Comic Con 2024: Shark X set to bite SA

The Shark X gaming PC was one of the biggest drawcards of Comic Con 2024 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) last weekend. The event attracted thousands of attendees and featured cosplay, gaming, technology, and geek culture.

However, the fierce fish at the Cooler Master stand was not just there to attract attention — it was to reveal its availability in South Africa later this year.

The top-end model features impressive specifications, including a Ryzen 9 9950X, GeForce RTX 4080 Super, 4TB Samsung 990 Evo SSD, 64GB of 6000MHz RAM, and an Atmos Cooler liquid cooling system. It will be available at a startling, recommended retail price of R160,000. Configurations at a lower specification will start at R95,000. That will still bite your budget hard.

Designed by Inony from Thailand, the machine debuted at the 2019 Cooler Master World Mod Series, and is described by Cooler Master like this: “Inspired by the remarkable evolution of artificial intelligence as it reaches its peak. AI entities have developed their own ideas and abilities, no longer dependent on humans, they have evolved to survive and reshape the world. The apex embodiment of art meet tech.”

Rapoo, Kaspersky, Gigabyte and Skyworth band together

Moving over to the Kaspersky stand — a company known primarily for its cybersecurity and antivirus solutions — I found it unusual at first to see gaming peripherals and displays being showcased.

“Kaspersky is doing quite a heavy push into the gaming scene along with Skyworth and Rapoo,” said Brennan Strydom, COO of Fuzz Digital, the marketing company behind the stand.

“These three brands partnered to start developing their gaming presence not just within SA, but within Africa too. Kaspersky have recently reworked their game mode in their premium antivirus and plus antivirus models. While playing Counterstrike, I now get 30 extra frames per second using it.”

Several new products were flown in for Comic Con to announce their upcoming availability in SA stores within the next two weeks, including the Rapoo V500 Pro gaming keyboard. The peripheral features a removable magnetic cover for enhanced click depth and tactile feel. It comes with red switches or a Rapoo-manufactured variant resembling black switches which offers a softer click. A tenkeyless version and multiple colour options will also be available.

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Other upcoming products on display at the Kaspersky stand included:

• A 34-inch, 240Hz Gigabyte ultrawide display monitor.
• A 65-inch, 144hz Skyworth Dolby Atmos gaming TV (55-inch version will also be available).
• An AI-karaoke Google TV, with microphone remote (recently released)

Said Strydom: “What’s really cool about this AI-karaoke TV is using AI, you can choose any YouTube you want, and it will remove the vocals from the video, and measure your vocals while you sing and give you a rating.”

The remote for this TV features a karaoke button, and doubles as a microphone.

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“Because the gaming market in Africa does a weird up and down movement, Kaspersky, Rapoo, Skyworth, and Aorus (another sponsor of Gigabyte) are trying to develop that.

“They really want to try grow and develop the gaming market within Africa.”

And the winner is…

Comic Con Africa features more than technology; it also celebrates cosplay, with a competition that offers the prize of attending the 2025 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2). 

Attendees dressed in costumes inspired by various pop culture franchises, anime, superheroes, and everything in between.

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@BluRohbotStudios (Instagram) won the title of 2024 Comic Con Africa Cosplay Champion and will represent Africa at C2E2 in 2025. He cosplayed as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit.

Getting local

Imbokodo, a local comic book by Thabo Rametsi and Thabiso Mabanna, debuted at Comic Con, exploring African culture, history, and storytelling. Set in Ndawo, a land still fractured a thousand years after a war between the Badimu, the story follows a nameless woman as she strives to join the elite warriors of Queen Nyameka’s empire, the Imbokodo, to fight for the Queen, the Empire, and the freedom of all Muntu.

Next to the comic book display was board game co-creator Don Kruger, who also debuted his new product, Mystic Maneuvers. In the strategy-based board game, players construct a hexagonal map, summon creatures using gold, and engage in battles to control land tiles. It includes over 90 creature cards, 36 magical spell cards, and 36 distinct land biomes. Players use card synergies, strategic movement, and creature abilities to win by defending linked tiles. Each round offers a different gameplay experience due to the dynamic map and card interactions.

In support of each other, Imbokodo and Mystic Maneuvers featured two special edition cards: Queen Nandi and Queen Modjadji.

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Debut of a new Marketplace

Ayoba, a messaging app that includes news channels (such as Gadget Magazine) and games, announced the upcoming launch of the Ayoba Marketplace. The e-commerce platform allows users to both buy and sell products.

SA will be the first country to access the new feature in October 2024, with Nigeria and Ghana to follow in 2025.

Lia Jabe, Ayoba ecosystem and business development co-ordinator, said: “It is an all-in-one built in marketplace with electronic payments and delivery.

“We identified that many small businesses do not have existing websites, but have many amazing homemade products. So, digitising them, bringing them online, was the huge component that we tried to build this house, so that it has everything for them.”

Jabe told Gadget that Comic Con was a valuable opportunity for Ayoba due to its wide variety of markets brought together under one roof. The event is essential in identifying potential merchants – of which there were many.

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“Small businesses lack human resources. They don’t have teams or departments of tech and software developers. We have the resources, so the only focus for merchants is to sell their product, without stressing about their own domains, or writing code.”

“The marketplace gives opportunity for small businesses and big enterprises, like tech companies. As you know, post lockdown most businesses were affected in terms of sales and generating revenue. Many closed down and people lost their jobs. Everyone got to the norm of ordering things online.”

To get notified when Ayoba Marketplace launches, visit here.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter and Threads at @jas2bann.