7 ms·

The last thing the PC gaming community needs right now is another insanely expensive piece of hardware with a gimmick attached. I really cannot see this going a

by amelim 15y ago

The last thing the PC gaming community needs right now is another insanely expensive piece of hardware with a gimmick attached. I really cannot see this going anywhere within the community. I'm guessing that those who largely play the PC games that would require such high specs aren't likely to want to play them outside of their homes. Besides you can purchase a comparably spec'd desktop system for a quarter of the price. Heck, the most popular PC game at the moment (World of Warcraft) can be played on relatively cheap laptops already.

marknutter 15y ago
Man, geeks are a tough crowd. I for one applaud their effort to shake things up. You say there's no market for this, well they say they're building it for themselves. I think chances are good there are lots of people out there just like them.
- A-K 15y ago
  Agreed! Expensive? Sure it is. But I applaud Razor for trying something daring. Given how slim it is, those specs are pretty outrageous.
  - mbrzuzy 15y ago
    I don't see anything about a CD drive. Perhaps that's how they were able to make it so slim.
    - Shenglong 15y ago
      Apple's getting rid of the optical drive too. I bought my laptop 2 years ago, and I don't think I've ever used my BluRay drive.
      - buff-a 15y ago
        Which is a shame, because that's where I put my second HDD.
    - patrickk 15y ago
      Surely a CD/DVD dirive would have to be present for gaming. I know Steam is taking off but a lot of games are still played from discs
      - nemetroid 15y ago
        I don't think "taking off" is the best way to describe Steam's current position. I don't think there's been any major game in the last few years that required a disc for playing. Perhaps a couple required it for installing, but not many there either.
        patrickk 15y ago
        The point I was trying to make was that many people still choose to buy the physical disc from a high-street or online retailer. Just because the disc isn't strictly necessary, doesn't mean they're going away. A friend works at GameStop, and every now and again has to work for midnight launches for the likes of World of Warcraft where people will be queued around the corner to get their copy of the game.
        nemetroid 15y ago
        Right, I can agree with you on that. Your example is very fitting though since at least for the WoW expansions, probably every single one of those queuing already had the game preloaded and just needed a product key to upgrade their account, furthering the notion that the drive itself is not necessary.
WeAreKnights 15y ago
The market will decide for itself what it needs or wants. I'm glad they have the courage to try this. Outside of Apple, most computer companies stopped innovating a long time ago. They're happy to fight over scraps in a commodity market. HP finally got sick of it and are betting their business on a major shift in strategy. When it comes down to it, you get what you pay for. With computer taking over more-and-more tasks in our lives, it's worth it to spend a little more on a system that better suits your needs. But who am I to argue with someone that thinks any advancement in HCI over the ancient keyboard-and-mouse is a "gimmick"?
51Cards 15y ago
I would definitely consider buying one. Why do people think that high priced, high design PC's can't sell when Apple has been selling exactly this with great success? The PC crowd has been lulled into cheap hardware but not everyone wants that. I typically buy high end Sony Vaio's just because of the sheer elegance of the product. I have raved on here about my Vaio Z, portable "workstation" power in 3 pounds of 13" goodness. I think there is a market for this.
- w1ntermute 15y ago
  The funny thing is that by optimizing the supply chain and manufacturing process, Apple has managed to significantly cut costs (or keep them high for competitors). For example, the Vaio Z is much more expensive than the latest MBA.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - tbob22 15y ago
    While it is true that the Vaio Z is priced higher than the Air, the Vaio Z also has a faster processor (2.3ghz vs 1.7ghz), and can be configured to have up to a 2.7ghz i7, 512gb SSD, 8gb of ram, and a full 1920x1080 display (the Air maxes out at 1.8ghz, 256gb SSD, 4gb of ram and a 1440x900 screen). That alone would be worth it for many users looking for a machine that is closer to a desktop replacement in a small, lightweight form factor. Oh yeah, it also includes a CD/DVD drive and a decent GPU (although it is external only).
- citricsquid 15y ago
  because very few "hardcore gamers" (who this is aimed at) are the same who can afford to drop $3k on a laptop just for gaming. I spent around $4,000 on my desktop set up, but that's something I use for everything.
  - lallysingh 15y ago
    Why couldn't it be your primary box?
dkl 15y ago
It's essentially the same price as the Mac Book Pro 17". Those things are like a plague at coffee shops and conferences all over the world. If the hardware is good, I think they have a good chance. I love the fact that the input pad is on the right. When using laptops where it's in front of the keyboard, I'm always accidentally pressing and moving the mouse.
- jra101 15y ago
  Oh neat, I initially thought it still had a normal trackpad centered under the keyboard but that is just a small bevel for opening the laptop. Having the trackpad on the right makes a lot of sense, hopefully we start seeing more laptops that do this.
- MartinCron 15y ago
  I always turn off tap-to-click for just that reason.
pstoneman 15y ago
PC gamers who want such high specs might want to play them outside of their homes, when they go to LAN parties. This is fairly common amongst some gamers, and a portable powerhouse has some attractions for that use.
ramanujan 15y ago
Hmmm. Strongly disagree with this. As a hacker rather than a gamer, the concept of a programmable set of LCD keys next to the standard keyboard is extremely interesting for native app development. I hope that particular feature is copied into a subsequent Macbook Pro release. It's really bringing the innovations pioneered by the iPhone (programmable UI rather than built-in keyboard) back to the laptop. Among other things, you could have custom glowing save/search/email keys within Word to increase the accessibility for the average joe. They might not be able to find control-F, but they can see the key in their top 10 list. For Mail.app, Keynote, etc. you'd have different sets of keys (show presentation, download attachments, etc.) It could get even more interesting if different keys are available in different modes within the same app, like tooltips to the nth degree. For example, each new emacs mode could light up 10 hotkeys for useful functions associated with the mode (compile, jump to, view in browser, and so on). tl;dr: programmable LCD keys are a very interesting way to combine the best of iPhone-style programmable UI and keyboard-style haptic feedback.
- glhaynes 15y ago
  It seems to me that that role is pretty well served by icons in the regular UI that the user's already looking at.
  - ramanujan 15y ago
    But those need to be clicked with the mouse. Having a top 10 list of extremely common hotkeys in an app is just a lot more discoverable (for the non-expert or first-time user) and much faster (for all users) than finding the right icon to click.
    - DanBealeC 15y ago
      You don't remember all the cardboard keyboard overlays that used to ship with software?
    - glhaynes 15y ago
      But also comes with a cost and complexity including users having to sometimes look onscreen for functions and sometimes on the keyboard.
mixmax 15y ago
No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.
sukuriant 15y ago
My gaming machine is a laptop, for example. Until my netbook, it was my everything machine, but it was still my gaming machine. My tower serves underused as a server much more than a used computer. I _love_ laptops for their mobility and versitility.
richcollins 15y ago
It remains to be seen whether the UI is a "gimmick" or not. We'll have to wait for games that use it.
pragmatic 15y ago
Your missing a huge market - couch gaming. I have my laptop _on my lap_ working/playing games etc on the couch instead of watching TV. It's difficult to play many games in this situation.
- lotharbot 15y ago
  I find the biggest impediment to gaming in this situation is that it's hard to use a mouse on the couch. Solution: a $5 polypropylene cutting board, still in its shrink wrap, wrapped in patterned contact paper. It's rigid enough to sit on a couch cushion or (wide) chair arm and provides a nice big mousing surface.

by amelim 15y ago

marknutter 15y ago

Man, geeks are a tough crowd. I for one applaud their effort to shake things up. You say there's no market for this, well they say they're building it for themselves. I think chances are good there are lots of people out there just like them.

A-K 15y ago
Agreed! Expensive? Sure it is. But I applaud Razor for trying something daring. Given how slim it is, those specs are pretty outrageous.
- mbrzuzy 15y ago
  I don't see anything about a CD drive. Perhaps that's how they were able to make it so slim.
  - Shenglong 15y ago
    Apple's getting rid of the optical drive too. I bought my laptop 2 years ago, and I don't think I've ever used my BluRay drive.
    - buff-a 15y ago
      Which is a shame, because that's where I put my second HDD.
  - patrickk 15y ago
    Surely a CD/DVD dirive would have to be present for gaming. I know Steam is taking off but a lot of games are still played from discs
    - nemetroid 15y ago
      I don't think "taking off" is the best way to describe Steam's current position. I don't think there's been any major game in the last few years that required a disc for playing. Perhaps a couple required it for installing, but not many there either.
      - patrickk 15y ago
        The point I was trying to make was that many people still choose to buy the physical disc from a high-street or online retailer. Just because the disc isn't strictly necessary, doesn't mean they're going away. A friend works at GameStop, and every now and again has to work for midnight launches for the likes of World of Warcraft where people will be queued around the corner to get their copy of the game.
        nemetroid 15y ago
        Right, I can agree with you on that. Your example is very fitting though since at least for the WoW expansions, probably every single one of those queuing already had the game preloaded and just needed a product key to upgrade their account, furthering the notion that the drive itself is not necessary.

WeAreKnights 15y ago

The market will decide for itself what it needs or wants. I'm glad they have the courage to try this. Outside of Apple, most computer companies stopped innovating a long time ago. They're happy to fight over scraps in a commodity market. HP finally got sick of it and are betting their business on a major shift in strategy. When it comes down to it, you get what you pay for. With computer taking over more-and-more tasks in our lives, it's worth it to spend a little more on a system that better suits your needs. But who am I to argue with someone that thinks any advancement in HCI over the ancient keyboard-and-mouse is a "gimmick"?

51Cards 15y ago

I would definitely consider buying one. Why do people think that high priced, high design PC's can't sell when Apple has been selling exactly this with great success? The PC crowd has been lulled into cheap hardware but not everyone wants that. I typically buy high end Sony Vaio's just because of the sheer elegance of the product. I have raved on here about my Vaio Z, portable "workstation" power in 3 pounds of 13" goodness. I think there is a market for this.

w1ntermute 15y ago
The funny thing is that by optimizing the supply chain and manufacturing process, Apple has managed to significantly cut costs (or keep them high for competitors). For example, the Vaio Z is much more expensive than the latest MBA.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- tbob22 15y ago
  While it is true that the Vaio Z is priced higher than the Air, the Vaio Z also has a faster processor (2.3ghz vs 1.7ghz), and can be configured to have up to a 2.7ghz i7, 512gb SSD, 8gb of ram, and a full 1920x1080 display (the Air maxes out at 1.8ghz, 256gb SSD, 4gb of ram and a 1440x900 screen). That alone would be worth it for many users looking for a machine that is closer to a desktop replacement in a small, lightweight form factor. Oh yeah, it also includes a CD/DVD drive and a decent GPU (although it is external only).
citricsquid 15y ago
because very few "hardcore gamers" (who this is aimed at) are the same who can afford to drop $3k on a laptop just for gaming. I spent around $4,000 on my desktop set up, but that's something I use for everything.
- lallysingh 15y ago
  Why couldn't it be your primary box?

dkl 15y ago

It's essentially the same price as the Mac Book Pro 17". Those things are like a plague at coffee shops and conferences all over the world. If the hardware is good, I think they have a good chance. I love the fact that the input pad is on the right. When using laptops where it's in front of the keyboard, I'm always accidentally pressing and moving the mouse.

jra101 15y ago
Oh neat, I initially thought it still had a normal trackpad centered under the keyboard but that is just a small bevel for opening the laptop. Having the trackpad on the right makes a lot of sense, hopefully we start seeing more laptops that do this.
MartinCron 15y ago
I always turn off tap-to-click for just that reason.

pstoneman 15y ago

PC gamers who want such high specs might want to play them outside of their homes, when they go to LAN parties. This is fairly common amongst some gamers, and a portable powerhouse has some attractions for that use.

ramanujan 15y ago

Hmmm. Strongly disagree with this. As a hacker rather than a gamer, the concept of a programmable set of LCD keys next to the standard keyboard is extremely interesting for native app development. I hope that particular feature is copied into a subsequent Macbook Pro release. It's really bringing the innovations pioneered by the iPhone (programmable UI rather than built-in keyboard) back to the laptop. Among other things, you could have custom glowing save/search/email keys within Word to increase the accessibility for the average joe. They might not be able to find control-F, but they can see the key in their top 10 list. For Mail.app, Keynote, etc. you'd have different sets of keys (show presentation, download attachments, etc.) It could get even more interesting if different keys are available in different modes within the same app, like tooltips to the nth degree. For example, each new emacs mode could light up 10 hotkeys for useful functions associated with the mode (compile, jump to, view in browser, and so on). tl;dr: programmable LCD keys are a very interesting way to combine the best of iPhone-style programmable UI and keyboard-style haptic feedback.

glhaynes 15y ago
It seems to me that that role is pretty well served by icons in the regular UI that the user's already looking at.
- ramanujan 15y ago
  But those need to be clicked with the mouse. Having a top 10 list of extremely common hotkeys in an app is just a lot more discoverable (for the non-expert or first-time user) and much faster (for all users) than finding the right icon to click.
  - DanBealeC 15y ago
    You don't remember all the cardboard keyboard overlays that used to ship with software?
  - glhaynes 15y ago
    But also comes with a cost and complexity including users having to sometimes look onscreen for functions and sometimes on the keyboard.

mixmax 15y ago

No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.

sukuriant 15y ago

My gaming machine is a laptop, for example. Until my netbook, it was my everything machine, but it was still my gaming machine. My tower serves underused as a server much more than a used computer. I _love_ laptops for their mobility and versitility.

richcollins 15y ago

It remains to be seen whether the UI is a "gimmick" or not. We'll have to wait for games that use it.

pragmatic 15y ago

Your missing a huge market - couch gaming. I have my laptop _on my lap_ working/playing games etc on the couch instead of watching TV. It's difficult to play many games in this situation.

lotharbot 15y ago
I find the biggest impediment to gaming in this situation is that it's hard to use a mouse on the couch. Solution: a $5 polypropylene cutting board, still in its shrink wrap, wrapped in patterned contact paper. It's rigid enough to sit on a couch cushion or (wide) chair arm and provides a nice big mousing surface.