Don’t worry broke folks, we totally know how you feel. Your wallet doesn’t even weigh a thing; your bank account balance might as well be non-existent; you’re forced to quietly eat Chesdale slices for lunch at your desk. 

But then here comes the PC Show, the yearly tech event at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre that’s Singapore’s longest-running consumer electronics exhibition. Sales galore too, with solid bargains from the likes of Aftershock, Sony, Samsung, Dell, Canon and a heck of a lot more gizmo brands. So many things to buy, yet so little funds. 

Still, the PC Show does deserve a visit over the four-days it’ll be around. Check out what you can do for free at the event, other than just window shopping. 

Lounging with Sonos

Soundsystem mavens Sonos are making a hard push into the homes and apartments in Singapore, and what better way to experience quality audio than at their booth’s living room replicas (while watching free movie clips)? Sonos’ local distributors TC Acoustic rigged up two living room setups — one to showcase its viability as a cinematic surround sound system to appease the snobbiest audiophiles; the other to showcase its smart home capabilities. 

There’s also a small gallery of Sonos facts, displaying the results of a global survey, including how listening to music out loud at home positively affects relationships (and party quality). 

Secretlab shenanigans

It’s an established fact that Secretlab is eternally present at every consumer tech show and exhibition here. Tech show regulars also know that the homegrown company will always hold sales of their acclaimed gaming chairs at discounted prices during exhibitions. 

Discounted or not, the chairs can be on the pricier range and you *know* you can’t afford one right now. But that’s not stopping you from sitting on one or ten of ‘em at the Secretlab booth. Everyone’s welcome to rest their bums on the brand’s latest products, including the ones from their special Game of Thrones collection that ought to be comfier than the Iron Throne. 

MI Robotic antics

Far from the killing fields of ST Engineering’s fearsome drone of death, MI Robotic’s droids are built more for concierge work than war. The Singapore-based developer is showcasing three of their friendly robots at the PC Show: Beauty Waitress (who can bear a tray load of 5kg), Snow (pint-sized plaything for retail, pre-school, and nursing homes) and Amy (reception desk duties and security). 

Visitors can interact with the robots to see just how advanced they are, with voice and facial recognition capabilities, face-tracking, and autonomous navigation. 

HADO hijinks

HADO claims to be the future of esports, and it’s hard not to argue against it after we tried playing it ourselves. The company calls its augmented reality game “digital dodgeball” but it’s more than that — it’s roughly a fusion of elements from Halo, Tron and high-intensity interval training. 

Wearing goggles and wristbands, players have to jump, dash, and dodge their way around the arena to avoid getting hit by projectiles, as well as land hits on their opponents. There are other mechanics to augment your tactics (like setting up shields), so it really is like an actual video game. Totally free of charge too to play a round or two of Hado.
 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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