Razer turns on the tunes with Ferox

Jan 25, 2011 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: Games

Announced today, gaming peripheral specialist Razer has taken a departure from their traditional keyboard and mouse offerings, and now serving up portable audio. The Razer Ferox ultraportable stereo speakers deliver 360 degrees of omni-directional sound, offering gamers an attractive alternative to headphones.

The room-filling 360 degree speakers provide users with a greatly expanded listening “sweet spot” when compared to front firing speakers of similar size. Whether you’re going deep undercover in an action shooter, or enjoying a quiet moment of fishing in Stormwind, the Ferox promises to provide the same immersive experience, no matter what the volume level.

“The Razer Ferox is our sophisticated, modern day boombox for gamers,” said Robert Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “Its sleek and compact structure takes up minimal space but delivers the crystal clear sound quality perfect for gaming on-the-go or for music playback wherever you’re at.”

Not only does the Ferox promise room filling sound, but they’re able to back it up with physical size. Featuring one touch expandable resonance chambers, these tiny speakers provide deeper bass and optimized digital amplifiers for a richer sound experience. Ok, maybe not room filling in size, but certainly in sound. Let me reiterate; push a button, bass chambers expand. Swuh-eet!

With a 12 hour (rechargeable) battery life, Razer platforms the Forex to be used in space constrained desktop setups, LAN parties, or simply enjoying your favorite tunage on the go.

Razer Ferox features:

• 360 degree omni-directional sound for all round clarity
• Expanded bass resonance chamber for powerful bass
• Digital amplification for enhanced power efficiency
• Compatible with any media player with a 3.5mm jack
• 30mm drivers for exceptional audio quality
• Rechargeable non-replaceable in-built batteries
• Up to 12 hours of playback
• Play and charge simultaneously
• LED battery status indicator for easy monitoring
• Seamless switch between On/Off-mode
• Carrying pouch for maximum portability

Priced at $59.00, the Razer Ferox are now available via Razerzone.com.

Razer launches new pwnage tool – Naga 17 button gaming mouse

Aug 20, 2009 by Dan Taylor    32 Comments    Posted under: Games, Technology

As a gamer, of course I’m aware of Razer’s line of products, but sadly, they’re still serving the winblows world, and only offer one mac supported mouse. It’s white and cute, but feels more like a laptop, on the go business type mouse, rather than something substantial under hand. And while Razer’s still sticking with the Redmond crowd, they have recently announced that they’ve started shipping an industry first: and MMO specific mouse.

Dubbed the Naga, Razer bills this new input device as the next level in gaming mice for MMO players. Tested in combination with leading MMO gamers and community sites, including the number one MMO addon go to, curse.com.

“Gaming interfaces have been growing but there’s a gap in providing gamers a true experience of control in the virtual world,” said Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff, president, Razer. “Razer’s engineering team addresses this issue with the Razer Naga, designed to be unique and innovative by offering MMO players more customization and balance in-game. “

If you’re not familiar with the typical MMO setup, the quick and dirty looks like this: Most have an action bar at the bottom of the screen that corresponds to the number keys 1-12 (1-0 plus the – and = key). This action bar allows you to press a number that corresponds to the action that you want to take, while leaving your mouse hand free to target, move, etc. Personally, I’ve developed what I consider a great skill in being able to run forward (the W key) while still being able to click on the 2 or 3 key (depending on which spell I need) to cast while on the move. What the Razer Naga seeks to address here is freeing up the left hand from having to turn/twist into unnatural key combinations (think photoshop ‘save for web’ keyboard shortcut – or the PSclaw as I’ve heard it referred to). This industry first 12 button thumb grid allows players to map the 1-12 keyboard commands to the mouse, and access them via a thumb click. Optimally, I could see this remapping allowing for a full 1-12 action bar full of macros or modifier keys.

Razer has already lined up a number of supported titles (can you have a guess which one tops the list? WoW, I knew you could do it!) and includes add-on software that will allow players to save an unlimited number of profiles. These profiles allow for thousands of in-game commands for each individual character, thereby eliminating the need to re-map every time a player re-specs a character.

Again, I’m a mac gamer, and won’t be able to test this one out in person, but admittedly, the concept is intriguing. I guess the only thing that I’d worry about is mis-clicking. Heck, I’ve been known to have a click fail now and again, and that’s with a full sized keyboard. Trying to touch feel 12 buttons under thumb might be quite a challenge. Having said that, I’m sure the average 14 year old would have it mastered in just under half an hour, and 12 additional ‘don’t click – push the button’ macros could be quite handy.

Razer Naga Stats:

COST: US: $79.99, Europe: euro 79.99

AVAILABILITY: Worldwide

Technical Specifications:

• 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling(TM) / 1ms response time
• 200 inches per second max tracking speed
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick(TM) Teflon feet
• 17 MMO-optimized buttons (including 12 button thumb grid)
• Optional MMO-specific software AddOns
• Unlimited character profiles with AddOns
• Approximate size: 116L x 69W x 41.6H (in mm)