Razer announces 17in Blade gaming laptop
Is this the future of PC gaming?
The touchscreen-cum-trackpad is joined by ten ‘dynamic, adaptive tactile keys for easier access of in-game commands.’ The touchscreen and these ten keys are referred to as the Switchblade User Interface. The Blade uses backlit chiclet keys, so you can turn the lights off when gaming if that’s how you like it.
The Blade has an aluminium chassis, measuring 427 x 277 x 22mm (W x D x H), and weighs 3.16kg (or 6.97lbs). If you prefer the measurements in Imperial too, the Blade is
The Blade is no lightweight (geddit) when it comes to specs, however: a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 2640M CPU is joined by 8GB of 1,333MHz DDR3 memory and a 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 555M.
The latter might not be the fastest GPU on the planet, but at least it’d decked out with Optimus technology to eke out more battery life when you’re not gaming. The LED backlight of the 17in 1,920 x 1,080 screen should help the 60Wh battery last a little longer as well.
With the price set at $2,800, the Blade doesn’t come cheap, and the launch date is set as ‘North America Q4 2011’ at the moment, so we’re not sure how long you’ll have to wait if you do have that kind of cash.
Now that you've had a gawp at the pictures, let us know if this is the gaming laptop the world has been waiting for, or whether the trusty tower will be the gamer’s system of choice forevermore in the forum.
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It is of course too rich for my blood. Let's all hope Razer keeps at it and introduces 13 and 15 inch models down the line. That would rule.
Thanks. I've honestly never seen that before.
On regards to the laptop, way to expensive for that hardware. You can get much better for much less and it's features don't justify the price at all for me. You could get two laptops with better hardware for that price. Alternatively three desktops.
I loll'd! :)
At last this is a truely portable gaming PC. One in the face of the console boys.The PS or XBox will never be this sexy! Should make lans of the future a lot easier, roomy and cheaper, no big halls or venues to hire. All we need now is for the price to come down and programmers to develop non ported, decent games again.
"Gaming" and "laptop" do not go together, certainly not yet anyway and especially with a price like that
UlkGDqaa28Q
2 grand :'(
Right , so if you got one for free you wouldn't use it. There is always one.
This is more than just a gaming laptop. This is innovation at it's best and possibly one of thoes moments where such an item or idea forges the way for a new form factor just like smart phones at the moment. Just look at the crap we all used just a year or so ago to call eachother and then look at what we have now ( IPhone and Android's). If others follow suit like Alien or Asus we could be seeing the start of a new era for the PC as we know it. Probably won't replace the desktop but certainly laptops and I bet it won't be more than a couple of months befor we see that keyboard and screen combo on sale seperately.
this will have same problem...hence you're better off buying a gaming desktop, unless space is your issue
First things first: The touchpascreen looks to be edgeless, meaning get ready to slide right off of it. Beyond that, look where it is. Sure, this may be intended for gamers first, but this is now a computer that REQUIRES you to use two hands every time, all the time. No more moving with WASD and lazily turning with the touch pad while you get a sip of a drink
Secondly: The price. Yes, I'm aware that Razer is a boutique manufacturer but hoooly ****. That kind of hardware can be stuffed into a wide range of other units, with better (or multiple) video cards for the price, complete with solid state drives, and years of warranty from a manufacturer who has experience in this field.
Third: Though the touchpascreen is pretty awesome, it sits somewhat in the vein of the screens of Logitech Keyboards - Why the hell are you looking at a different screen in the middle of a game? Sure, it's useful if you enjoy RTS or MMO titles, but fans of shooters are going to have to spend a lot of time dead to appreciate this one.
Four: A 60Wh battery? I know that 17" laptops are hardly portable, but what the hell.
That said, I love the idea of this, but this thing is more expensive than a comparable Mac for christ's sake.
LOL. I know. +1
People are idiots.
I use my Sony vaio for gaming every single day - between meetings at work, commuting, or as a spare PC for a LAN party when I have mates round. Sure, It's not going to run BF3 on max, but it plays everything I play pretty damn well.....DoW2, BF2, Civ V, Titan Quest, Left 4 Dead, Torchlight etc.....and in 1920 x 1080 too...but then, as the other guy says, laptops aren't for gaming....so I must be imagining the dozens of hours I've racked up since I bought it a couple of months ago!
...and guess what, Apple sells ridiculously overpriced (and, in my opinion, far more ugly) laptops to thousands of users every single day - and they can't even play games ON the damn things! (LOL) So there is a market out there. Just because one person doesn't want to drop two grand on it doesn't mean there isn't someone else that won't. I wouldn't spend £3K on a bloody watch, but I know plenty of people that do - and all they can do is tell the time with it ;)
Excellent point! I do think the HDD is a bit stingy though.
Let's just hope they don't wanna play D3 whilst they're on the move :p
Or wealthy students!
Would I still buy one if I had the dosh? Too bloody right I would! That is one seriously sexy bit of kit!
Wrong in so many ways but right in the one that counts - people will want one (I certainly do!)
also the chinese guy in the promo vids needs to stop trying too hard to make it wound like a apple designer talking and get his own personality.
I'd sell it of course, why would I use it when I've got a decent rig?
More than a gaming laptop? No, that's exactly what it is and it doesn't do it very well by my standards. iPhone has been out for 4 years by the way, a year ago I was using my iPhone 4 to call people...
And XXAOSICXX, I could say you are an idiot because you have a gaming laptop and you think the Razor Blade (what a bad name) is better looking than a Macbook but I won't because even you are entitled to your horrible, horrible opinion
Asus and Logitech have actually already been testing the waters in the keyboard/screen market for awhile now. Logitech have long had keyboards with screens to display system or game information and customizable "G" keys. Turn that screen into a touchscreen and bam, there's your Blade keyboard. Asus have gone a little farther and actually delved into that "new form factor". They've made a keyboard with a touchscreen on the side which is actually an independent system. The built in screen is the primary monitor when run standalone, the second screen is then used in a trackpad manner. Unsurprisingly, the EEE Keyboard hasn't done too well.
It's ok though, with your mbp and your iPhone4, you've probably no idea how to eat, sleep or think without Steve Jobs there to tell you how to do it, and you're all confused about what direction to take in your life without him to idolise. I suggest seppuku.
Oh man, I figured I'd have to wait awhile before finding a situation to say something like that. Looks like it got to be used day after!
Er...yeah, I know, that's why I said:
"you're all confused about what direction to take in your life without him to idolise"
Tard.
maybe its just me, but this blade looks more or less like a black MBP, apart from the keyboard obviously..
as for the blade, it doesn't strike me as all that innovative, its got macro keys and a touchscreen track-pad, which will kinda of cool, doesn't exactly make a whole lot of difference, but at least they didn't make it into a garish looking monstrosity like alienware.
But people do play games on apple laptops... I don't get your point?
This razer blade... you know what it really really looks like? An apple MBP painted black with blue backlights instead of white and that funky touchpad / screen / macro thing on the right instead of the glass trackpad on the bottom.
I like it. Very apple (if they toned it down a bit and made their mind up about what they wanted that right section to be about)
http://bit.ly/ns9tT0 vs http://bit.ly/mZa5aL
and
http://bit.ly/qq0nHg vs http://bit.ly/nN65gC
all that hassle for a fancy touch pad.
I guess you also think all black people live on a staple diet of 100% KFC?
LOL
Well, if you'd read the few words which followed that statement:
"Apple sells ridiculously overpriced (and, in my opinion, far more ugly) laptops to thousands of users every single day - and they can't even play games ON the damn things! (LOL) So there is a market out there."
The point, then, was that people ARE prepared to pay a premium for over-priced tech-ware - to some people the money isn't the important thing, it's having the latest gadget.
Actually, I find that you're even joking about that quite offensive, so please don't.
I Googled it. Now I know ;)
Wow, you got me good there. Best just leave it here because anything I say now will just pale in comparison
Or you could just buy a normal high end laptop that is still portable.
So it's okay to joke about killing yourself but not about food? Please don't claim the moral high ground.
You could say shes got it aaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllll!!!!!
Oh noes, my consoles aren't sexy
Fortunately when I'm playing games I tend to look at the screen and not the plastic box sat under the TV.
Not that I see how being "sexy" has any bearing on the ability to play games.
I was gonna post that :D
But yeah, the price tag is ridiculous. I bought my system for well under that.
MBPs are only over priced if you don't put any value on their design (I know you don't but many do, which is why Apple is where it is) and don't want a laptop that can easily and reliably run OSX.
In my opinion (it's just an opinion). OSX is a better OS than Windows. It's more reliable, faster, cheaper with a much more consistent UI.
You can tweak it just as much as Windows if you don't like the default apple behaviour and it'll play very nice with other systems quite happily.
If apple machines looked like crap but still ran OSX I'd still want an Apple over a PC as my main work machine.
(But I'm still keeping my gaming beast dual booting into Windows as it's faster than my Mac for games and not everything in my steam account will run in OSX. Yes I like Apple hardware and OS but I also like my PC games)
Haha, that's great. Does look awesome though.
... For spending 2 grand on that. Yes. I agree.
Optical drives are bulky and they are no longer an essential so why bother? Shows razors keeping up to date with tech trends in order to create a good (but expensive) product e.g. all games/media can easily be obtained online while USB sticks are the main form of document transfer.
The only thing that matters to YOU is the cpu and graphics card....that doesn't necessarily apply to everyone else. What if portability or design are more important to somebody? (which is not unusual if the person is looking for a mobile gaming platform).
Don't forget RAM and HDD speed. And PSU power...
Its one hell of a piece of kit, but it's claim that it means PC gaming isn't dead annoys me. When I speak to my console playing friends, they say they like PC gaming, but the hardware is too expensive.
It's not that it matters to me, it's that it's essential for gaming. This isn't about portability and design, it's advertised as a GAMING laptop. If you want portability and design and don't care about the gaming, buy an iPad.
I think you're under-estimating the capabilities of that spec, to be honest.
My Sony Vaio (which is not a "gaming" laptop, it's business/media laptop) cost a grand and plays all my games just fine. As I said previously, BF3 ain't going to run on full-everything, but it will run - and it'll be perfectly playable. It's not a replacement for my desktop gaming PC, it's in addition to it.
When you say "essential" for gaming you seem to be suggesting that a 2.8GHz i7, 8GB of RAM and a GT 555M GPU won't play ANY modern games on ANY settings? It's just not the case.
I've been happily playing DoW2, MoH, BF2, Titan Quest, Civ V, Left4Dead 1/2, Torchlight, CoD4 and even Crysis on my laptop on medium to max settings at 1920x1080 and it has been amazing (and that's got an ATI 5850 in - not nearly as fast as a GT555M).
....and as for the specs being "crap", they may be crap in your opinion - that's fine - but in my opinion they do the job very well indeed - and if it means I can play my favourite games between my least favourite meetings every day I'd be more than happy with it.
All this simply means is it's a high performance (relatively) laptop that is targeted at gamers. I doubt I'd see my Accountant carrying one of these to his meetings for example.
Yes it is possible to build a stronger Desktop for the money, but can you take it on the train to a mates place? Can you take it to a LAN on your bike?
The extra cost come down to the added portability, the compact form factor and the simple fact that it's all prebuilt ready to go out of the box.
This laptop (more appropriately Portable Desktop :P ) mostly justifies its price. I'd agree the GFX could be upped a little... 560ti M or 570M anyone? But that CPU is the fastest Portable CPU available, and 8GB of RAM is plenty.. pretty sure Crysis, CoD, BF and the rest use less than 3GB of RAM... (most aren't 64-bit so cant use more than about 1.7GB) the 1333MHz could go to 1600, but meh..
If I could afford such a thing, I would put it as a definite candidate.
Yes my 8" eeePC with 900MHz CPU can't game, but my Fiancee's 15" Dell Studio sure can. Again not a "Gaming" laptop.
The problem is that there are better laptop´s out there for less money, smaller ones with better performance but, and thats the main issue, with no touchscreen. Perhaps the other companies catch up and the price will drop.
That's not saying much, a bunch of old games, some really old. I think we just have different standards when it comes to computers. I'm sure this one will do fine and run most stuff at 'ok' settings, especially seeing as most stuff that most people plays these days are console ports anyway.
But when I look at games on the horizon that I'm interested in, stuff like X: Rebirth, BF3, and Arma 3 etc.. I doubt it will do too well with those games, and for 3 grand, I would be wanting far more. For 3 grand I could make myself a top end gaming desktop pc and still have money left over to buy a mid range laptop that would play all these games at medium settings.
I wouldn't call Medal of Honor, Civilization V, DoW2, Torchlight etc "old games" personally - and even if they were, if those are the games I'm playing...surely that's all that matters? Maybe we do have different standards of what we expect from a gaming PC. I expect my desktop machine to run most games on max settings. I expect a mobile gaming device to run most games on medium settings. Given that the fun is in the playing, not actually in the graphics, I don't see that as a problem myself.
Yeah it looks amazing, but why put the fancy touchscreen stuff on the right? You want it on the left, surely, as you use the mouse with your right hand and keyboard with the left in game such as those pictured. Also, it's woefully underpowered for that price.
If they do a standalone touchscreen for real gaming PCs i'll be interested.
I wouldn't lose any sleep over it :p
exactly
I think you have it the wrong way round mate.
The touchscreen is on the right hand side, where your right hand would be.
Or is that badly recognised sarcasm there?