Are we finally going to get a modular gaming laptop that sticks?

pcgamer.com:

In July 2022, our hardware big boss Dave James checked out the modular, user-upgradeable Framework laptop, and declared(opens in new tab) «Framework shows what notebooks should be like, and now I desperately want it to make a gaming laptop.» After attending a Framework event in San Francisco today, I've got some very good news for Dave—the moment has arrived.

Framework announced the Framework 16 on Thursday, bringing its modular design to a larger system built to house dedicated GPUs. It's a 16-inch body, with an «expansion bay» system that'll allow for you to extend out the back of the laptop past the display to house larger graphics boards. Imagine a laptop that's 12 or so inches deep, from touchpad to rear exhaust, if you had an RTX 4060 on board, while a bigger, hotter RTX 4080 would be both thicker and extend an inch further in depth.

Those GPU models are purely my hypotheticals at this point: Framework isn't talking about what exact CPUs or modular graphics cards will be available for the Framework 16, which is going to start shipping in «late 2023.» But we may know a bit more before long, with pre-orders set to open up sometime this spring.

As with Framework's existing laptops, you'll be able to swap out modules for the types of I/O you want: USB-C and HDMI ports, microSD slots, etc. New for the Framework 16 are keyboard options for a bigger laptop body, with an optional numpad. Framework had some cute options on display for people who don't care about the numpad, including some LED dot matrix displays playing Pong. You'll also be able to just slap in some flat panels if you want a standard centered keyboard, but the Raspberry Pi microcontrollers used for those optional features will be user-programmable if you