Razer reveals the Blade Pro and 14-inch Blade gaming laptops (update: $999 Pro for indie game devs)

Razer promised it was aiming to iterate its Blade gaming laptop on a yearly basis, and despite the company's recent focus on tablets, it appears to be keeping its word. Today, a mere eight months after releasing the second-gen Blade, Razer unveiled two new members of the Blade family: the 17-inch Blade Pro and its 14-inch sibling. As you might expect, the Pro tops its elders with new silicon and storage options. It's exchanging third-gen Intel Ivy Bridge silicon for a fourth-gen Haswell chip and upgrading from an NVIDIA GTX 660M to a GTX 765M GPU. Oh, and Razer's nixed the HDD options from the big Blade's menu -- the Pro packs a 128GB SSD standard, with optional upgrades to 256 or 512GB. That new hardware is evidently smaller than what it's replacing: though the Pro shares the same size chassis as its predecessor, it packs a 74Wh battery (the older Blade has a 60Wh cell). Other than that, the Blade Pro comes with Razer's Switchblade interface, a trio of USB 3.0 ports, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 1920 x 1080 display, just like the prior Blade.

Meanwhile, the new 14-inch Blade will come with mostly the same hardware as the Pro, meaning it's got a Haswell chip and GTX 765M graphics along with a buffet of SSD choices. Those components are stuffed inside a chassis that measures 13.6 x 9.3 x 0.66 inches, and weighs 4.13 pounds. Naturally, given its smaller size, it lacks the Switchblade LCD and buttons, has a 1.3 megapixel webcam (as opposed to the Pro's 2 megapixel unit) and a 14-inch 1600 x 900 display. And, despite its relatively svelte dimensions (for a portable gaming rig), the baby Blade still has a 70Wh battery inside. The Pro starts at $2,299, or $200 less than prior Blades and the 14-inch model will set you back a minimum of $1,799. Each will be available in North America in Q2, with a worldwide rollout of the Pro coming sometime later this year.

Update: Good news, Indie game developers! Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan just announced that those devs with a successfully funded Kickstarter can get a new Blade Pro for just $999. %Gallery-189699%

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Razer Introduces the Blade-The World's Thinnest Gaming Notebook
The Razer Blade: Thinner than a dime with a 14-inch HD+ Screen, Intel Quad Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 765M

SAN FRANCISCO – May 30, 2013 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today unveiled Razer Blade, the world's thinnest gaming laptop. The Razer Blade, measuring in at just 0.66-inches thin, packs more power-per-cubic-inch than any other laptop in the world. The Razer Blade is powered with a future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor, the latest NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M GPU and utilizes solid-state storage technology with boot speeds of up to four-times faster than a traditional 5400-RPM notebook hard drive. The Razer Blade has a rigid all-aluminum chassis, with a stunning 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display and features a custom-designed trackpad and backlit gaming grade keyboard.

Designed entirely in-house by the multi-award winning Razer design team, the Razer Blade has an incredible 14-inch LED-backlit HD+ display with a native resolution of 1600 x 900 and its custom-made gaming grade trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support. The Razer Blade also features a full-size backlit gaming keyboard that has full anti-ghosting capabilities and programmable keys powered by the revolutionary Synapse 2.0.

The ultra-portable laptop features 8 GB of fast 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and comes standard with 128 GB of storage with options for a 256 GB or 512 GB SSD. The Razer Blade also comes with Dolby® Home Theatre® v4, featuring immersive audio-quality output that is custom-tuned to deliver a cinematic sound experience.

The Razer Blade delivers up to six hours of battery life and includes a Killer™ Wireless-N high-performance wireless networking adapter, combining intelligence and control along with up to five-times the wireless networking speed of competitive wireless adapters.

The new 14-inch Razer Blade embodies Razer's continuing goal to design the world's best gaming laptops for those that need insanely powerful performance in the thinnest form factors to game anywhere, anytime. Razer sets out to do the impossible without compromising performance and, with the new Blade 14-inch laptop, users are able to game more and do more than ever before on an ultra-portable system.

The Razer Blade is scheduled to ship in Q2. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/blade.

Price:
Starts at $1,799

Availability:
Razerzone.com – Q2 2013
North America – Q2 2013

Product features:

• Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell')
• 8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L – 1600 MHz)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
• Windows® 8 64 Bit
• 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
• Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0)
• 14.0 in. HD+ 16:9 Ratio, 1600 x 900, with LED backlight
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
• Array microphone
• (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
• Dolby® Home Theater® v4
• 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
• Built-in full HD webcam (1.3 MP)
• Compact 150 W Power Adapter
• Built-in 70 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
• Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
• Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled
• Kensington Lock
• 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 0.66 in. / 16.8 mm (Height) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
• 4.135 lbs. / 1.876 kg

For more information about the Razer Blade, please visit www.razerzone.com/blade.

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Razer Introduces the Blade Pro-Designed For Work and For Play
The Razer Blade Pro: 17-inch HD Screen, Intel Quad Core i7, NVIDIA GTX 765M; comes with built-in professional-grade SBUI applications for creative professionals

(Not for) Immediate Release:

SAN FRANCISCO – May 30, 2013 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced the Blade Pro, the latest evolution of its award-winning 17-inch gaming laptop. Powered by a future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor, next generation NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M graphics and groundbreaking storage performance, the new Blade Pro is faster and more powerful than ever before.

Razer's designers and engineers refined every inner component to increase performance, while staying true to portability. At 0.88 inches thin and weighing 6.5 pounds, the Blade Pro is the most portable 17-inch gaming laptop in its class. Every detail is sleek, slim and light, all the way down to the compact power supply, making the Blade Pro the best choice for gaming performance and creative work on-the-go.

The Blade Pro, the third iteration of Razer's ground-breaking, ultra-portable laptop, features a 4th gen Intel Core processor and the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M GPU, all packed into the thinnest and lightest form factor in the 17-inch laptop class. The Blade Pro comes with Dolby® Home Theatre® v4, featuring immersive audio quality that is custom-tuned to each Razer laptop to deliver a cinematic sound experience. All of this is topped-off with gaming-grade peripherals built right in, such as Razer Synapse 2.0, a fully programmable anti-ghosting keyboard with adjustable backlight and an ultra-sensitive track pad.

At the heart of the Blade Pro is a full-HD 17-inch LED display linked in combination with the Switchblade User Interface (SBUI), allowing users to take advantage of tools and creative possibilities at their fingertips. Driven by 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys, a revolutionary LCD track pad and professional-grade and game apps, users can work harder and play harder. Razer's SBUI now includes several new, professional-grade apps and a wide array of new tools available at no charge, including programs like Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe Premiere® Pro, Maya®, GIMP and more.

The Razer Blade Pro also features 8 GB of fast 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and comes standard with 128 GB of solid stage storage, with optional 256 GB and 512 GB SSDs. With solid-state storage technology, gamers will now experience up to four-times the performance of a traditional 5400-rpm notebook hard drive.

Razer is also offering a new creative professional pricing program, allowing design students, game developers, development staff, Kickstarter partners and others to purchase Razer products, including the Blade Pro, at special prices. Selected developers and partners are now listed at www.razerzone.com/creativepro. Those not listed are encouraged to fill out an application on the page for a chance to be included in the program.

The Blade Pro is scheduled to ship in Q2. For more information, go to www.razerzone.com/bladepro.
Price:
Starts at $2,299

Availability:
Razerzone.com – Q2 2013
Worldwide – 2013

Product features:

• Future 4th gen Intel® Core™ processor (formerly codename 'Haswell')
• 8 GB DDR3L (2 x 4 GB 1600MHz)
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
• Windows 8 64 Bit
• 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
• Qualcomm® Killer™ NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0)
• 17.3-in. Full HD 16:9 Ratio, 1920 x 1080, with LED backlight
• Stereo 2.0 speakers
• 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
• HD Webcam (front-facing, 2.0 MP)
• Array microphones
• (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
• Codec supports 7.1 (via HDMI 1.4)
• Dolby® Home Theater® v4
• Razer™ Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
• Razer™ Switchblade User Interface
• Razer™ Synapse 2.0 Enabled
• Built-in 74 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
• Kensington Lock
• 16.8 in. / 427 mm (Width) x 0.88 in. / 22.4 mm (Height) x 10.9 in. / 277 mm (Depth)
• 6.58 lbs. / 2.98 kg

For more information about the Razer Blade Pro, please visit www.razerzone.com/bladepro.