Konami is entering the desktop PC business

(Image credit: Konami)

The division responsible for Konami's famed pachinko machines is diving into a new market: PC gaming. Japanese outlet PC Watch (via Tom's Hardware) reports that the company has three desktop models currently available to preorder, with shipping due to commence this September.

The Arespear product line is handled by Konami Amusements, which also handles arcade systems and the company's esports interests. The models range from 184,000 yen (roughly $1,750 in the US) through to 338,800 yen ($3,205) depending on the specs.

And what are they? The Arespear C300 is the low cost model, with an i5-9400F processor, a GTX 1650, 8GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a 512GB SSD. The Arespear C700 and C700+ have much better specs: a watercooled i7-9700, an RTX 2070 Super and 16GB DDR4-2666 memory. These models house the same 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD as the C300, but also come with a 1TB hard drive.

The difference between the C700 and C700+ is mostly cosmetic: you're getting RGB lighting and a windowed case for the extra 22,000 yen (around $210). All models have a discrete sound card in the form of the Asus Xonar AE.

It's an interesting and unexpected move for Konami, for not an illogical one: as Wes reported back in 2017, PC gaming is on the up in Japan. Pre-orders are open, but it's unclear whether they'll ship outside of Japan.

Here are the models:

Arsepear C300 - 184,800 yen ($1,750)

Arsepear C300 - 184,800 yen ($1,750) (Image credit: Konami)

Arespear C700 - 316,800 yen ($3,000)

Arespear C700 - 316,800 yen ($3,000) (Image credit: Konami)

Arespear C700+ 338,800 yen ($3,208)

Arespear C700+ 338,800 yen ($3,208) (Image credit: Konami)
Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.