Customers asking for a PC that is both VR-ready and portable? Zotac might have them covered with Mobile VR, a solution consisting of a Zbox mini-PC inside a backpack paired with an HTC Vive headset.

“This mobile solution not only removes the bulk of connecting to the large, traditional computer towers of old, but also allows the user to roam freely in VR with their undivided attention,” the company claims. “This innovative solution includes a system powerful enough to drive VR, and a portable battery pack to keep you going.”

Gartner reports Q1 2016 EMEA PC shipments are down by -10% Y-o-Y to 19.5 million units-- a decline similar to the -9.6% Y-o-Y global decline and one split regionally between W. Europe and the rest of the region.

For example, the UK and Germany see stable consumer PC shipments, while French consumers would rather buy HDTVs and media peripherals instead of PCs. On the other hand professional desktop and notebook shipments are in decline as business buyers are still to decide whether to deploy Windows 10 or not, leading to "delayed major deployments."

Moving on the E. Europe, the region was impacted by the "significant" economic challenges seen in Russia and Ukraine, dropping oil prices hitting the ruble-US dollar exchange rate and a combination of extended Christmas and New Year holidays. As for MEA, economic and political instability in the M. East remains a negative factor.

Taiwanese case maker Lian-Li has a history of making PCs crammed in desks (or is it desks with PCs inside?), but it still manages to present a first with the DK-04-- a standing desk PC case.

Standing desks are something of a current fad insisting standing at a desk is more active than sitting in front of one, making it ideal for users wanting a (slightly) more active lifestyle. The DK-04 adheres to such requirements, since it has a motor allowing table height adjustments from 67.5 to 116cm.

Chinese OEM Pipo presents a pair of interesting takes on the Windows 10 mini PC-- the KB1, a computer inside a keyboard, and the KB2, a smaller, more unique computer inside a folding keyboard.

The non-foldable KB1 comes in 2 versions, both featuring an Intel x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor and a choice of 2 or 4GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of internal storage. It is the size of a standard keyboard and even features a touchpad to handle mouse-related duties.

Ports include x1 VGA, x1 HDMI, x2 USB and x1 ethernet, together with a microSD slot and audio jacks. It also features stereo speakers, 802.11ac wifi and a 6000mAh battery.

EMEA PC shipments total 19.5 million units in Q1 2016, Gartner reports-- a -10% Y-o-Y decline reflecting similar results seen on a global scale, with shipments dropping by -9.6% Y-o-Y to 64.8m.

"The deterioration of local currencies against the U.S. dollar continued to play a major role in PC shipment declines," the analyst says. "Our early results also show there was an inventory buildup from holiday sales in Q4 2015."

Lian Li announces the PC-J60-- an ATX mid-tower PC chassis series featuring versatile options for both air and water cooling, as well as an internal layout the company claims will "banish loose cables."

The chassis also promises improved airflow and a tidier internal design making the building of a PC system easier. It features a minimalist design in brushed aluminium lacking in external 5.35- or 3.5-inch bays, with easy access I/O on the front in a recessed area consisting of x2 USB 3.0 ports, HD audio ports and a circular power button.

MSI announces the Pro 16 Flex-- an All-in-One (AIO) PC featuring a "unique" kickstand users can rotate in multiple use modes and a built-in 1300mAh battery allowing for up to 1 hour of unplugged use.

The Pro 16 Flex offers a 15.6-inch touchscreen and is powered by an Intel Celeron N3150 CPU supported by 4GB DDR3L RAM. Also included are a 500GB HDD, SD card reader, x2 USB 3.1 ports and 802.11 b/g/n wifi and (optional) Bluetooth connectivity.

AMD gets ready for the VR-ready GPU war as it announces the Radeon Pro Duo at the Games Developer Conference (GDC) 2016-- a combination of two R9 Fury X GPUs built into the same graphics card.

The combination, AMD claims, offers 16 teraflops of compute performance through an array of 4096 stream processors, 256 texture units and 256 ROPs. Also included is 8GB of RAM split between the two GPUs running at 1GHz on a 4096-bit bus for 512GB/s bandwidth.

An all-in-one 120mm radiator provides liquid cooling, while connection to PCs requires three 8-pin PCIe power connectors.