RTX 4070, only one amount of RAM and storage and, strangely, one less USB port. This unique and more muscular configuration is announced at a single price of €2,299
Finally, the G15 constitutes the entry-level of the Roxxor family, with a unique and simplified technical sheet: a 15.6-inch screen in FHD (1920 x 1080p) and at 144 Hz, an Intel i5-12450H processor , an Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card, 16 GB of DDR4 RAM only, 512 GB of storage and a small 54 Wh battery, for a final weight of just 2.05 kg. A much lighter configuration than that of the others models, but which still includes an Nvidia 40 series GPU and therefore allows you to benefit from the latest version of DLSS. The manufacturer announces a release of the G15 for the end of 2023, at a fairly aggressive launch price of €999, which would make it a very interesting option for those who would like to equip themselves at a reasonable price to enjoy recent games in FHD at a good level of performance.
Thomson Roxxor Infinity: a large format portable console under Windows 11
Thomson has apparently decided to think big and, alongside a complete and fairly classic range of computers, announces the arrival of a portable console running Windows 11 in XXL format. In the wake of Valve’s Steam Deck, Asus’ ROG Ally or Lenovo’s Legion Go, the French brand presents the Roxxor Infinity, a gaming computer taking the form of a portable console, therefore, with rather attractive technical characteristics .
The first thing that jumps out at you is obviously the size of the machine and especially that of its screen. Thomson has decided to immediately offer one of the largest portable consoles on the market, with a 10.1-inch diagonal display, which is even more than that of the imposing Legion Go from Lenovo and its 8, 8 inches. In terms of characteristics, the panel offers an FHD+ definition (1920 x 1200p) and a refresh rate of only 60 Hz, which is less than what the competition offers (120 Hz at Asus and 144 Hz at Lenovo) but, let’s be honest , is more than sufficient for gaming on this type of device.
Like the rest of the manufacturers, Thomson chose to equip its Roxxor Infinity with an AMD Ryzen 7000 series processor, embedding the famous 760M or 780M iGPU (integrated graphics card), which allowed these console-shaped laptops to see the day. Three versions of Thomson’s machine will be offered, one with a Ryzen 5 7640U and a Radeon 760M iGPU, and two with a Ryzen 7 7840U and a Radeon 780M iGPU. It will also be possible to choose between 16 and 32 GB of LPDDR5 memory and 512 GB or 1 TB of SSD storage depending on the model chosen.
The connectivity also looks complete and interesting, including two USB ports, including a Type-C with 4.0 standard allowing you to connect an eGPU (external graphics card) to extend the computing power of the machine or to connect an SSD external with a high data transfer rate, to which are added the classic ports for Micro-SD card and 3.5 mm audio jack. For wireless connectivity, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are included. The whole thing will be powered by a 60 Wh battery, which is more than what we find in the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally, which both have a 40 Wh accumulator. This additional capacity will however have to be weighed against the much larger screen and therefore necessarily more energy intensive.
Regarding its price and availability, the console is announced for release at the beginning of 2024, at a price around €1,000. For a first attempt at the emerging market of gaming computers in portable console format, we can say that Thomson has solid ambitions, and that its Roxxor Infinity offers a particularly attractive technical sheet on paper.
However, it will be necessary to check how the new addition behaves in a real game situation, because Thomson will have to manage the same and difficult problems as its competitors. On the one hand, the cooling and autonomy of its console, because if AMD’s processors are true technological marvels which offer exceptional levels of video game performance on such small machines, they are subject to overheating and remain particularly energy-intensive. On the other hand, the software monitoring that the manufacturer will be able to offer will play a determining role in the reliability and comfort of use that the Roxxor Infinity will offer.
If behemoths like Valve, Asus or Lenovo have the human resources and technical experience necessary to develop and maintain a robust software ecosystem on top of Windows 11, which is very unsuitable for use on this type of device, we Thomson is less familiar with this area. Without prejudging its success or not in this area, this will undoubtedly be one of the main challenges that the French company will have to overcome to establish itself as a new serious and recognized player in PC video games.