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Razer says software, not hardware, is holding back mobile gaming
In between launching a range of outlandish pink products and affordable accessories so far this year, Razer made the surprising move of abandoning its online game store and mobile team. The latter, in particular, is an awkward move after two generations of Razer Phones, while the likes of ASUS, Xiaomi, Nubia and Vivo are capitalizing on the rapidly growing mobile gaming market. Never one to admit defeat, CEO Min-Liang Tan said this was just part of his company's evolving mobile gaming strategy, with its focus shifted to software as the industry transitions to 5G.
Razer's CEO is sorry for 'screwing up on anticipating demand,' wants to do better
If you pre-ordered Razer's new 14-inch Blade laptop the day it was announced, there's a good chance you still don't have it. Frustrated? Don't worry -- your voice has already been heard; Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan says he's sorry. "We suck at this," he said in a heartfelt Facebook post today. "I suck at this." Unfortunately, Razer has made a habit of underestimating customer demand, and Min's team is struggling to find a solution that won't keep customers waiting. "We've tried different things," he said. "We've tried doubling / tripling / quadrupling manufacturing capacity, we've ramped back to phasing in launches by geography... we've pushed back launch dates, and still we end up disappointing our customers."
Project Christine offers a glimpse of Razer's insane future through modular computing
Razer's Project Fiona was all the talk of CES 2012 -- it married console-like controls with a tablet form factor, and packed in real computing power to boot. At the time, CEO Min-Liang Tan was cagey about its retail availability; heck, it didn't even have a product name at the time. By CES 2013, "Fiona" had become the Razer Edge, and Tan's tune changed from prototype talk to retail ready models. At CES 2014, the cycle begins anew. Razer's introducing Project Christine this morning as the show officially opens and thousands of people descend on the Las Vegas Convention Center. Like Fiona before it, Christine is an ambitious project from an ambitious company: a modular-computing initiative with a form factor space aliens would appreciate. Beyond the news of what Project Christine is, we spent an hour with Razer's passionate CEO and his support crew diving into what Christine means for the future of Razer, what they think it means for the future of PC gaming and how Christine will go from project to reality by next year.
Game on! Razer to honor fake 90 percent off coupon
The internet is often renowned for its amazing bargains, but in the uncharted waters of cyberspace the best deals are usually too good to be true. This isn't one of those times. Recently, a bogus coupon for 90 percent off at Razer's UK store went viral, which resulted in a frenzy of online purchases. While internet scams are all too common, the company's response to this matter is somewhat shocking. Instead of canceling the shady orders, Razer has decided to honor them, but with some limitations. The company will uphold the discount on individual purchases for different products, but void repeat transactions on the same item. Due to some back-ordered items, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan warned that it'll take a few months to fulfill all the orders, and professed that his outfit would incur "an insane amount of losses" in doing so. Good form, Mr. Tan, but we can't help but cringe when trying to fathom how many of these were sold for around £11.
Razer's gaming tablet drops by the FCC, leaves handles at home
Looking for a gaming tablet you can really grab? Don't look at the latest FCC filings then -- Federal regulators appear to have snagged some exclusive hands-on time with Razer's upcoming Project Fiona, and its trademark handlebars are nowhere in sight. The nunchuck-esque controllers we saw at CES didn't make it in the FCC's label location outline (seen above), but an attached accessory list makes note of a Razer-branded controller, powered by a 2800mAh battery, hinting that this prototype's gamepads might well be independent or detachable. The same document lists a 5600mAh battery for the tablet itself, as well as a model number: RZ09-0093. The Federal documents show a heavily redesigned device, falling in line with Razer's recent community campaign: CEO Min-Liang Tan has been asking fans to help design Project Fiona on his Facebook page. Over the past several weeks, the community has weighed in on accessories, price, CPU / GPU configurations and more. This FCC prototype may not be the final design, but if nothing else, it's proof that the device is evolving. Check out the Government's inside scoop for yourself at the source link below.
Razer's Project Fiona gaming tablet may see the light of day if enough of you want it
Gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer isn't backing down on its "Project Fiona" gaming tablet, despite keeping it locked away for the past nine months. The company is, however, assessing interest in the concept -- first revealed at CES 2012 -- by asking fans to "Like" its Facebook page. If the page exceeds 10,000 likes/shares within a week, CEO Min-Liang Tan says, "we'll work on making the concept a reality and launch the product." He also says Razer's whittled down concepts for the device, though he's open to "suggestions for specs, form factor, pricing, features," and even "etc." It doesn't sound like it'll make its previously planned "second half of 2012" launch window, but Razer says nothing's changed on that front just yet. As it stands, the device sports a 10.1-inch multitouch high def screen, an Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, an unknown (but allegedly beefy) GPU, and two nunchuck-esque controllers mounted to either side of the screen. It's also said to run Windows 8 -- make no mistake, this is a PC in the form of a tablet. But you still have the power to change it! Do us a favor and don't request rear touch capabilities. Update: That didn't take long -- Razer's week long campaign ended in just over a day, reaching its 10,000 like goal. What's next? Concepts, says Min-Liang Tan. The company's CEO will be sharing possible designs on his Facebook page starting next week, and will let popular opinion mold the firm's first gaming tablet. It looks like building products from community feedback is Razer's new modus operandi.
Razer CEO wants annual Blade laptop refreshes, isn't worried about price complaints
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan is charismatic, clearly very smart and passionate -- not a bad combination considering he's the face and voice of a major international hardware manufacturer. Razer's latest, the second-generation Blade gaming laptop, launches this week for the whopping price of $2,500, and we spoke with Min-Liang about just that. "This," he said, referencing the second-generation Blade's slim power brick, "costs seven times this," he added, pointing to a competitor's power supply. "Do we have to do this? Probably not." And that's emblematic of Razer's whole approach to the Razer Blade, as a line of gaming computers. Expensive? Yes, very. But significantly nicer and more detailed that its less expensive competition? Also yes. Also very. As our own Sean Buckley put it in our review of their latest gaming laptop, "the Blade is a gorgeous machine." It's true -- at just 0.88 inches tall and 6.6 pounds, the new Blade is remarkably thin and light for a 17-inch laptop with enough juice under the hood to sate even the most spec-obsessed of PC gamers. But are enough gamers out there willing to trade a lower price tag for a better-looking machine? Razer and its CEO certainly think so, and they've got numbers from the first, more expensive Blade to prove it. "The original Blade was at $2,799. Back then, it was pricey, but we've been surprised at the amount of demand for that. We thought we were gonna sell out in 30 days -- we had 30 days' stock. But we sold out in 30 minutes for the first batch," he said. And, as far as pre-order numbers go for the second version, Min-Liang's confident they mean good things for the future of the Blade. "We're getting hammered with the pre-orders for the new Razer Blade. Right now, we'll be able to ship most of the orders by September 30, fingers crossed. But we're trying to bring in as many units as possible," he excitedly explained. Min-Liang isn't too worried about offending first-gen buyers, either -- the first Razer Blade launched in early 2012 for just shy of $2,800. Less than 10 months later, the second-gen Blade is launching for $300 less with a significantly upgraded graphics card. Sure, first-gen adopters get a $500 discount on the new Blade, but the sting of early adoption is especially rough in such an instance.
