What to expect from anxiously awaited Razer Blade: First true gaming laptop!

Why the hype?

With dedicated gaming consoles, like Xbox and PS3, being marketed successfully across the globe, many have come to a conclusion that the era of PC gaming is almost gone. Companies like Razer are having different opinion on this. Razer, that had so far been associated and dealing mainly with the high-end gaming peripherals, has finally forayed into the laptop market with its Razer Blade that it claims to be the world's first true gaming laptop.

Razer Blade

As the reputation of Razer, for being the best manufacturer of PC gaming peripherals, sure precedes it this time, so the news of a complete gaming laptop was obviously going to lure thousands of avid gamers throughout the world. Earlier it was slated to be launched somewhere in the final quarter of 2011, so bookings had already begun but the news of a slight delay due to a last minute hardware change has disappointed a lot of fans.

What’s in the guts?

Razer Blade has been developed in partnership with Intel and runs on the Intel powered 2.8 GHz i7 core processor. It has got a dedicated 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 555M processor that even runs the games requiring the most intense graphic engines with ease. It has got a brilliant 17-inch LED backlit display that is capable of delivering full HD images. Razer has also given it ample amount of memory by providing 8GB DDR3 RAM. Earlier, Razer had planned to include a 320GB SATA hard disk which has now been replaced with a 256GB Solid State Drive. This decision was welcomed by most critics, as SSD seemed to be a much better choice for a laptop with such high configuration. Although this has caused a delay in the official release of the product, Razer has made up for the delay by giving a Razer Orochi Blade Edition mouse free to all those who have already made their pre-bookings.

Razer Blade also comes with a 2MP HD webcam, two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, backlit keyboard, audio jack, a Gigabit Ethernet Port, an Integrated Intel Wi-Fi 802.11 B/G/N and an Integrated Bluetooth 3.0.

What’s different?

Generally most of the gaming laptops that have been launched by Alienware and the Asus have been quite thick and heavy, which makes them not so ideal partners while travelling. Razer's Blade, on the contrary, has been designed much better and is just 0.88 inches thick and weighs just 6.9 lbs compared to other laptops that weigh as high as 10 lbs.

The best part, however, is its trackpad that is also a 480x800pi LCD screen with a set of 10 customizable keys. Mounted on right side of the keyboard, the trackpad cum LCD screen, inspired from its earlier Switchblade, can act as a secondary screen that can display maps or other important information during the game play. This is, perhaps, feasible only when you are not using it as a trackpad and are, in fact using an external mouse for FPS games. This is one of the reasons why Razer Blade stands out from rest of the gaming laptops in its league.

Price and availability

Now all those of you who have been reading patiently all the way, here is a shocker. Razer Blade is priced at a whopping $2799. Considering the fact, that a PS3 or a Xbox would hardly cost even $300, calling Razer Blade expensive would be an understatement itself. However, those who feel that price is still not a constraint, can expect Razer Blade in the market in the first quarter of 2012.

For whom

Despite the growing market for dedicated high end gaming products like Wii and Xbox 360-Kinect, there are still a huge number of hardcore gamers who like it the old way, playing it on a personal computer. No matter how comfortable joysticks of these hi-tech consoles may be, there are still many people who love to play their game, the standard WASD way on their keyboards. So such people would surely love to have a Razer Blade along with them.

Having discussed all its features you can definitely call it a true gaming laptop. Given the fact, the price and the configuration is pretty much similar to the much exalted Macbook Pro 17', Razer's highly anticipated Blade might not be a bad option for avid gamers after all. Although the hardcore gamers might get the same gaming experience as they would expect from a desktop, they would have to compromise and live with a big dent into their pockets.