Check out this amazing Alien PC and other cool tech we saw at PAX Australia 2024

PAX Australia returned to Melbourne this past weekend to celebrate everything from competitive esports and indie games to new tech, gear, tabletop gaming, and jumping on a Nintendo 64 to play some multiplayer Mario Kart with like-minded individuals.

MSI was at PAX showcasing PCs with Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPUs.

Even though companies like SEGA and Ubisoft were on hand with titles like Star Wars Outlaws and Sonic X Shadow Generations running on console hardware, as seen in previous years, PC gaming was just about everywhere at PAX. From MSI and ASUS rekindling their Computex 2024 rivalry with big booths showcasing their latest hardware to local PC hardware gurus Aftershock showcasing some truly stunning one-of-a-kind builds.

Outside of the surprise appearance of Valve announcing that it was finally bringing the Steam Deck to Australia, the other big thing this weekend was the debut of Intel's new core Ultra 200 Series, with actual builds from companies like MSI running the latest games on brand-new Z890 rigs playing games like Black Myth: Wukong. Here's a list of the coolest tech we saw at the show, starting with Aftershock's incredible custom Alien PC.

Aftershock's custom Alien Xenomorph PC mod with water-cooled GeForce RTX graphics

Aftershock partnered with 20th Century Studios Australia to create this custom Alien PC valued at $10,000 AUD (around $6,700 USD). The menacing Xenomorph from the iconic sci-fi franchise is paired with a water-cooled AORUS GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, and 32GB of memory. As far as custom builds go, this was a showstopper at PAX, and it's not hard to see why.

Keychron's giant keyboard and bigger line-up of custom boards

Keychron is known for creating highly sought-after mechanical keyboards for professionals and gamers. At PAX Australia, they showcased a massive mechanical keyboard with working switches and keycaps. Keychron's booth was packed throughout the weekend, showcasing its full line-up of boards - from colorful TKL models with dials and custom layouts to full-sized ergonomic keyboards that didn't sacrifice style and performance for comfort.

MSI's live Intel Core Ultra rig with its MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI motherboard playing PC games

With the imminent arrival of Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2) processors, MSI not only had its impressive MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI motherboard on display but also full PCs with the new board and CPUs, like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, up and running with games for people to try out. With high-performance components, super-fast DDR5, and PCIe Gen 5 storage, it was exciting to see these new rigs up and running within hours of Intel's official Core Ultra announcement.

The ultimate setup for World of Warcraft players

This PC is another Aftershock creation (and not the last on this list), where the company teamed up with NZXT to create a limited edition World of Warcraft 'Alliance' PC using the NZXT H510 case. The PC was paired with SteelSeries' limited edition 20th anniversary WoW gear, including an Arctis Nova 7 headset and Aerox 9 Wireless gaming mouse. Yes, that's also a SteelSeries QcK XXL World of Warcraft mousepad and keyboard with a custom WoW Aristan Keycap.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 custom PC and Corsair peripherals

As reported earlier today, Corsair has partnered with Activision to create a line of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 gear, including the brilliant CORSAIR K65 PLUS WIRELESS keyboard you see here. The company also showcased a custom Black Ops 6 PC and mod by Australian-based creators, case experts, and tech reviewers Gear Seekers at PAX. Even if you're not the biggest Call of Duty fan, the black, charcoal, and orange colors of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 look fantastic on hardware.

ASUS's ROG Zephyrus G14 is a stylish, ultrathin, and light gaming laptop

ASUS had a big presence at PAX this year, showcasing its cutting-edge ROG and Zephyrus hardware. Although its high-powered ROG STRIX gaming laptops were impressive in terms of raw performance, the lightweight ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 blew us away. With its GeForce RTX 4070 GPU and OLED display running Final Fantasy XVI, this portable and lightweight laptop blurs the line between stylish productivity and impressive gaming performance.

Aftershock's custom Medusa PC mod is a work of art

Another truly stunning creation from the wizards at Aftershock, the Medusa and Perseus PC, is an incredible achievement that is just as much a work of art as it is an impressive rig with powerful GeForce RTX 4090 graphics. According to Aftershock, "Medusa and Perseus exist in a world shaped by gods and magic - Medusa symbolizes danger, transformation, and the monstrous-feminine, while Perseus represents courage, divine favor, and the hero's journey."

Cooler Master's impressive but insanely priced Shark X custom PC

Cooler Master's Shark X is a custom PC you can buy, and the company is currently producing several of these massive rigs. Sure, the $7,000 is steep for something that "only" features an Intel Core i7-14700F CPU and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPU, but it's hard not to be impressed with the sheer size of this thing and the amount of custom engineering that went into its creation. Seeing it up close at PAX, with its RGB lighting and almost 1-meter height, was a sight to behold.

Playing Microsoft Flight Simulator on three giant curved displays is next-level immersion

Custom rigs for racing games and flight simulators are big business for those who want pure immersion. Several were on display at PAX, and this creation for Microsoft Flight Simulator captured our attention. With three large curved displays arranged vertically, the view instantly leveled up the experience of jumping into the cockpit of a fighter jet flying over a mountain range.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ impressed us with how well it ran games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the company's second attempt at a PC gaming handheld, and it might just be one to turn a few heads when it debuts next year. Powered by Intel's new Lunar Lake processor with integrated Intel Arc Battlemage graphics, we played games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, and it all ran smoothly on the 8-inch 120 Hz display. It's also comfortable to hold and lightweight, with MSI touting some of the longest battery life of any gaming handheld, so we can't wait to check it out in full when it launches in early 2025.