Razer

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Razer

logo
legal form Corporation
ISIN KYG7397A1067
founding 1998
Seat Irvine , California United States
United StatesUnited States 
management
Number of employees 1,451
Branch Computer accessories
Website https://www.razer.com/de-de
Status: 2019

"DeathAdder 2013 Edition" mouse
Arctosa keyboard
"Destructor 2" mouse pad

Razer is a California based manufacturer of computer accessories ( mice , mouse pads , ...) especially for computer gamers. The brand Razer is currently owned by the Razer USA Ltd . Most of the products were named after different animals of the same species. So carrying mice often the names of mythological snakes beings ( " Naga ", " Ouroborus "), while keyboard partly by spiders ( " Black Widow ") and a headphone of Kraken , another after the hammerhead ( " Hammerhead named").

history

The company was founded in 1998 by a team of engineers and economists to develop and market a high-end mouse. This mouse, known as Boomslang , was advertised as the world's first mouse with 1000  dpi resolution , claiming it would improve player performance. Comparable competing products used a resolution of around 200–400 dpi at the time.

With the proliferation of optical mice, the company, which relied on optomechanical mice, got into trouble after the turn of the millennium. Although the mice manufactured by Razer already achieved a resolution of 1400 and 2100 dpi, the manufacturer lost market share. The company regained this by also offering optical mice in 2004, which, with a resolution of 1000 dpi, were superior to the models available up to then with around 800 dpi. Since that change, the company has released other improved models. With the introduction of models equipped with laser sensors, resolutions of up to 16,000 dpi have so far been achieved.

Since 2005 the company has expanded its range of products to include additional products. In addition to the mice , mouse pads and gamepads are also offered. One of the more recent developments in this area is the Destructor mousepad . It is said to increase performance through particularly low friction and high durability. The gaming keyboards are also designed for use by the player and allow, for example, up to ten keys to be pressed simultaneously (so-called anti-ghosting ).

Other areas that Razer covers with products include accessories, clothing, backpacks, controllers, streaming equipment such as cameras or microphones, controllers for consoles and PCs, but also various gaming laptops.

Most of the technical products nowadays are equipped with the so-called chroma technology: around 16.8 million colors with RGB LEDs.

With high technical values, additional setting options in the drivers and the design of the mice, the company wants to make the product more attractive for gamers.

On October 18, 2016, Razer took over audio specialist THX .

Chroma apps

This function makes it possible to apply special lighting effects on compatible devices that must support chroma. Classically, these are controlled by the game. The apps for this have to be downloaded beforehand and activated in the required Razer Synapse software . The apps themselves are provided by third parties. These can be downloaded from the Razer website in the Razer Workshop .

software

In addition to apps for lighting, Razer offers various software. In general, Razer Synapse is required to configure the key assignment, the illumination of the peripheral devices and macros, provided it is a Chroma product. With macros you can save different keys combined on one key, whereby time intervals can also be saved. Programs can be saved in which key assignments and lighting are saved; they can also be linked to programs such as games, so that when the game is started, the program with the key assignment provided is called up directly. In Synapse, statistics on, for example, the distribution and amount of keystrokes can be counted and evaluated. You can also download the “tournament driver” from Synapse. This contains all programs and macros and these cannot be changed afterwards. This also replaces the Synapse software.

Another software is Razer Surround or Surround Pro , the latter must be purchased. The software offers 7.1 surround sound. Razer Surround is served by Synapse. Special features are the ability to adapt the sound output to all Razer audio products (already preset), with the exception of speakers and sound systems and the ability to configure the direction setting. In addition to these functions, there is also an equalizer , which offers preset programs and the possibility of self-adjustment, general improvements to the sound and the "Razer Surround Sound" designed by Razer.

Razer Cortex is streaming and boosting software. It is free and allows the user to stream in- game recordings and videos in HD quality with Razer Cortex: Gamecaster . The Boost function is intended to improve performance and performance.

Sponsorship

In cooperation with professional players, Razer was an active sponsor. For example, Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel was one of the first sponsored players. To this day, Razer also sponsors events such as the World Cyber ​​Games (official supplier) and major StarCraft tournaments. The marketing strategy Razer aims above all, through sponsorship of clans and e-sports -Events to attract attention. The Copperhead model "SK Gaming Edition" was created from a cooperation with the SK Gaming clan , in which the pulsating Razer logo was replaced by the SK Gaming logo. Printed mousepads are offered for numerous clans, and since 2010 licensed input devices and headphones for the games StarCraft 2 , Tron , Star Wars: The Old Republic , Mass Effect 3 , Battlefield 3 and 4 , League of Legends , Counter Strike: Global Offensive , Dragon Age 2 and Overwatch are offered.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Razer Mamba on razerzone.com
  2. Data on Blackwidow V2  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.razerzone.com  
  3. Razer: Razer Chroma: Full Spectrum Gaming. Retrieved August 13, 2017 .
  4. Razer takes over audio specialist THX. pcgameshardware.de, October 18, 2016, accessed October 18, 2016 .
  5. Workshop website
  6. Synapse website  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.razerzone.com  
  7. Surround website  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.razerzone.com  
  8. Website for Cortex: Gamecaster  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.razerzone.com  
  9. Website for Cortex: Boost  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.razerzone.com  
  10. Razer Sponsors World Cyber ​​Games 2007 Grand Finals  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on razerzone.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / press.razerzone.com  
  11. Razer sponsors TSL on teamliquid.net