Razer are one of the most respected names when it comes to gaming peripherals and hardware. With a dedication to being the best, and a focus on creating what gamers want, their product line keeps getting better all the time.
We were lucky enough to chat with Min-Liang Tan, Razer CEO to find out more about the company and their next step into the hardware business with the Razer Edge – the worlds most powerful gaming tablet. Read on to find out more.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to Entertainment Focus. Please could you introduce yourself and your company Razer to our readers?
I am Min-Liang Tan, the co-founder, CEO and Creative Director of Razer. I founded Razer with Robert Krakoff in California. Robert and I are both avid gamers who had the vision to create the world’s greatest gaming brand. We achieved that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen. Razer has grown from a two-man startup to a multi-million-dollar-company with more than 400 full-time employees, offices in 10 cities all around the globe and distribution in more than 70 countries.
When we hear the name Razer we think of top-quality and innovative gaming peripherals. Is this how you perceive the company and what goals do you strive for in particular?
While we’re known by many as a peripherals company, our industry-leading advances in the systems and software spaces speak for themselves. For example, our tablet, the Razer Edge, won the prestigious “Best of CES” award over more than 20,000 other products, many of which are made by brands that are household names. Although Razer has grown and evolved significantly over the years, our goals have never changed: create the world’s best products to satisfy the needs of hardcore gamers, providing them with “the unfair advantage” to take their gaming experience to the next level. This aspiration is reflected in the design and quality of our products.
Let’s talk about your upcoming gaming tablet the Razer Edge, what made you decide to make the jump from peripherals to gaming hardware?
Razer is attendant to the needs of gamers, first and foremost. If it increases performance or enhances the fun of gaming, then it’s in consideration. The Razer Community wanted a more portable solution for PC gaming in a tablet form factor. There was a gap between typical stand-alone portable gaming consoles and the iOS- or Android-based tablets that can only run casual games. Razer decided to step in and fill that gap by creating the world’s first true gaming tablet – and the most powerful one – designed for hardcore gamers. Other tablets are limited to simple games and watered-down programs, but only the Razer Edge is able to play full-fledged PC games, programs and apps out of the box.
When designing the Razer Edge you allowed gamers to give their input of what they wanted to see. Do you feel this helped the final design and would you do this again?
We did in fact enlist our Facebook friends and Twitter followers, which was a uniquely rewarding experience. Involving our loyal fans – who are the most ardent, hardcore gamers – is what sets us apart from our competitors. At Razer we work closely with our sponsored professional eSports athletes to constantly improve the design, look and feel of our products. Working with the gaming community has always been and will always be a core element of our development processes. You can check out my page at www.facebook.com/minliangtan and the Razer page at www.facebook.com/razer
Were the final specs of the Razer Edge wildly different from what you had predicted?
We’ve put some of the finest pieces of hardware in the Edge, with amazing results. There has never been any doubt that this is exactly what hardcore gamers demanded.
Gamers are becoming spoilt for choice when it comes to hardware, what aspect of the Razer Edge do you think will make it essential for gamers?
The Edge is the only tablet on the market that can run the newest generation of PC games without compromising screen resolution or graphic details. It’s the full package of high-performance hardware and total mobility. The plug-and-play-connectivity when using the Edge in any of its four dedicated and wholly unique game modes makes it a unique product.
Games are getting bigger all the time what storage options are available on the Razer Edge to cope with this?
We provided the option of a 64 GB SSD on the Edge, and a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD for the Edge Pro, so our users can find what meets their gaming needs.
The Razer Edge sounds like a top-end gaming PC in tablet form, is this a fair assessment and is it upgradeable in any way to keep up with the latest games?
Right now, the Edge is not only the most powerful gaming tablet out there, it is the only one. We are always improving our products, making them meet the highest technical standards and user demands. The same applies to the Edge.
Tablet games although getting more sophisticated tend to be fairly simple and designed for short sessions. With AAA PC Games taking tens of hours to complete how does the battery life in the Razer Edge hold up?
The Razer Edge was developed especially for games and the battery life is amazing for a tablet with these technical specifications. Razer offers an additional battery for those long lasting gaming sessions.
Looking to the future do you have plans to get involved with different hardware such as motion control like Kinect or VR headsets like the Oculus Rift?
Absolutely. Our Razer Hydra is a groundbreaking controller whose motion sensor system received a lot of positive feedback. Right now, many people in the industry are experimenting with combining the Hydra and VR headsets like the Oculus Rift. We will see what the future will bring.
Finally, knowing you’re a keen gamer what games are you playing right now and do you have a favourite game of all time?
Since gaming is my life, I play games all of the time and try to check out nearly every new game. I’m playing quite a number of undisclosed about to launch beta games (courtesy of friends in the industry) at this time.
The Razer Edge is out now in the US and is due to launch in the UK later this year. For the latest news keep an eye on the official Razer website.
