Razer’s ‘paid to play’ program bribes gamers to use its Cortex software

Lingering in the mind of every gamer is a silly, whimsical idea that very few manage to make a reality. “Gee,” we think to ourselves. “It sure would be neat if I could get someone to pay me to play video games.” Most of us know it’s a futile dream, but it’s a desire Razer is banking on. Today the company announced its “paid to play” initiative, a program that’s almost exactly what it sounds like. Yes, Razer is going to reward gamers for play their favorite games, but those players won’t be earning cash — they’ll be earning ZSilver points from the company’s new digital currency platform.

Players can earn digital currency by launching games with Razer Cortex, a desktop software suite designed to tweak system performance, manage game libraries and stream gameplay to sites like Twitch and YouTube. The paid for play campaign will reward players with three zSilver for each minute played. These zVault points aren’t legal tender, but they’re not useless either. zSilver points can be redeemed for discounts or products from the Razer store, and the company says it hopes to add things like movie tickets or coffee vouchers (presumably for a popular cafe chain) in the future. Still, earning rewards will be a long-haul effort: players are capped at 900 points a day and zSilver rewards range from 4,500 points for a product discount to 220,000 for a mechanical keyboard.

The paid to play system isn’t compatible with all games either, though it clearly has a market. Competitive multiplayer titles like Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends are among the most popular games confirmed to be part of the program. These are the kind of games dedicated fans return to day after day. That makes sense, too — to get the full 900 daily zSilver points, one would need to play at least five hours. Think of it as an excuse to learn how to play that new Overwatch character.

Elgato’s control pad is a livestreaming sidekick

The rise of livestreaming has opened the floodgates of casual broadcasting, turning many computer desks into makeshift studios. Peripherals have started catering to this market, like 360-degree cameras. In this niche, Elgato has released the Stream Deck, a standalone mini-keyboard with 15 extra buttons for streamers to program in shortcuts to programs or features.

Just like the extra buttons dedicated to MMO macros on the gaming keyboards of yore, the Stream Deck’s buttons are aimed to give users quick access to things nested deep in program files. The keys are shortcuts to suit your streaming style, whether that’s firing up Twitter, starting/stopping a stream on Twitch, changing volume levels or dropping in a GIF. Finally, the keys themselves are essentially tiny LCD screens that can hold custom icons. Because who doesn’t want to drop in their favorite ridiculous thumbnail into their tiny keypad?

Source: Elgato Stream Deck

Facial recognition will help doctors detect rare genetic disease

A group of scientists have used facial recognition for something other than verifying identity or catching crooks on the run. The team from the National Human Genome Research Institute have developed a facial recognition method that can diagnose a rare genetic condition called DiGeorge syndrome in non-Caucasian populations. See, DiGeorge, which is caused by the deletion of a tiny segment in chromosome 22, leads to a number of medical complications and cognitive conditions that make it hard to diagnose. While it also comes with a characteristic facial appearance that should make it easy to detect, it varies widely across ethnicities.

NHGRI medical geneticist Paul Kruszka explains that “Human malformation syndromes appear different in different parts of the world. Even experienced clinicians have difficulty diagnosing genetic syndromes in non-European populations.” That’s where facial recognition comes in. The NHGRI team studied the photographs of 101 participants with the rare disease from Africa, Asia and Latin America. They then developed a facial recognition tech that was able to correctly diagnose the condition 96.6 percent of the time during their trial runs. The team says their tech can diagnose Down’s syndrome, as well.

While it could take a while, the researchers plan to develop their creation further until it can help healthcare providers around the world. Someday, doctors could simply take a patient’s picture with their phone, have it analyzed by the facial recognition system and receive a diagnosis.

Source: National Human Genome Research Institute

Hackers try to extort Apple by threatening to wipe iPhones

Someone claiming to be a group of hackers called themselves the “Turkish Crime Family” has apparently been trying to extort money from Apple. As Motherboard reported a few days ago, the group claims to have login details for hundreds of millions of Apple accounts and is threatening to remotely wipe devices via iCloud unless it’s paid $75,000 in Bitcoin or $100,000 in iTunes gift cards. Today, ZDNet says that it was able to verify 54 accounts revealed by the hackers, although it’s still unclear how many other accounts they have or how they came by them.

In a statement, Apple said its systems have not been breached, and the alleged list appears to have been obtained from other sources. It also says it’s “actively monitoring” to prevent unauthorized access and is working with law enforcement.

Apple:

There have not been any breaches in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud and Apple ID. The alleged list of email addresses and passwords appears to have been obtained from previously compromised third-party services.

We’re actively monitoring to prevent unauthorized access to user accounts and are working with law enforcement to identify the criminals involved. To protect against these type of attacks, we always recommend that users always use strong passwords, not use those same passwords across sites and turn on two-factor authentication.

Because of shared passwords, hackers frequently use details obtained in other breaches to try and access more valuable accounts, which may be happening here. Previously, we’ve seen hackers try to extort users directly this way, using Find My iPhone to remotely lock devices until they’re paid. We’ve contacted Apple and will update this post if there are any other details.

Now that at least some of the information has been verified, it seems like a good time for anyone who has (or used to have) an Apple or iCloud account to update and lock down their security settings. Even if these hackers (or someone else) has obtained a password for your account, using two-factor authentication should keep them from being able to access details or remotely wipe devices.

Instructions on setting up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID can be found here. Additionally, if you haven’t changed your password in a while, or have ever shared it with an account anywhere else, it’s a good idea to change it to something strong and unique. Visit Apple’s password reset page at https://iforgot.apple.com/ (check for the secure padlock and correct URL in your address bar) to do that now.

Source: ZDNet

Apple Says WikiLeaks CIA Documents Are Old and Exploits Have Been Fixed

In response to a series of CIA documents leaked this morning that outline exploits the government used to gain access to Macs and iOS devices, Apple gave a statement to TechCrunch claiming that the documents are old and that the vulnerabilities outlined in the leak have long since been patched.

Apple says the iPhone vulnerability only affected the iPhone 3G and was fixed in 2009, while all Mac vulnerabilities were fixed in Macs launched after 2013.

We have preliminarily assessed the Wikileaks disclosures from this morning. Based on our initial analysis, the alleged iPhone vulnerability affected iPhone 3G only and was fixed in 2009 when iPhone 3GS was released. Additionally, our preliminary assessment shows the alleged Mac vulnerabilities were previously fixed in all Macs launched after 2013.

We have not negotiated with Wikileaks for any information. We have given them instructions to submit any information they wish through our normal process under our standard terms. Thus far, we have not received any information from them that isn’t in the public domain. We are tireless defenders of our users’ security and privacy, but we do not condone theft or coordinate with those that threaten to harm our users.

The new documents, part of an ongoing “Vault 7” leak focusing on the United States Central Intelligence Agency, were released by WikiLeaks this morning. Codenamed “Dark Matter,” the documents primarily covered techniques for exploiting and accessing Macs through a peripheral device like a USB stick.

An iPhone exploit, called “Night Skies 1.2,” was also featured, adding to the range of “Year Zero” iPhone exploits that were shared by WikiLeaks last week.

All of the Dark Matter and Year Zero documents can be found on WikiLeaks. Additional Apple-related hacks and exploits may surface as the Vault 7 series continues, and it will take time for security analysts and experts to determine the impact of the leaks.

While Apple says all of the exploits have been patched, its results are preliminary. Should any remaining exploits be unaddressed, Apple will undoubtedly fix them quickly.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: WikiLeaks
Discuss this article in our forums

Facebook Debuts Message Reactions and Mentions for its Messenger App

Facebook’s Messenger app for iOS devices was today updated with a new Message Reactions feature, which is similar to the Tapback features introduced in Apple’s Messages app in iOS 10.

Message Reactions are designed to allow Facebook users to react to a message with an emoji symbol to express an emotion without needing to type out a response. Users can choose from emoji like thumbs up, thumbs down, a sad face, an angry face, a smiling face, and more.

To add a reaction to an incoming message, press and hold on the message and choose an emoji. For those who use Apple’s Messages app, this action is already familiar.

The emoji reaction is added to whichever message it’s attached to in the form of a small animation. Messenger Reactions work on one on one conversations and group conversations, and can be used on text, photos, stickers, videos, and more.

Also new in Messenger is “Mentions,” designed to allow users to notify someone when they’ve been mentioned in a conversation. This is, of course, mainly useful for group conversations that have multiple participants.

A Mention can be sent by using the “@” symbol before someone’s name, and the person who has been mentioned will receive a notification.

Both Mentions and Reactions are rolling out to the Messenger app today.

Facebook Messenger for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Facebook
Discuss this article in our forums

Laser-firing underwater drones protect Norway’s salmon supply by incinerating lice

Why it matters to you

Underwater sea lice are decimating Norway’s salmon farms. This underwater laser-firing drone is here to help.

When you picture laser-wielding robots, equipped with the latest machine vision algorithms, what setting do you imagine them operating in? Salmon farms in the Norwegian fjords, of course.

Currently being employed in the North Sea fjords in Norway, along with a select few lochs in Scotland, a smart underwater drone developed by Stingray Marine Solutions is designed to help deal with the problem of sea lice. Didn’t know that salmon had lice? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

More: This sea snake bot looks like it escaped from a sci-fi nightmare, but it’s actually here to help

“It’s not a problem that’s all that well known outside of the salmon farming industry in Norway,” John Breivik, general manager at Stingray, told Digital Trends. “In fact, it’s something that salmon farms are spending a lot of money to fight. The fish parasite itself comes from the wild, but it blossoms when you have a lot of biomass in the same place, which is exactly what you have with farms that have a high density of fish. It’s a problem that’s just exploding.”

These nasty underwater lice attach to salmon and then feed on them. It’s a massive issue, and one that salmon farmers collectively spend more than $1 billion annually battling. Considering that Norway is by far the biggest salmon farmer in the world, accounting for around half the 2.5 million tons of salmon farmed each and every year, it’s an especially big problem there.

Which is where Stingray’s drones come in.

“It’s a unit that you place in each salmon pen,” Breivik continued. “It’s an automated system, kitted out with cameras and lasers that can be guided wherever they’re needed. When a fish swims by, we have image-recognition software that detect the sea lice. The device then sends out a guided laser pulse of around 100 milliseconds to destroy them.”

The laser doesn’t injure the salmon because the salmon’s scales are reflective, so the laser bounces off them as if they’re swimming underwater disco balls. The sea lice, which resemble tiny shrimp, don’t fare quite so well, however. They absorb the full energy of the laser blast from a distance of up to 6.5 feet, and immediately fry up.

The image recognition that can spot these individual lice is a bit like the facial-recognition tools used by a number of companies, although spotting lice proves a lot more challenging than identifying faces.

“It’s pretty easy to identify a face, with two ears, a nose, a mouth,” Breivik said. “Compare that to a sea lice a couple of millimeters in size, that’s sitting on a moving target, and which needs to be dealt with in just a few milliseconds before the fish swims away.”

Amazingly, the technology works incredibly well. First made available in 2014, it’s since expanded to more than 100 salmon farms in Norway — and arrived in Scotland at the end of 2016.

Just one device can obliterate tens of thousands of lice every single day. That’s great for Norwegian salmon farmers, great for machine vision technology, and great for us.

We’ve always like fried shrimp, after all.

U.S. Senate votes to allow internet service providers to sell your private data

Why it matters to you

If the rules are revoked, internet service providers may have the ability to sell your private data to anyone.

In October, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established broadband privacy rules that require internet service providers (ISPs) to obtain consent from subscribers before selling their private data to third-party advertisers. However, on Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to eliminate those rules under the Congressional Review Act of 1996, a law giving Congress the right to repeal federal regulations.

The vote was essentially the Republican party versus the Democratic party, with the Republicans winning the vote, 50 to 48. Note that the Republican party now controls Congress and is now the majority party in the FCC. The FCC created its broadband privacy rules under the leadership of the Obama administration.

More: Windows 10 Creators Update bringing real changes to updates and privacy

To officially kill the FCC’s privacy rules, the House of Representatives, which is also controlled by the Republican party, will need to conduct a separate vote. The House could vote against canceling those rules and President Donald Trump could elect to veto any final decision killing the privacy rules. But if Trump and the House are on board with the Senate, ISPs may soon be allowed to sell your information.

“With today’s vote, Senate Republicans have just made it easier for American’s sensitive information about their health, finances, and families to be used, shared, and sold to the highest bidder without their permission,” stated Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.). “The American public wants us to strengthen privacy protections, not weaken them.”

The movement to kill the FCC’s privacy rules began with Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) in early March. Serving as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, he called the FCC’s rules “overreaching internet regulation.” According to Flake, his resolution (PDF) seeks to prevent the FCC from expanding its regulatory jurisdiction and impose data restrictions on ISPs, not to lessen existing consumer privacy regulations.

“The FCC’s midnight regulation does nothing to protect consumer privacy. It is unnecessary, confusing and adds yet another innovation-stifling regulation to the internet,” Flake said. “My resolution is the first step toward restoring the FTC’s light-touch, consumer-friendly approach.”

The resolution proposed by Flake says nothing about protecting consumer privacy. Instead, it’s a two-page document shooting down the FCC’s rules. For now, there appears to be nothing preventing ISPs from banking loads of cash by selling customer data to third parties.

Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said that ISPs sit on a valuable gold mine of data. For instance, they know when subscribers wake up based on their device activity. They also know subscriber interests, habits, and even how they are generally feeling. In fact, ISPs likely know more about a subscriber’s current health status than the family physician.

“The Republican war on the free and open internet has arrived,” Markey added.

Microsoft Surface could be used by NFL referees to judge replays

Why it matters to you

You could see a lot more of Microsoft’s Surface tablets at upcoming NFL games if a new replay rule change is approved.

One of Microsoft’s most visible marketing initiatives for its Surface Pro line of Windows 10 2-in-1s has been a partnership with the NFL. Every year, iconic blue Surface Pro machines are featured on the sideline and in the replay booth at NFL games.

The relationship has been a bit rocky at times, with the likes of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick publicly complaining about the machine’s performance. The marketers at Microsoft might be getting a huge break next season, however, as NFL officials are considering a rule change that would greatly benefit the promotional effort, USA Today reports.

More: Microsoft, NFL respond to Belichick’s complaints about Surface tablets

The proposed rule change involves how replays and controversial rulings by officials are handled. Today, a referee uses a hooded video monitor on the sideline to replay a questionable call. If the rule change passes, then a tablet will be used on the field instead, which will be used in consultation with the NFL’s New York office.

Of course, the tablet that would be used for reviewing plays would be the same Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablets that are used by coaches and other team staff. Every time a play is reviewed, then, that blue case with the prominent Surface logo would potentially be flashed on the screen — and perhaps commentators will have something good to say about the machines.

Such a move, while likely coincidental to Microsoft’s partnership with the NFL — or perhaps not, as USA Today asserts, given how the NFL likes to leverage its promotional agreements — would go a long way toward helping Microsoft reap more benefits from its marketing investment. Just maybe, commentators would start using the Surface name when referring to the tablets rather than calling them iPads.

In any event, the all of the proposed rule changes for the 2017-18 NFL season will go in front the league owners next week. Microsoft will likely be holding its breath in the meantime, hoping that its Surface Pro 4 machines will gain significantly more exposure. The company will have to hope that the officials get those controversial calls right, or fans could associate the Surface with their team losing football games.

Razer Blade (2017) review

Research Center:
Razer Blade (2017)

Over the last few years, Razer’s Blade has become an increasingly common sight among PC gamers. With a slick, matte black look and all the bells and whistles you’d expect from the well-known peripheral manufacturer, it’s certainly a sight to behold, and our reviews of previous versions have been generally favorable, apart from a few issues.

Just like every other laptop maker, Razer is making the move to the Intel’s Seventh Generation with a Core i7-7700HQ, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1060 with 6GB of GDDR5. All that power doesn’t come cheap, and even our base model review unit with a 256GB PCIe SSD starts at almost $1,900.

It faces stiffer competition this year from the likes of MSI’s GS63VR, a system that’s actually slightly thinner — although not noticeably so — and packs in similar components for closer to $1,500. Apple’s recently revised MacBook Pro 15 is also a competitor, at least among those who value the Blade more for mobile productivity than gaming.

This year, we’re reviewing the Blade’s base 1080p configuration. Can it provide a better value than its predecessors?

The badboy MacBook

Gone are the days of bulky gaming laptops that don’t fit in even the largest of backpack sleeves. The Razer Blade is a sleek machine that clearly takes inspiration from Apple’s striking MacBook line. Considering how many compliments the Blade racked up during testing, that’s not a bad strategy.

At first touch, the matte black finish on the laptop feels great. But it attracts smudges and fingerprints. Luckily, whatever material coats the exterior also causes those blemishes to fade with a few minutes.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Underneath that outer shell is an aluminum body that isn’t too heavy, and keeps everything feeling sturdy. We never thought twice before throwing the laptop into a backpack. The edges are solid, with no panel gaps or awkward construction. The Blade keeps things simple, and it pays off.

Enough ports, for most gamers

The Razer Blade has a useful number of ports without including anything unnecessary. On the left side, a small power port resides near the back, with a gap between it and the pair of USB 3.0 ports, and a 3.5mm in/out.

Around the right side, there’s another USB 3.0 port, HDMI, and the cherry on top, a Thunderbolt 3 port. That port can potentially be used with Razer’s Core external graphics dock, along with a variety of other peripherals.

It turns out that’s a near-perfect set of ports to include with a gaming laptop. It keeps the size down, and when you finally set up camp to game, you’ll have extra ports to charge your phone, hook up an external mouse and hard drive, and even connect to an external monitor.

The keyboard goes Chroma

Of course, Razer started as a peripheral manufacturer, and the Blade meets the high expectations we have for Razer’s input quality.

The keyboard is a chiclet and membrane affair, with the media and brightness controls sharing function keys, along with Print Screen. The bottom left and right corners both have a full set of Ctrl, Alt, and Function keys, a nice touch for easy shortcuts with one hand on either side.

The Blade meets the high expectations we have for Razer’s input quality.

Unlike a lot of membrane keyboards, the keys on the Blade have a distinct tactile response when pressed. The feedback goes a long way when it comes to gaming, and there’s enough resistance to let you comfortably rest your fingers on the keys without accidentally pressing them. The arrow keys have been customized for gaming as well, with half-height up and down keys that allow you to bounce back and forth faster. It’s a change that takes a little bit of time to adjust to, but pays off when you do.

Back in 2016, Razer upgraded the standard green backlighting to Chroma, Razer’s RGB LED backlighting system. It allows customization of LED color and brightness per-key, and the effect is pretty astounding on a laptop of this size. The lights shine brilliantly from underneath each symbol, the cost of which is a little bit of bleed around the edges.

Chroma’s app integration and compatibility has grown tremendously over the last year or so, and it’s really starting to show. When we booted up Overwatch on the Blade, the Chroma profile automatically loaded up, highlighting commonly used keys in the game’s signature blue and orange color palette.

The trackpad has a wide touch surface and two small, separate left and right mouse buttons. You’ll find yourself slapping the bottom of the touchpad itself for a while trying to hit those buttons, but once you find them, they’re consistently a joy to use.

Less pixels, better quality

Razer currently offers two different panels for the Razer Blade, and our most recent review unit is a 1,920 x 1,080 semi-matte IPS panel. It scores much better than the 3,200 x 1,800 glossy IGZO option, and indeed sits much closer to the IPS displays in other gaming laptops.

With a 345.8 lux maximum brightness, the 1080p screen sits right in the second tier, where only the very best break 400 lux. The 1,040:1 contrast ratio is also excellent, and once again among the best laptop screens recently tested.

Color gamut and accuracy tell the same story of top-tier performance. The screen renders 76 percent of the AdobeRGB gamut, where only high-end desktop monitors manage to sneak past the 80 percent mark, and only OLED and Quantum Dot displays grab anywhere close to a perfect score. Its color accuracy is 1.68, which is just above the ideal score of one.

The resulting panel is a joy to use, much more so than the higher-resolution option. Its deep black levels, high contrast ratio, and sharp color reproduction mean bright colors in games and movies pop, and there’s a lot of depth to the image. If there’s one fallback to the display, apart from the middling resolution, it’s that the gamma is slightly too high at 2.3. That’s not a detrimental measurement, but it does mean shadowy, darker areas can lose some of their fidelity.

Related: The best gaming mouse for every kind of PC gamer

On the bright side, the speakers on the Blade benefit tremendously from their placement. Instead of under the screen or the front edge or around back, the speakers on the Blade flank the keyboard, running the height of the keys facing directly upward. They sound good too, clean and crisp at most volume levels. Over around 70 percent system volume, and there’s a noticeable crackle in the background.

What about the high-resolution option?

While our most recent review unit had the 1080p display, we’ve also tested the 3,200 x 1,800 panel in the past, and our test benchmarks remain relevant, even though we’ve since upgraded to the Syder5Elite from the Spyder4Elite used in the previous tests. The resolution bump on the higher-end model is definitely noticeable, even if it isn’t a full 4K screen. Look past the extra pixels, and you’ll find other shortcomings.

Related: Asus ROG G501 review

It reaches 266 lux at maximum brightness, which is enough for everday use, even in bright rooms. It falls short of the 304 lux rating on the MSI GS63VR, but it’s only a win in terms of raw numbers, as both screens work well regardless of their environment, particularly considering the Razer’s panel has a semi-gloss coating to overcome.

The display can cover 95 percent sRGB gamut, and 71 percent of the AdobeRGB gamut — smack in the middle of the competition. That’s plenty for most gaming and movie watching, and only the most hardcore graphic designers won’t find it sufficient.

The real issue is a 370:1 maximum contrast ratio, short of the MSI’s 610:1, and a far cry from the deep 1,040:1 on the 1080p variant. Color accuracy was low too, sitting at around four, but the MSI was almost exactly the same, and laptop gaming panels aren’t known for excellent color reproduction, because contrast and gamut tend to be more important for immersion.

While brightness isn’t an issue, the 3,200 x 1,800 panel is an all-around unimpressive screen, and the high resolution can’t quite make up for that, except in productivity situations, where the extra pixels count. Gaming comes first, and the 1,920 x 1,080 panel is the preferable option on that front.

Welcome to the update cycle

The Razer Blade’s exterior may not look much different, but rest assured, a lot has changed under the hood. The processor is now a Seventh Generation Intel chip, specifically, the Core i7-7700HQ. It’s a quad-core, Hyper-Threaded chip with a 2.8GHz base clock and a 3.8GHz Turbo Boost. It’s paired up with 16GB of RAM, which is more than enough for even the most demanding mobile user.

As in previous years, the Razer’s Core i7 steals the lead even from systems with almost identical components. It claims better scores in both the synthetic GeekBench 4 test and our Handbrake 4K video conversion than the MSI GS63VR, which is configured in an almost identical setup. Only the AVADirect Avant, with its desktop-grade Core i5, manages to claim better scores.

Of course, both of these tests are the most demanding we can throw at it. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ is the fastest mobile chip available, and it shows in everyday performance. Almost nothing you do on the go should cause it to slow down, and even in demanding applications, performance is snappy.

The new solid state drive is a big upgrade

In 2016, Razer upgraded every model of the Blade to include a PCIe SSD. In the meantime, these drives have become increasingly common among high-end machines, and it isn’t not hard to see why. They make a big difference, often doubling or tripling the drive’s read speed, mainly as a result of the improved connection specification.

The PCIe drive’s speed more than doubles that of the more traditional SSD from the 2015 model, although it still can’t quite keep up with the fastest NVMe drives, like the Samsung SM951 found in the MSI GS63VR. Particularly when it comes to read speeds, the more advanced Samsung drive takes a strong lead.

Gaming first

The first graphical test for the Blade is the synthetic 3DMark test. This set of benchmarks is challenging for even the highest-end GPUs, and we’re using Time Spy, which is built on DirectX 12, and Fire Strike, for DirectX 11 performance.

Unfortunately for Razer, the less expensive MSI GS63VR with the same components steals every single high score out from under the Blade. The reason why isn’t hard to see — or hear. Razer’s unibody construction doesn’t allow the system to exhaust hot air nearly as efficiently as the MSI, so the fans kick up, and as heat rises over time, the system has to throttle back performance.

It’s not a huge loss for the Razer, and in fact, the numbers come close to the margin of error. Both tests place a serious amount of load on the system for a long period of time, typically maxing out the GPU’s possible performance, so thermals may not be as big of an issue in real-world gaming. There’s only one way to find out.

Performance at 1080p

The first set of benchmarks comes from the GTX 1060-powered Razer Blade with a 1,920 x 1,080 display. It’s the most modern system, and the one you’ll receive if you buy a Blade from Razer today.

Razer’s advantage in the CPU category slips away when the GPU gets involved. It essentially ties the MSI in every one of our 1080p gaming tests.

Although there’s definitely a noticeable performance improvement from last year, it’s hard to say whether that 6GB of memory actually matters, at least at 1080p. Textures just aren’t large enough to take more than the 3GB that’s typical. Either way, the MSI has the same setup, and manages to provide the same gaming performance at a better price.

Even the MSI and Blade can’t quite outrun the Alienware’s GTX 1050 Ti, which comes as something of a surprise. The watered-down GPU should get its cache handed to it by the mid-range offering, but depending on the game, it manages to steal a better frame rate, likely thanks to a thicker chassis and better thermal management. Go figure.

The most portable gaming laptop

Physically, the Razer Blade is incredibly portable. At just 0.7 inches thick, it doesn’t have the same bulk and heft of most gaming laptops. In fact, its size is closer to most small consumer laptops we review. It also weighs just 4.47 pounds, so it doesn’t weigh down a backpack, and feels comfortable carried around under your arm.

The Blade keeps things simple, and it pays off.

Unfortunately, the MSI GS63VR is even thinner this year, but only by .01 inches. It doesn’t feel nearly as nice, but it goes to show that other manufacturers are targeting this form factor aggressively.

The Razer’s thin construction matches its battery life which, while not in the same range as less performance-focused laptops, is still usable for the category. In our macro-based Web browsing loop, the Blade lasted just short of six hours, a score that’s not in the upper echelon of consumer systems, but is satisfying as far as gaming laptops go.

It lasted just short of seven hours in our video loop test, which is a bit less competitive. Again, other gaming laptops won’t run for nearly as long, including the MSI, which falls over two hours short of the Blade’s run.

Razer owes a lot of that battery life to the more modest 1,920 x 1,080 configuration. Previous models were really disappointing when it came to longevity, and the higher quality, but lower-resolution, panel sips power comparatively.

Newer, and cooler

There’s a cost to the Blade’s slim chassis and speedy performance though, and that’s heat. To give Razer credit, the situation has improved steadily over the last few years, and most of the parts of the system you touch or rest your hands on stay at ambient temperatures.

Razer Blade (2017) Compared To

MSI GS63VR 6RF Stealth Pro

Alienware 13 R3

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (2016)

MSI GS60 Ghost Pro

Acer Predator 17 G9-791-79Y3

Alienware 15 (2015)

Asus ROG G501

Digital Storm Triton

Acer Aspire V15 Nitro Edition

Alienware 17

AVADirect Clevo P157SM-A

MSI Global GT60 Dominator Pro

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500

Alienware M14x (2012)

Origin Eon 17-S

The downside to this improved airflow and thermal efficiency is that the Blade’s design hasn’t really changed. There’s still a limited amount of exhaust from the unibody construction, so you’ll be running for headphones when the fans kick up. It’s not as much of an issue in everyday gaming, but all of our benchmarks caused the system to make a lot of noise.

Warranty

Razer offers a one-year warranty on the Razer Blade, which is standard for laptops at almost any price point.

Our Take

Razer’s updated Blade packs in new components for 2017, but the real winner is the more basic version of the Blade with a 1,920 x 1,080 screen, which starts at just $1,900. Gaming on the panel is more enjoyable, it performs well at native resolution, and it improves battery life noticeably.

Is there a better alternative?

The DT Accessory Pack

AmazonBasics ventilated adjustable laptop stand

$20

Razer Naga Hex V2 MOBA gaming mouse

$64

Dell P2715Q Ultra HD 4k monitor

$540

In previous years, there were only a few very slim gaming laptops, but MSI’s GS63VR is the Razer’s most predominant threat. It adds hard drive capacity and speed, while taking up a slimmer footprint than the Blade. That said, the MSI’s construction isn’t nearly as high-quality, and the included bloatware is so prominent you’ll have to wipe the system as soon as you get it. You’ll save a few hundred bucks, but you won’t make nearly as much of a statement.

How long will it last?

With latest generation hardware and robust, attractive design, there’s no reason to believe the Razer Blade won’t last as long, or longer than, comparable laptops. It has forward facing connectivity with Thunderbolt 3, without leaving those of us still using HDMI out in the dark, and the performance fits the screen very well.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you game on the go, and it’s important to you that people know it. The Razer’s matte black look may seem incognito, but in reality it’s an eye-catching system that will have non-gamers wondering what companies has a logo made of snakes, while PC enthusiasts know exactly what you’re up to. Just make sure you go with the 1080p version.