After decades as a leader in the desktop market, Corsair is delivering its first-ever gaming laptop. The new Voyager a1600 is an AMD powerhouse, including Ryzen 6000-series processors as well as AMD Radeon RX 6000 series graphics. Corsair's first foray into mobile hardware comes after the company acquired enthusiast PC builder Origin in 2019.
Because the images Corsair has provided us with are simply renders, and we only got a brief glimpse at AMD's Computex keynote, we don't know exactly how this gadget will look. Still, if you look closely, you'll notice one feature: there's a touch bar.
A real Corsair Voyager is examined in greater detail. Sean Hollister/The Verge/Screenshot
Of course, the row of shortcut buttons above the keyboard deck isn't termed a "touch bar." "Ten easy-access customizable S-key shortcut buttons," as Corsair presented it to me. The good news is that this row of ten easily customizable S-key shortcut buttons is adds extra keys to the keyboard rather than replacing the function row, as some... other manufacturers have done to mixed reviews.
Because these S-keys are powered by Elgato Stream Deck software, you'll most likely use them to manage live streaming functions like switching scenes, launching media, and adjusting audio. Although we don't expect many streamers to use a laptop, it's still an intriguing concept that's out of the ordinary in the gaming world — and it can also serve as a Zoom conference controller.
Also, it appears that these touch controls are accessible even when the laptop is closed. I appreciate that you can check the battery level before you open the laptop, but I'm concerned about buttons being hit while it's in a backpack or something. When we get our hands on the gadget, we'll learn more about how these buttons work (which should be sometime in July, Corsair says).
A full-size Cherry MX low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting will be included, as well as a 1080p FHD webcam. In these images, I see what appears to be a real webcam shutter, which could be a positive hint that Corsair is working on this (which not all gaming manufacturers do).
Prospective Buyers of the Voyager will be able to choose between a Ryzen 7 6800HS or a Ryzen 9 6900HS, both of which include a Radeon 6800M GPU. Up to 64GB of RAM (Corsair Vengeance DDR5) and 2TB of storage are available. There are two Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one SDXC 7.0 card reader, and one audio jack on the device, which sports a 16-inch 2560 x 1600, 240Hz display.
Corsair is following in the footsteps of Razer, another gaming hardware startup that expanded into the enthusiast laptop market after a massive building and acquisition binge. Corsair has recently acquired a number of acquisitions, including Elgato, Scuf Gaming, and Origin, and it appears to be set to broaden its reach to consumers who don't necessarily want to construct their own systems.
The quality and success of this laptop may be the first indication of how successfully the expansion will go. Origin has created decent computers in the past, and its systems are known for their customizability. It'll be interesting to see how customizable the new Corsair machine is, as well as how well these design choices are received by enthusiasts.