Console gaming is undoubtedly the most popular form of gaming in the video games industry. To be fair, console gaming has made AAA video games experience a lot more accessible to the masses. At prices below MYR 3,000, you are getting a highly advanced hardware that could play you the most graphically demanding titles at up to 4K and at up to 120fps at that. For a PC to do that, you might want to spend way north MYR 5,000 at this point.
Razer, being the one most recognized gaming peripherals brand in the world cannot call themselves a gaming brand if they do not cover or cater to a large majority of the gaming industry that is the console gaming crowd. Of course, the three-headed snake company makes peripherals specific to the PlayStation and Xbox. You have specific tournament and high-end controllers from Razer. Now, Razer also makes gaming headphones specifically for the latest next-generation gaming consoles.
Welcome to the Razer Kaira X, the essential gaming headphone for both the Xbox and PlayStation platform. As per the naming scheme of the peripherals, the Razer Kaira X is a budget version of the Razer Kaira. That does not mean that it is less featured and less powerful than the Kaira though.
The Razer Kaira X is still a powerful headphone with 50mm TriForce drivers delivering high-power audio directly into your ears. The new TriForce drivers are supposed to deliver improved frequency separation delivering crisp highs, clear mids, and deep bass. For in-game chats, there is the boom-mounted Razer HyperClear Cardioid Microphone that has a specific pick-up pattern to exclude unwanted background noise.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
At the same time, the Kaira X features on-headset controls for quick adjustments on-the-fly. The Flowknit Memory Foam cushions on the earcups and headband are made for ultimate comfort and should keep you going in long gaming sessions. Instead of the Kaira’s wireless nature, the Kaira X features a 3.5mm connection. That also means that it is compatible not only with the PlayStation and Xbox, but your PC as well.
The Kaira X for Xbox and Kaira X for PlayStation is now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on one via authorised dealers across the country or from Razer.com. The Kaira X is available in classic black and white, Shock Blue, Pulse Red, and Electric Volt colour options. The new headphones for the next-generation consoles retails at MYR 299.90. More information on the Kaira X can be found on their website.
Razer is not exactly new when it comes to producing audio accessories. Of course, their core DNA has always been gaming. They have been creating gaming-centric accessories and hardware for years. What started out as a gaming mouse maker is now a major producer in other gaming peripherals, including gaming laptops for that matter.
The trend today, at least in terms of lifestyle accessories, is to go wireless. Razer understands that too, of course. Over the years too they have been expanding their wireless gaming peripheral line-up. The latest to join that line of wireless hardware is the new Hammerhead True Wireless (TWS) earbuds.
This is not technically a new product from Razer though. They launched their first iteration of their Hammerhead TWS earbuds back in 2019. The first-generation earphones took everything that were great from their Bluetooth iteration of the Hammerhead earphones and put them in a form factor that reflects the modern craze.
The shape of the earphones, in a sense, is very different from the Hammerhead earphones that we are used to though. Its shape mimics a certain other manufacturer instead, given, it was one of the most popular designs out there in the TWS earbuds market. Its charging/carrying case was designed a little differently though. It was designed to stand out a little bit in a more pill like case, while being a little more pocketable and compact than its competitors. After all, the name of the game in TWS earphones is portability and versatility.
The new TWS Hammerhead takes a slightly different approach compared to the first generation from 2019 though. The case and earbuds design mimics Razer’s own Hammerhead TWS Pro earbuds instead. That also means the case has a larger footprint compared to its predecessor. That is good news for its battery life though, with up to 32.5 hours in total battery life (RGB and ANC Off).
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
While the touch sensitive stem of the earbuds remains on the second-generation Razer Hammerhead, the tips are completely different. The new Hammerhead TWS earbuds features a proper earbud with replaceable silicon tips that should be a better and more secure fit in your ears. Its IPX4 certification means that you can take it out for your exercises and ensuring that you have a good seal and secure fit is important; you do not want to be running and losing your earbuds along the way.
On top of all of that, there are a few more reasons why you might want to ditch your first-generation Hammerhead TWS earbuds for the new one. For one, it now features Active Noise Cancelling technology. It also features Google Fast Pair, for an even quicker pairing and connection with your Android devices. At the same time, you get even more stable wireless connection with Bluetooth 5.2. The best part on the Hammerhead TWS though is its Razer Chroma customisable RGB. You can customise that from your smartphone app (available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store, of course.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The new Razer Hammerhead TWS earbuds is now available from Razer.com, and authorised retailers across the nation. There are no funky colour options for you to choose from here. While it is only available in black, that also means that your RGB stands out a lot more. The TWS earphones is now available for MYR 629. For more information on the new Razer Hammerhead TWS earbuds, you can head over to their website.
Wires are a pain to deal with. While the world of electronics has given us amazing things like the television, video games, smartphones, and even the computer, cable management has always been the bane of electronics. You need electronics to be tethered to a wall socket at least though, for power obviously.
The advancements that made the electrical battery the technology it is today though has led to the very rapid development that is wireless technology. Things like your smartphones and laptops, and even Nintendo Switch will not happen unless there is the magical block of stuff inside your devices that is called the battery. Wireless technology has also given us wireless headphones like the new Razer Barracuda X.
While wireless technology does have its limitations in terms of certain sound qualities, battery life, and even latency, most of them has been solved and improved tremendously over the years. All that culminates in the Barracuda X that can be used in any way you can imagine, without the hassle plugging cables in and dragging your devices across the room when you need to go take a leak.
Source: Razer
The Barracuda X is truly a versatile piece of kit. You can connect it to your PlayStation console, your PC, your smartphone, and even a Nintendo Switch at the same time. Of course, the Nintendo Switch requires a special HyperSpeed Wireless dongle that comes in the Barracuda X’s packaging.
Of course, there are a slew of cables, including USB-Type C extensions and cables for charging. Because nothing beats a wired connection in terms of sound quality and fidelity, there is a 3.5mm AUX cable included in the set too. For gaming, you get a detachable Razer HyperClear Cardioid microphone. There is a good reason why it is a detachable mic.
Source: Razer
The Razer Barracuda X is made with not just gaming in mind. It is made for gamers to use everywhere. You can tell, because it does not feature the regular outrageous or striking look of the regular gaming headset from Razer. Gone are the green, or white, or red, or yellow accents; you do not even have RGB on the Barracuda X. It looks and feels like the more subtle OPUS headphones. It does not have the Noise Cancelling technology, but it does share the same stealth design so that you can blend in when you use it outside of home.
Hardware wise, it packs Razer’s immensely powerful TriForce drivers which measures in at 40mm. That large driver should deliver rich, clear, and detailed audio that is mostly tuned for gaming. That does not mean you cannot enjoy music with it too though. Anything designed with gaming in mind should sound good in other conditions as well, especially when the headphone is capable of producing 7.1 surround sound. The high-power delivery also ensures immersive experience with a lot of volume. That should also alleviate the lack of noise cancellation technology.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
At 250g, the wireless headphone is made with comfort in mind too. The lack of weight will allow you to be a lot more comfortable with the headphone in long gaming sessions and you are going to be gaming long and hard with the Barracuda X’s 20 hours of battery life. The memory foam ear cushion is designed so that it sits flush on the side of your heads and create a tight noise seal while remaining breathable. The overhead cushion is of course important in not just spreading the weight of the headphone properly, but to relief the pressure on top of your head.
The Razer Barracuda X is available now from Razer.com and authorised dealers across the nation. You can also get them from Razer’s Official Store on Shopee and Lazada. Unlike the Opus X, the Razer Barracuda X only comes in one colour option: black. At MYR 549 though, the headphone could be one of the best value for money gaming headsets from Razer. More information on the Razer Barracuda X can be found on from their website.
We were planning to review this item on video. The problem was our studio had to close because of the Pandemic. It is now a written review instead.
There is a reason why we wanted to review the Razer Seiren Mini on video though. We technically can use it as our audio input for the video, completely using the audio recorded from the Razer Seiren Mini as our voice over for the video. Why? Because it made sense.
The Razer Seiren Mini is not necessarily a new product segment for Razer though. They had the Razer Seiren X before this, a big mic thing that Razer made for streamers. That USB mic received plenty of praises for being one really good mic especially for streamers.
It was a little big though. Then again, having a big mic is not really an issue when you have a streaming set up at home. Having a big mic is never really touted as an issue at all for streamers.
So, what is the Razer Seiren Mini? Why would anyone buy this little mic if they could just get the adult sized Razer Seiren? Is it even something you should consider?
Design
It comes in three colour shades; it comes in plain black, solid white, and even pink. There are no green mics though; quite odd considering this is Razer we are talking about. But at least the black is universal enough that it does not look like it is out of place on the video. If you want a little bit of a flavour, the pink should fit your style nicely. Keep in mind that it does not taste like cotton candy though, it tastes metallic.
Literal taste aside though, the whole package of the Razer Seiren Mini is rather unassuming. The capsule looking body with mic does not look like it is made to impress anyone. The whole package comes with its own mini legs too, which is nice, because that means you do not need to get a separate mic stand for it. It is easy to set up too because the mic uses a proper, regular mic stand ¾-inch thread. There are two standard mic holder thread though, so do check properly.
In some ways, it looks cute because it is just so tiny, and light. It looks and feels durable too, and that is the best part because we think that users might use this mic as a portable mic set-up as well. At least, that is also what Razer is selling this product as, a “portable mini microphone”. The only missing thing from the whole package, in that case, is a carrying case for the mic.
Hardware
Inside this tiny capsule is a 14mm super cardioid condenser. Which also means it is not a passive type of dynamic mic that words by just plugging it into an amp or mixer; you need power. At the same time, you cannot plug this into any XLR, or ¼” jack though. It is a USB Type-C mic that also draws its power from the PC it is connected to.
Specifications
Sample Rate
44.1 KHz – 48 KHz
Microphone
14mm Super Cardioid Condenser Built-in Shock Mounting
Frequency Response
20 Hz – 20 KHz
Power
5V 500mA Via Micro USB
Sensitivity
17.8 mV/Pa (1 KHz)
Max SPL
110 dB
Features
While the mic does not look like much, there is quite a lot of things packed into the small capsule mic though. It is a USB Type-C mic, which also means it is a simple plug and play now. The USB port is designed to sort of hide the cable connection and make the whole capsule look whole. There is some clever surprise inside the capsule body as well.
Flush USB Plug and Play
Micro USB is not necessarily new in electronics. The difference between this one mic with other mics of its type is how they hide the cable. Well, they did not really hide the cable, just the fact that they made it seem like the cable is a part of the mic capsule itself. Of course, they colour match the cables too.
Razer does not just give you a regular looking USB cable for you to connect to your Razer Serine mini and calls it a day. They made an effort to properly design a USB cable head that matches and sits flush with the body of your Razer Seiren Mini.
While it is a plug and play mic solution, it is not Razer Synapse compatible unfortunately. That can be a good thing too though; it just works. To control the volume, you just go to Windows audio settings and sort it out. All you have to do is figure out the best place to put your mic and you can get streaming, podcasting, and even use it in your video conference.
Super Cardioid Condenser
Source: Razer
What you get inside the capsule mic, as mentioned before, is a 14mm super cardioid condenser. A condenser cannot work without a power source, unlike dynamic mics. There are advantages to dynamic mics compared to condensers. For example, on a dynamic mic, you get cleaner audio and it is simple to work with. Dynamic mics are known to be durable as well, just find a studio and ask them for their oldest Shure SM58 mic, ask them how old it is, and you will understand why.
Condensers have their own advantages as well though. Condensers tend to be a lot more sensitive than dynamic mics. Heightened sensitivity allows you to place the mic further away from you or have more control over sensitivity depending on where you place the mic. But that also means that you have more freedom to place your mic in different locations and positions to pick up different sounds like ambient noise and such. On top of that, condensers can be a lot more compact than dynamic mics.
Super cardioid refers to its pickup pattern which centers mostly at its front and a little bit at the back. It is a tighter pattern compared to a general cardioid mic though which also means that it will be a lot less sensitive to noise and sounds from the sides of the mic. Which also means you really want to point the front of the mic toward the source of the sound you want being picked up, you. At least that is straight forward enough to do; the front of the mic is where the power indication LED and RAZER branding is.
Built-in Shock Mount
Because condensers are also more sensitive, every little bump and shake can be picked up by the mic. That is why shock mounting is important when you get a condenser. That was our concern as well when we picked up this little Seiren Mini. Fortunately, Razer thought of that and figured out a way to fit a shock mount into the capsule, and it works. You still hear knocks on the mic, obviously, but when you place it on the table, knocks and bumps on the table is hardly heard through the mic, unless it is a hard knock. If you are using a boom arm and accidentally brushed or knocked your hands against the boom arm, the shock is also hardly heard through the mic. You only head knocks and bumps very clearly if you are bumping or knocking against the mic directly.
Tilting Stand
We will not call this the best quality tilting stand that you can find in the market. We are going to say that this is a good mic stand for your Razer Seiren Mini though. The best part about it is that you can use it with other mics or mic holders with standard mic stand threads. That also means that you can technically use different mic with a standard mic holder, and it works too. Although, you do want to make sure that you either balance the weight properly or that the mic is not too heavy to work with; dynamic mics like the Shure SM58 should be fine.
It is made with plastic mostly, even the base is covered with plastic material. Excluding the mic, there are two parts to the stand that comes standard with your Razer Seiren Mini. You get a base with a tilting thread, and a plastic stem that adapts the base to the mic because the thread on the base is a smaller standard thread. The base also comes with an anti-slip foam at the bottom to grip ensure that it does not get to move too much on your desk. The foam bottom also helps eliminate micro vibrations from your desk, which is a bonus in getting cleaner sound from you.
Performance
When you talk about the performance of a mic though, its sound quality and reproduction is everything. The thing is, specific mics serves different purposes in its design though. Mics like the Seiren Mini is really built for streamers and podcasting. That also means that it should deliver that ‘radio voice’ quality over voice chats and when you are recording a podcast, or in video calls.
Audio Quality and Reproduction
First of all, before you start thinking about downloading software solutions from Razer to control the mic, forget it. Even Razer’s synapse does not recognise the device. That also means that Razer’s own apps will not control the mic’s pickup. There are no physical buttons to the mic either, which also means you have to go into Windows 10’s or MacOS’s sound settings and control the mic sensitivity there.
No complains on that though, because it is simple enough to get to Windows audio settings and set the mic to default to the Razer Seiren Mini, set the volumes correctly in different use cases and just leave it from there. In most cases, we leave our mics to 100% sensitivity in Windows settings, especially when we tuck the mic further away from us (about 0.5m away from the mouth).
When we do our podcast though, we stuck the mic closer to our mouths and lowered the sensitivity on Window itself because the mic is now that much closer to our mouths to the point that we are almost kissing the mic. Here we find a problem with the Razer Seiren Mini. It does not have a pop-filter and Razer does not sell a Seiren Mini specific pop-filter too. That results in pops when we say things like “pick”, or “ping”, or “pack”. It is easily corrected by buying a generic pop-filter though. You only have to worry about mounting the stuff.
The audio you get from the mic is quite remarkable though. You get the same sort of sound signature with the bigger Seiren X from this little capsule. That also means a crisp voice with very clear mid-frequencies and low frequencies for great and clear voice. That also means your teammates or audience can hear you very clearly. Just be sure that nothing else is making noise behind you though, since it is a condenser.
Of course, you need to be the judge of the sound quality that the Razer Seiren Mini reproduces for you too. So, we have included a few voice clips for you to listen to. We used Adobe Audition to record all sample sound tracks.
The Razer Seiren Mini – Portable Goodness in Value for Money Package
You can get your hands on the Razer Seiren Mini at MYR 249 from Razer’s official store on Shopee, or their own online store. If you really look through Shopee, you can get a Seiren Mini for even lower prices. There are three colours to choose from as well with the Razer Seiren Mini – Quartz, Mercury, and Black. We do suggest the Black for a more professional and cleaner look.
Still, if you do want to spice up your set up a little bit, the white coloured mercury colour scheme looks great too. While we are not fans of the pink Quarts colour scheme, we do think that there are plenty who would like that colour option too. Whatever it is, the colour options do give a little more freedom for expression, we think.
While we would like to see USB Type-C replacing Micro USB on the Razer Seiren Mini, there is nothing much wrong with Micro USB. A lot of older USB devices still work nicely. Plenty of audio interfaces in the market are still relying on USB Type-B ports too. With the provided cable anyway, the connection is secure and reliable.
At the same price with the Razer Seiren Mini, there are other solutions like HyperX’s Solocast USB microphone. The Solocast does come with a nice built-in stand that looks extremely sturdy. The mic is also taller and a little bigger than the Razer Seiren Mini. Because of that though, it is a little more cumbersome, less portable. When connected to your PC, the USB cable sticks out like a sore thumb too, which could be less appealing in terms of cable management. The HyperX Solocast does have a touch sensitive ‘mute’ button though, while the Razer Seiren Mini does not.
Thing is, recommending the Razer Seiren Mini is really easy for us. At its price, it is hard to find a compelling enough mic that boasts the same quality and features. It is also a relatively economical and simple way to increase the audio quality of your conference calls and even streams. Because it is so small, you can easily throw it in your bag and set up anywhere and anytime.
Razer’s Opus that was launched last year drew some resemblance with a certain wireless over-ear headphones from a different brand. Nothing wrong with that, there are not many ways to design a sleek and stealth looking headphone set without falling back into similar design structures. At the same time, we would like to see more colours from Razer’s stables. It is Razer after all.
They did come up with an answer a year later in 2021 with a new range of Opus lifestyle-centric headphones. Except, they are not the high-end type of headphones the Opus is. They are called the Opus X.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The Razer Opus X has very similar design cues with the higher end THX certified Opus. They share the same general shapes and curves in all the right places to make it look less gamer, more general use. The only difference you might find on the outlook is probably the colour choices you get with the Razer Opus X, which incidentally gave away the “gamer” look.
The Opus X comes in three colour choices. You get to choose between the white ‘Mercury’, pink ‘Quartz’, and Green (Razer.com exclusive). The more expensive Opus only gets the Black colour option. While the Green and Quartz might stand out in the crowd, we think the Mercury colour option could be more subtle.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Inside the headphones are still two beefy 40mm dynamic drivers to deliver super low frequencies from 20Hz to super high frequencies at 20kHz. Obviously, there is no microphone stems here because Razer understands that you have a life outside of your house and a microphone stem outside your home looks odd. It does have the same noise cancelling microphones built into the sleek chassis for both voice chat and phone calls.
It is wireless like the Opus, obviously. You connect your PC or smartphone to it via Bluetooth 5.0 for stable connection and high-quality audio transmissions. You also get 30 hours of battery life with it, which matches the best the market has to offer in terms of wireless headphones. When the battery runs out though, there is always a trusty 3.5mm jack with included cables when you buy the product.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
While this Razer Opus X does not feature THX’s touch like its more premium brother, it does offer Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). In that sense, this is one of the more affordable products that feature ANC in the market currently. With 60ms low latency connection, this should also be one of the more affordable Bluetooth enabled gaming headphones with ANC capabilities. We prefer over-ear solutions for gaming too, we think this would be perfect if you are trying to lose the cables on your desk.
Price and Availability
We kept saying that it is a more affordable product, but we have not actually mentioned its price. The Opus X is already available in Malaysia and you can buy it from Razer.com online store, or Razer’s dealers and official stores across the nation. It is also about half the price of the THX Certified Opus at MYR 549 (US$ 99.99*). If we are honest, you can hardly find decent ANC enabled headphones at that price currently.
Monitors are becoming increasingly more in demand lately with more and more people working from their homes. Back in 2019, Razer announced their first monitor with the Raptor 27. This year, the company is refreshing the monitor with higher specifications and better refresh rates.
The new Razer Raptor 27 comes with a wide angle IPS display. As its name suggests, the display is an impressive 27-inches. It comes with a QHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels and supports both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC technology. The Raptor is equipped with a higher 165Hz refresh rate compared to the 144Hz of the 2019 version. The panel covers 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut promising pretty impressive colour accuracy and is also HDR400 capable.
More impressively, the Razer Raptor is the first monitor in the world to come with THX certification. The certification guarantees that the Raptor 27’s display is able to represent and recreate visuals as the creators envisioned it. To get this certification, the Raptor 27 was put through 4000 individual tests to ensure colour accuracy, panel performance, sharpness and upscaling. According to the certification, the Raptor 27 meets the standards. This certification is one of the first in the industry.
Design wise, the monitor retains the iconic, near bezel-less design of the 2019 iteration. It comes with a matte-black finish with a forged aluminium base. The back of the Raptor is emblazoned with high-end textured fabric. It also comes with built0in cable management channels which run along the back of the monitor. It comes with Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting allowing users to customise their experience with their Synapse 3 software.
Razer also announced their Raptor VESA adapter which allows users to use standard VESA mounts to mount their monitors on multimonitor stands and even their wall with ease.
Pricing & Availability
The Razer Raptor 27 will be available starting early Q3 2021 for USD$799.99 (MYR3,293.61) or €999.99 (MYR4,992.68). It will be available from select retailers and Razer.com.
The Razer VESA Mount Adapter will be available at the same time for USD $99.99 (MYR411.64) or €99.99 (MYR499.22) and will be available exclusively on Razer.com.
Razer’s Blade series should be familiar with gamers around the world. After all, Razer has become one of the most valuable and best-known brands in the world of PC gaming. The Blade series kickstarted and revolutionised the whole ultra-thin, ultra-portable gaming laptop industry on its own technically.
The first Razer Blade had an all blacked out Apple MacBook-esque aesthatics but with internals that you could never find on any MacBook Pro. It packed all the right hardware for the ultimate modern gaming laptop at that time basically, but it was packed in a package quite unheard of in a gaming laptop. Of course, that got the whole world excited.
Imagine the hype then when there is a new Razer Blade laptop that is set to launch. Welcome to the Razer Blade 14. Razer claims that it is the world’s most powerful 14-inch gaming laptop and incidentally the thinnest of its type at just below 17mm thickness, or quite a little bit less than an inch at 0.66-inch. They have kept the clean slate design that is pretty much the signature of the Razer Blade series too.
It is not all looks with no push though. Inside the super thin laptop package is a display with up to 165Hz and up to Quad HD in resolution. This is technically a first in 14-inch notebooks. The 14-inch panel also features up to 100% sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage for the best-in-class colour reproduction on the display. With AMD’s FreeSync Premium technology, screen tearing is a thing of the past. Paired to THX Spatial Audio technology built into the device, gaming and movies are more immersive than before.
To power the super-fast display is an arrangement of equally impressive set of hardware. You get AMD’s most powerful Ryzen 5900HX processor. In this arrangement with AMD, the Ryzen 5900HX is also an unlocked high-performance 8-core CPU built to be the most powerful processor in a 14-inch notebook that is the Razer Blade 14. It is clocked at a maximum of 4.6GHz, which is not just great for games, but for content production as well. Because of the way AMD’s Ryzen Zen 3 processors consumer power too, Razer says that this can get up to 12 hours in battery life.
A powerful CPU needs to be paired to a powerful GPU too though. That powerful GPU comes in the line of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (up to). NVIDIA’s top-of-the-line mobile GPU will keep the 165Hz display running happy at a max resolution of QHD. IT also comes with Resizable BAR to allow memory sharing between the processor and the GPU for better power efficiency and more effective use of the systems depending on what is required in different conditions.
This much power in such a tight package produces another problem on a thin-and-light gaming laptop though. That problem to combat is heat, and with the hardware, a large amount of them. Razer pioneered the vapor chamber technology in the mobile computing space in their first Razer Blade and they are not about the be fazed by the new challenge of heat. They developed a new ultra-low-profile fans with 88 fan blades that are as thin as 0.1mm each, that is as thin as a human hair. The combination of the new ultra-low-profile fans with the proven vapor chamber technology, the Razer Blade 14 keeps itself cool and performing at the highest level.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Unlike plenty of modern ultra-thin notebooks today though, the Razer Blade 14 comes packing in I/O ports. You have one HDMI 2.1 port that supports 4K @120Hz output, no Mini DisplayPort though at our disappointment. You get two Gen 2 USB 3.2 Type-C ports too that supports display output and power delivery. There are two additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports for super-fast data transfers, or expansion. There is still even a 3.5mm audio jack that support THX Spatial Audio, so that you do not need to get an adapter, or buy a wireless solution to still enjoy your existing headphones.
On top of all of that, the Razer Blade 14 is made with immersive gaming, and productivity in mind at the same time. The anti-ghosting keyboard is back on the Razer Blade 14. It is a per-key Razer Chroma RGB keyboard too for you to really customise the PC to your own flavour. Like plenty of 14-inch notebook of its class, you get a 720p webcam. But it also comes with an IR blaster for Windows Hello facial recognition login on Microsoft Windows 10 that comes with the notebook.
The Razer USB-C GaN Charger – The New Standard
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Alongside the Razer Blade 14, Razer also launched their own revolution in charging technology. They released their Razer USB-C Ga Nitrate (GaN) Charger to the world. It is also Razer’s first and it pushes out a collective 130W in charging power. It can power up to four devices simultaneously (2x USB Type-C, 2x USB Type-A). It is also technically smaller than traditional chargers and even GaN chargers of its type. While it may be a third-party charger to use against your other smartphone, or tablet devices, it also packs all kinds of safety features to ensure that your devices are charged safely and cleverly.
Price and Availability
The all-new Razer Blade 14 will be available immediately from official RazerStores, selected retail partners worldwide, and Razer.com. There is no colour options here, just the regular black with the green LED backlit Razer logo. You can get your hands on one with prices starting at MYR 9,999 (US$ 1,799.99*).
The Razer USB-C GaN charger is available for pre-order now too for about US$ 179.99 (MYR 741**) in select regions via Razer.com and RazerStore locations. They say that the charger will ship out within 30 days. Again, there is no colour options here other than the standard Matte Black that pretty much a signature of Razer. There are no mentions on its availability in Malaysia at this time.
For more information on the Razer Blade 14 and the USB-C GaN charger, you can check out their website.
* Official Razer Pricing
** Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.11 on xe.com as of 15/06/2021
Razer launched their own version of what an ultimate gaming chair would look like last year. They launched the Razer Iskur last year for all the hardcore gamers in the world with a very clever lumbar support mechanism. It also received high praises for being one of the most comfortable gaming thrones you can find in the market.
The only issue was its price at US$ 749. In Today’s Malaysia money, the Razer Iskur will set you back about just a little over MYR 3,000, which is a lot of money even for a gaming chair. For comparison’s sake, the Secret Lab Titan, Secret Lab’s biggest and most expensive gaming seat starts at an equivalent of roughly MYR 2,200 (SG$ 700 retail) or so. These are rough conversion figures though.
While you are paying a little bit of a premium for the Iskur’s innovative lumbar support, it is not something you would call ‘affordable’. In that sense, what do you do when you still want a Razer seat in your house, but for not as much money? Razer has an answer for you in their latest Razer Iskur X.
Before you jump into the conclusion that Razer’s Iskur X is a baby Iskur, it is nothing like the more premium Iskur. They share the same diamond quilt design on the backrest, the same colour and leather finishing, and somewhat the same designs and stitching, but that is about it. These are technically two completely different thrones.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The Iskur X do not have the same lumbar support mechanism or cushion as the Iskur for example. Instead, you have the option to get a separate lumbar cushion you can put on the chair. Like the Iskur also, the Iskur X does not come with a head pillow or cushion though. Again, the head cushion is a separate purchase.
Still, the Iskur X gaming chair features steel-reinforced body to handle a lot of weight. It supports up to 136kg. That does mean that the Razer Iskur X might dwarf smaller body frames though. It also features the same 2D armrests as the Iskur, which is a good thing considering the Iskur was highly acclaimed.
The Razer Iskur is now available for purchase from selected retailers and from Razer.com online store. The Razer Iskur X will set you back US$ 399 (MYR 1,499*) and only comes in Black and Green colour scheme. For more comfort, you can add a Razer Lumbar Cushion and Razer Head Cushion for US$ 49.99 (MYR 259*) and US$ 39.99 (MYR 199*) respectively. More information can be found on Razer’s website.
Well known branding like Noble Chairs and Secret Lab released excellent gaming chairs for gamers out there. That said, gaming chairs are all the rage these days. Of course, one of the biggest gaming lifestyle giants, Razer would latch on to this trend. That’s right, Razer has finally unveiled their first gaming chair, the Iskur.
The Iskur is said to have a unique external lumbar support system whose 26-degree customization is meant to improve your posture while gaming or even working. The main focus is to alleviate the middle tension to achieve a neutral spine position to provide minimum burden for your spine. Important when you game for long hours, or when you are sitting down to get your work done all day long of course.
Source: Razer
The Iskur also comes with “4D” armrests, which offer a wide range of adjustment, and will support players up to 6.2′ and 136kg (299 lbs). It’s made from multi-layered synthetic leather and the rear back cushion is made from high density foam cushion. The Iskur’s jut-out-at-an-angle lumbar pad which look like a snake belly is quite one of the highlight of Razer signature. A memory foam head cushion is also included to keep you at the optimum posture.
Whichever way you look at it, the Razer Iskur does look very similar to the Secret Lab’s very own Omega and Titan. That may not necessarily be a bad thing though. The Secret Lab Omega and Titan are very highly acclaimed gaming chairs, regarded to be the best in the business. Razer denies that the Iskur is anything like the Secret Lab chairs though.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The Razer Iskur is now available for US$ 499 (approx. RM 2,071) through Razer’s official website. There are no mentions on whether or not the Razer Iskur will come to Malaysia. Here are some fingers crossed. For more information on the Razer Iskur you can head down to their website.
