Gaming peripherals maker Razer is continuing to expand its hardware footprint (which includes the Razer Edge Windows 8 tablet) with its new additions to the Razer Blade laptop family: a 14-inch version and the new 17-inch Blade Pro.
At just 0.66 inches when closed, the 14-inch Blade notebook is being dubbed by Razer as the “world’s thinnest gaming laptop.” It also weighs just 4.1 pounds. Nonetheless, it will still feature the latest hardware from Intel and Nvidia, in the form of the forthcoming Haswell processors and the new GeForce GTX 765M graphics card. In addition, you get a 1,600×900 LED-backlight display, 8GB of RAM, a choice of SSD, and Killer Wireless-N Wi-Fi adapter. Razer also says it’s using other “bespoke” components to keep the Blade’s form factor extra-slim.
The company couldn’t do quite the same with the new Blade Pro (pictured above), which features a massive 17-inch screen with full 1080p resolution. Still, it weighs in at 6.58 pounds and is 0.88 inches thick. While the specs are similar to the 14-inch Blade, the Pro takes advantage of the extra real estate to include a trackpad with built-in LCD display for working with Razer’s Switchblade user interface.
Also notable is Razer’s attempt to reach out to potential game builders with special pricing for the Blade Pro. Developers who have already launched games or ones who have at least $50,000 contributed to a Kickstarter-funded game project can score a Blade Pro for just $999.
For those who consume games instead of write them, you can get the Blade Pro for a starting price (with 128GB SSD) of $2,299, while the 14-inch Blade runs from $1,799 (with 128GB SSD) to $1,999 (256GB SSD) to $2,299.99 (512GB SSD). Pre-orders will start on June 3, though the company hasn’t announced a firm shipping date.
