WebProNews

Tag: Razer

  • Razer’s Project Christine Brings Modular Design To The PC

    Computers are hard to build, or so says those who have never done it before. Despite the fact that building a computer is no more complex than building a table from IKEA, some consumers just never want to take the plunge. Razer now wants to change that perception by making a completely modular PC.

    Razer announced at CES that it’s working on a new PC called Project Christine. It’s a completely modular PC where each component is housed inside a small module. These modules are then inserted into a central tower and just work. There’s no cable management, no compatibility concerns or any of the other problems that first time PC builders run into.

    “Project Christine is a new concept design that will revolutionize the way users view the traditional PC. This is the first gaming system that is able to keep pace with technology and could allow consumers to never buy another PC, or gaming system, again,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “We have a history of bringing incredibly innovative concept systems to market and it’s fair to say that Project Christine is a very exciting new prospect for future development.”

    The most exciting thing about Project Christine is how it aims to upend how we traditionally upgrade PCs. PC users will sometimes have to upgrade an entire system just to upgrade a CPU or GPU. With Project Christine, Razer promises a PC where you just have to buy one module when upgrading just one component of the machine.

    Of course, one might argue that the major hurdle standing in the way of PC gaming isn’t the complexity, but rather the cost. That may be true, and Razer isn’t going to help with that one bit. The company makes premium PCs, and Project Christine won’t change this. In fact, everything about Project Christine is going to be super expensive as each module is liquid cooled which allows the CPU and GPU modules to feature overclocked hardware.

    So, when will the public be able to get their hands on Project Christine? At the moment, it’s merely a prototype concept so Razer isn’t even beginning to discuss availability. There’s also no word on price, but it’s not going to be cheap.

    Image via Razer

  • CES 2013: Razer Transforms The Awkward Fiona Into A Lovely Edge

    CES 2012 had one standout tablet – Razer’s Project Fiona. The tablet was designed to appeal to core PC gamers and provide the kind of experience that you could normally only get on a gaming PC. Unfortunately, the tablet was all kinds of awkward with a strange controller dock that sacrificed portability for function. The tablet is back at CES 2013, and it’s looking a lot better.

    Razer announced at CES 2013 that Project Fiona is now officially called the Razer Edge. It’s a 10.1-inch tablet with a 1366×768 display powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a Nvidia GT 640M LE GPU. The tablet is equipped with Windows 8 Pro and 64GB SSD. The tablet will cost $999 when it ships early this year.

    Razer worked with its community of PC gamers over the last year to refine the current Edge into a product they would love to buy. One of the most obvious changes was making the controller dock an optional accessory instead of being built into the device itself. The tablet also has an optional keyboard dock and docking station that allows users to transform the tablet into either a gaming laptop or game console.

    Of course, you may be thinking that the Razer Edge is a little underpowered or its 64GB of SSD storage is too little. For those consumers, the company is also preparing the Razer Edge Pro. The design of both devices are largely the same, but the Pro features an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and either 128 or 256GB of SSD storage. It will retail for $1,299 early this year.

    CES has already seen some impressive tablets that purport to do everything. None can match the power of the Razer Edge, however, and the company may just have a hit. The price is a little steep, but the most hardcore PC gamers may finally have a tablet they can call their own.

  • GDC 2012: Razer Hydra Brings Motion Control To Valve PC Titles

    Motion control may be the future of consoles, but it’s about to make its way to the PC. PC gaming has had its fair share of awful motion control gimmicks in the past, one product may have found its way to mainstream success through the world’s largest digital games distribution service – Steam.

    At GDC today, it was announced that Razer and Sixense Entertainment have inked a deal with Valve over the use of its Razer Hydra motion control peripheral. As part of the deal, four of Valve’s most popular titles – Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 – all now support the Hydra. As an added bonus, future Valve titles like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be supporting the Hydra.

    The Razer Hydra’s proprietary Sixense MotionCreator 2.0 software has also been integrated with Steam to provide motion control to over 250 of the most popular games on the service. For those Steam users who buy the Hydra, they will get automatic updates for all their games. There will also be a new in-game overlay on Steam that allows gamers to view control maps as they play.

    “The Razer Hydra’s magnetic motion-sensing technology is the fastest and most precise to deliver a level of gaming immersion other motion-sensing tech in the industry right now can only dream of. Gamers are going to experience Valve’s new and legacy games in an amazing and fun way,” said Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff, President, Razer USA.

    The Hydra works by tracking your hand movements with two motion-sensing controllers. It uses electromagnetic fields to detect hand movements down to a millimeter.

    The Sixense SDK is also avaiable for Mac and Linux for those games that are available for play on their respective operating systems. The SDKs for all three OSes are now available from Steam.

    The Razer Hydra is now available from the Razer store at $99.99. It also comes in a bundle with Portal 2 from leading retailers.

    Have a video of Portal 2 being played with the Razer Hydra:

  • SOPA: Razer Gives A F**k

    Razer, makers of fine PC gaming accessories, has joined the blackout to protest SOPA.

    In what may be the most blatant protest yet, Razer has posted an image with their staff standing in front of a projector screen with the words “F**K SOPA.”

    As previously reported, only a handful of gaming Web sites are going down today to protest the legislation and even fewer who are represented by the pro-SOPA ESA. Razer is not a member of the ESA but they are an important part of the gaming community to many people.

    Here’s what what they have to say on SOPA:

    The “Stop Online Piracy Act”, aka SOPA, and the Protect IP Act, aka PIPA, are proposed bills in the United States Congress that, if enacted, would effectively end the internet as we know it. In a ham-fisted attempt to combat piracy, Congress has opted for the “Nuke from Orbit” approach, hurting both the community from whom they benefit and developers they seek to protect. We cannot allow this to happen.

    Allow us to stress, Razer does not condone piracy in any way. We feel it damages the industry and we will stand against anything that hurts either the gaming community or the developers. However, we firmly believe that SOPA and PIPA are the absolute wrong way to combat this problem and we are not alone in thinking this. Other gaming companies like Red 5, Riot Games and Mojang stand with us in opposition. However, these bills do not only affect software and game developers and we hope our actions will lead other gaming hardware vendors to join our protest against SOPA and PIPA.

    For Gamers. By Gamers. It is not just a motto, it is our way of life. We work hard to do right by our community. We’ll be damned if we’re going to let an attack like this go unanswered.

    Stay tuned for more SOPA coverage as more Web sites join the blackout.

  • CES 2012: Razer Has Won The Tablet War

    CES 2012: Razer Has Won The Tablet War

    Tablets can play games, sure, but this tablet can really play games.

    Razer announced during CES Project Fiona, a gaming tablet that is more akin to a gaming PC.

    The device itself looks really weird at first. It’s a tablet with handles on the side featuring dual analog sticks, four face buttons and two shoulder buttons each. It’s designed to play all major current PC games without a hitch.

    The actual innards are the most surprising though as there’s an Intel core i7 crammed into its tiny body. This is what makes the tablet perform like a gaming PC and I believe it. The i7 is the best processor out on the market right now and to see it performing in a tablet is mind-blowing.

    Some of the best news is that it also performs like a gaming PC in that many PC games out on the market today run natively on Project Fiona. There’s no need to port and specifically program games to run on the device.

    “Project Fiona’s combination of high performance Intel-based gaming hardware and innovative tablet design is specifically focused for PC gamers. It will unleash the PC gamer to play their existing and future high-end games in one of the most exciting new form factors – a tablet,” Brad Graff, Director of Partner Marketing, Netbook & Tablet Group, Intel, said.

    With its dual analog stick handles, Project Fiona will run gamepad-enabled PC games right out of the box.

    Along with the controllers, Project Fiona will also sport ultra-precise accelerometers and a multi-touch screen. They claim it will ensure that current-generation PC games can run on the device while also supporting any games optimized for tablets. To top it all off, the controllers on the device deliver full force feedback.

    “While multi-touch screens have become the de facto user interface for tablets, they are not the right interface for serious PC gaming,” Min-Liang Tan, CEO, Razer, said. “The user interface we have designed for Project Fiona allows all existing PC games to be played right out of the box and also provides game developers new opportunities as they develop next-gen games on a highly-intuitive platform. Both developers and gamers are going to love the new user interface that combines the best of a gamepad, multi-touch screen and accelerometers for an all-new gaming experience on-the-go.”

    Now, I know what you’re thinking. This kind of device is far off into the future and will cost a fortune once it is released. You would be right on both counts but only partially. Razer is shooting for a Q4 2012 release with the cost hopefully being below $1,000. While it obviously costs more than any current tablet PC out on the market, Project Fiona isn’t like any tablet PC out on the market.

    As soon as they can be pre-ordered, you can bet I’m going to be in line. Are you? Tell us in the comments.