At CES 2021, Razer reveals smart mask and video gaming chair to give gamers a taste of the future
- Billed as the world’s most socially friendly face covering, the smart mask’s ventilation and filtration systems filter out 95 per cent of airborne particles
- The gaming chair has a 60-inch flexible OLED panoramic display that rolls out and retracts, and tactile feedback. At this stage it is still just a concept
Video games often deliver futuristic outlooks, with adventures such as Halo and The Last of Us. But game hardware company Razer has an imaginative vision of how you might play games in the near future: the Project Brooklyn concept gaming chair.
Built of carbon fibre, the gaming chair, unveiled at this year’s CES trade show, has a 60-inch flexible OLED panoramic display that rolls out and retracts, surrounding your field of vision.
And you will feel the game, too, with tactile feedback built into the cockpit-style seat. Adjustable armrests can be used for a mouse or made into a tabletop for a full keyboard.
“Project Brooklyn is an exciting concept developed on the true essence of a fully immersive gaming station,” said Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer, in a statement as part of the announcement. “The haptic feedback, visuals and overall functional design with attention to ergonomics will deliver a one-of-a-kind gameplay experience.”
The concept product builds on Razer’s Iskur ergonomic gaming chair, introduced in October 2020, and is a boon for mobile, console and computer gamers, many of whom may not have room for a fully fledged gaming set-up.
“We want to be able to create something that is suitable for all those different needs,” said Mike Scharnikow, Razer’s senior marketing manager for growth peripherals. Project Brooklyn brings in “all the elements needed for a fully integrated gaming environment but in a pretty compact form factor”, he said.
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There’s no guarantee Project Brooklyn will come to market as it appears now, but consumer and designer feedback can lead to future products, Scharnikow says.
Another Razer concept product speaks to a different aspect of the gamer lifestyle: going outside. To help protect yourself, Razer is developing Project Hazel, which the company boasts is the world’s smartest and most socially friendly face mask.
The smart mask has N95 medical-grade respirator protection – two “smart pods” make up the ventilation and filtration systems that filter out at least 95 per cent of airborne particles. Removable ventilators can be recharged and filters can be replaced.
The clear, transparent face area lets others see your face and a built-in microphone and amplifier combat the muffled effect most masks have on voices. Lights inside the mask light up to show your face in darker conditions. The waterproof mask also has exterior lights that can create 16.8 million colours. The case not only recharges the mask but also disinfects it with UV light.
Razer’s smart mask is one of several face masks touted at CES. Razer is not new to masks, having converted some production facilities to make and donate 1 million certified medical masks to health care workers.
Razer has working prototypes of Project Hazel masks “but is not trying to rush something to market”, Scharnikow said. As development continues, Razer wants to make sure the final product “meets the needs of customers and is something people want”, he said.
Razer entered the gaming laptop arena a decade ago and continues to pride itself on high-end features, as well as the weight and thinness of its computers.
The new Razer Blade 15 models, available for pre-order now at Razer.com and Razer Store locations (and other select retailers starting Jan. 26), start at US$1,699. All come with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series laptop GPUs and various display options, including a 4K OLED 60 Hz Gorilla Glass touch screen. That model, priced at US$3,299, has a 1TB solid-state drive, and like the other models with 15.6-inch displays, is 17mm (0.67 inches) thick.
The larger Razer Blade Pro 17 computers, which start at US$2,299, come in three different 17.3-inch display options, including a 120Hz Ultra HD (4K) screen, priced at US$3,599. These models are also available for pre-order from Razer, but not due at other retailers until sometime in the first three months of 2021.
