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.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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house70 I would like to see the bill of materials for this product. Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for the price tag (other than unbelievable greed).Reply -
@Cumulonimbus incus, this is a specialty/niche laptop, that's why it's so expensive. It's aimed at a very specific market that is willing to pay top dollar for top performance, unlike Apple, where all of their products, from top of the line to the bottom are over-priced. That's why so many reader's consider Apple customers "mugs".Reply
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omac1a house70I would like to see the bill of materials for this product. Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for the price tag (other than unbelievable greed).Reply
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. -
waylander I've paid over $2000 for a top gaming laptop and yes, you get what you pay for. I had better benchmark scores than most desktops just a few months old. I don't need that kind of performance anymore since I'm not traveling as much as I used to but... if you like to game but your job keeps you on the go, this is a great product assuming you can afford it.Reply
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bvsbutthd101 Drop the price about $800 and get rid of that crappy gt 555m and put in a gtx 560m and think we have winner.Reply -
jellico house70I would like to see the bill of materials for this product. Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for the price tag (other than unbelievable greed).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.Reply -
Lutfij ^ and than you have torrents to keep some happily away from gamepublishers...i mean daylight robbers :) :lol: j/kReply