Razer's "PC Gaming is not dead" campaign ended today with the announcement of the Razer Blade, a $2800 gaming laptop featuring a multitouch LCD display screen beside the regular keyboard called the Switchblade UI. The screen can display game information if an external mouse is being used or function as an input device on its own. The laptop also boasts a 17" high-definition LED display. Full specs are listed at the end of the article.
It seems a bit presumptuous on Razer's part to declare themselves the savior of PC gaming with a 17" laptop, fancy keyboard notwithstanding. While the Blade's specs are nothing to sneeze at, a PC builder with $2800 at their disposal (knocking off the costs of an LED monitor and the fancy keyboard) could build a far more powerful gaming PC. I'm unclear what kind of a demand there is for a portable powerful gaming device - the college crowd? The Blade doesn't even feature an SSD as its hard drive. This is definitely a niche product, and I don't even know if Razer will sell enough of these to break even on its costs.
Full specs on the Razer Blade:
- 2.8GHz Intel® Core™ i7 2640M Processor
- 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory
- 17.3" LED Backlit Display (1920x1080)
- NVIDIA GeForce® GT 555M with NVIDIA® Optimus™ 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)
