Razer Taking Pre-Orders for Blade Gaming Laptop Within Days
Gamers waiting patiently for the Razer Blade laptop should be able to pre-order the device in the next couple of days.
In an interview with Kotaku, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed that pre-orders for the company's dedicated gaming laptop, the Razer Blade, will begin within the next few days. The news backs up Razor's previous Q42011 projected release date provided when the laptop was announced back in August.
Unfortunately, an actual ship date wasn't provided, but there's indication that it may arrive just before Christmas. Min-Liang Tan said that select friends and publishing CEOs have already received their units, so technically the dedicated gaming laptop is already shipping.
So far the pricetag still remains a beefy $2799.99 USD, but Tan said the Blade has received at least one major upgrade since it was originally announced -- without altering the price. He explains that before the laptop was even announced, component suppliers were skeptical about a dedicated gaming rig, insisting that consumers want cheap and mass-produced products. To get the components they needed, Razer had to shell out a premium over the list prices.
"After the announcement of the Razer Blade, they were floored with the response from the press and the community and we managed to negotiate a price down for the components," he said. "We were able to convince them to bring the cost down and with the cost savings, we decided to upgrade the 320 GB HDD to a 256 SSD drive."
So what's under the hood? According to the flashy-specs, it comes packed with a dual-core Intel Core i7 CPU clocked at 2.8 GHz (3.5 GHz Turbo), 8 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 memory, an LED-backlit 17.3-inch LCD display with a 16:9 ratio and a 1920 x 1080 resolution, and integrated graphics for "mobile mode." There's also a Nvidia GeForce GT 555M GPU for "gaming mode" toting 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and Optimus Technology.
As for other features, they include HDMI output, one USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n connectivity and more. The laptop also sports the Switchblade UI touchscreen, mounted to the right of the keyboard. This interface is comprised of "10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys" for easier access of in-game commands, and an LCD capable of two modes: one mode that displays in-game information when a mouse is in use; and another mode that functions as an ultra-sensitive, multi-touch panel designed for gaming on the go.
To pre-order Razer's Blade gaming laptop, head here. As of this writing, the laptop does not appear on Razer's online store, so keep checking back.
Well for starters the chassis is milled. Then there's the second screen with the Switchblade UI. This laptop isn't expensive because of the components, it's expensive because of the amount of engineering that went in to it.
Well for starters the chassis is milled. Then there's the second screen with the Switchblade UI. This laptop isn't expensive because of the components, it's expensive because of the amount of engineering that went in to it.
You know, the desire to make a profit on something is not a bad thing. The desire to make money is why 99% of businesses are *GASP* IN BUSINESS. They don't exist to provide people with jobs and benefits, that is merely a pleasant side effect. All of the cool technology and games that we enjoy exist because someone or a group of someones have a desire to make a pile of money. The flipside to that... and try to understand this because it is very important... you are NOT required to purchase an extremely expensive laptop. If you deem it of value to you, then you will buy it. If you don't, then you won't.
I can, but first i imagine winning the lottery.
shouldn't Razer put in quad-core i7 if they want to tout performance as a gaming laptop?
I still don't understand the appeal of gaming laptops though. Do all those graphics details really matter on a 15-17"laptop display?
the only place that you get screwed more than an apple product, is a gaming product, slightly behind that, sound.
apple sells its crap to morons who believe the "it just works" line, and the lifestyle appeal they give. back in the pre xpsp1 era, macs did work more often than pcs, at least in my experience, still hated them though. but now... not so much, but people still believe that line of crap.
but gaming... its like they assume everyone who plays games is retarded and will pay 100+ for something that is only worth 20$ because it has gaming attached to it. i have a razor naga, got it referb for 50$ and its the one thing that i ever used that was labeled gaming i didn't feel screwed on, 12 easy to hit buttons can get a hell of allot done, fast.
Here's something for you to do. Go to www.cyberpowerpc.com or ibuypower.com and built a laptop for $2800 dollars. Comment back on this and tells the specs on it. I guarantee you the hardware on the laptop you built will blow this laptop away.