Razer’s prototype of their upcoming Razer Switchblade mobile PC gaming device is an intriguing proof-of-concept for small-scale mobile computers aimed at a serious gaming crowd.
The Switchblade’s most notable feature is its context-specific adaptive keyboard, designed in concert with game developers, which changes the keys displayed and their functions to correspond to in-game commands or abilities. Each game has both its own unique keyboard interface and an option to switch back to conventional keys for text chat on demand, and the prototype supports both Bluetooth and wired external keyboards.
Razer designed the Switchblade to allow a gamer to play unhindered by the usual performance and ergonomic issues expect from a machine of its size. The diminutive little machine runs a customized OS based on Windows 7, powered by an Intel Atom processor.
The Switchblade has been in development for approximately two years. Razer hopes to release the Switchblade by the end of 2011.
Razer also had a selection of their high-quality keyboards, mice, and headsets on display, including a series designed explicitly for Starcraft II and one themed after Tron. The Starcraft II set included lighting-based APM monitors and user-defined contextual alerts, reprogrammable keys, and on-the-fly macro recording.
The Tron set featured a unique design with a rearrange-able numpad, ambidextrous mouse, unique sound and lighting cues based on the Tron franchise, and bioluminescent lighting including a visible light trail from the mouse in dark environments.
Trauben’s Impressions
I’ve liked Razer designs since I first saw them. Their keyboards and mice have a very sleek, appealingly angular design- the jagged angularity of the Tron one was a style I’d love to see catch on. The Starcraft II set’s features could be really useful to the right Starcraft progamer.
But it’s the adaptive keyboard I’m most interested in. Not necessarily as part of the Switchblade lineup itself- I don’t really have that much time or historic interest in gaming on the go, although the Razer’s capabilities could make a spur-of-the-moment LAN party or a few bored hours on a trip much, much easier. No, I’m just very intrigued by the idea of adaptive keyboards themselves.
Can you imagine how much cooler it would be to be able to play, say, World of Warcraft in the midst of a fierce raid encounter and literally never need to look at your hotbar? To be able to program your keyboard precisely for each individual application rather than memorize hotkey layouts or combinations? PC Gaming would become even more intuitive, even more a contest of minds and wills.
I doubt adaptive keyboards will ever replace conventional ones altogether, but the idea of incorporating the HUD directly and on a context-specific basis into the fundamental input mechanism of your computer…now that’s some sexy stuff. Here’s hoping that Razer not only releases the Switchblade, but leverages its adaptive keyboard technology into full-sized desktops.
Huneycutt’s Impressions
Razer is a company with a long line of very successful hardware concepts, and the Switchblade looks to be an aggressive step into an entirely new market for them. The Switchblade is obviously more proof-of-concept at this point than anything else, but even so its feature-set is exciting, and while its specs are as yet both unreleased and not finalized, its showing some very impressive tech under its tiny little hood.
The inclusion of Intel’s new chip is exciting for a few reasons, not the least of which is its relatively low energy consumption and its potential to prove integrated-graphics architectures as a viable alternative. But the real pull for me is the Switchblade’s portability. As it stands at this point, this is built-from the ground up, no-fat gaming platform with the horsepower to run some very serious titles.
Specialization is the key to efficiency. Our ancestors realized this thousands of years ago, and the Free-Market Economy is based on this very tenant. The laptop PC evolved out of a necessity for personal computing on the go, and since then, the gamer’s need for a mobile platform has been addressed by specializing high-end laptops for that very purpose, and the Switchblade is an exciting and logical progression in that direction.
Be sure to check out Pixelated Geek for breaking coverage of Razer’s Switchblade, scheduled to launch this year in Europe and America.