When we talk about high-end laptops we usually think of names like Apple and Alienware but they are being joined by a new range of super thin ultra laptops from companies like Sony. When it comes to gaming on the laptop Alienware has always been the brand to watch however there is a newcomer to the field that introduced a new; and unique, gaming laptop today.
The company, better known for its gaming mice, is Razer and their laptop is called the Razer Blade and comes with their own custom UI called the Switchblade User Interface . Another really cool feature is the 10 dynamic keys and LCD screen that sits to the right of the keyboard.
Here’s what you can expect when it comes to the laptop’s specs when it ships this holiday season:
- 2.8GHz Intel® CoreTM i7 2640M Processor
- 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
- 17.3? LED Backlit Display (1920×1080)
- NVIDIA GeForce® GT 555M with NVIDIA® OptimusTM Technology
- 2GB Dedicated GDDR5 Video Memory
- Built-in HD Webcam
- Integrated 60Wh Battery
- 320GB 7200rpm SATA HDD
- Wireless Network 802.11 b/g/n Compatible
- 16.81? (Width) x 10.9? (Depth) x 0.88? (Height); 6.97lbs (Weight)
You have to admit those are some pretty sweet spec for a $2,800 price tag.
According to an interview with Ars Technica Razer’s CEO and Creative Director Min-Liang Tan said that no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t get any laptop makers to build a laptop with the specifications required by Razor so the company had to buy an ODM in Taiwan in order to get their ideal laptop built the way they wanted.
Additionally Tan said that market research wasn’t even a thought when they started work on the Blade project
Tan told Ars the company has never been interested in market research and focus groups, both of which he admits would indicate there is no market for something like the Razer Blade. He also points to the fact that everyone said the same thing about the company’s line of gaming mice when they were launched. “So, in short, there’s no market if you ask the guy in the suit, but we’ve designed something that we have always wanted for ourselves—we don’t care about the market at large—we do care about the PC gamer,” he explained. “If we designed based on the ‘market’ you wouldn’t see many of the things that we have launched.”
Razer has hired some impressive talent, including the team behind OQO, and engineers from Apple, Dell, and others. They’ve been operating in stealth mode for three years, working on a number of projects that were ultimately canned for not meeting Razer’s standard. The Razer Blade is going to be the team’s grand coming-out party, and it’s certainly a standout product in the gaming PC market.
Way to go Razer.
