Razer has dubbed itself as the world's leading 'lifestyle' brand for gamers, something it looks set to embrace further in the coming year if the products unveiled at CES 2022 are any indication.
Razer usually supplies some of the weirder gaming tech and product concepts at the annual show such as Project Hazel and Project Brooklyn from CES 2021, and this year is no exception.
Alongside upgraded models of the beloved Blade laptop series, we got to see a few surprises thrown into the mix that takes us one step closer to the possibility of kitting out our entire homes with the Razer family of products and ecosystem. We're still no closer to getting that Chroma Toaster though.
Razer Blade 14, 15 and 17
We saw three updated models of the popular Razer Blade series of gaming laptops that are kitted out with the latest and greatest hardware.
AMD's new Ryzen 6000 series processors will be found in the Blade 14, with every configuration being made available with a Ryzen 9 6900HX. Small form factor laptops have been catching our eye of late, and we're especially excited to see what the Razer Blade 14 (2022) can do with all that power under the hood.
If you're wanting to side with Intel instead then both the Blade 15 and Blade 17 come equipped with the newest 12th generation of Intel processors, with up to an Intel i9-12900H being available in both models, hitting frequencies of up to 5.0GHz.
All three will also be rocking the freshly announced Nvidia RTX 3000-series GPUs, up to an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti . We're also seeing a few other upgrades, such as a new 1080p webcam on the Razer Blade 14, as well as having high refresh rates and Windows 11 across all three devices.
The new Razer Blade 14 starts at $1,999.99 (around £1,500 / AU$2,750) MSRP on Razerom and will be available for pre-order at Razerom, Razer Store locations and select retailers on February 10th and for purchase from select retailers in Q1 2022.
The new Razer Blade 15 starts at $2,499.99 (around £1,850 / AU$3,500) MSRP and will be available for pre-order exclusively at Razerom and Razer Store locations on January 25th and for purchase from select retailers in Q1 2022.
The new Razer Blade 17 starts at $2,699.99 (around £2,000 / AU$3,750) MSRP and will be available for pre-order exclusively at Razerom and Razer Store locations on January 25th and for purchase from select retailers in Q1 2022.
Fantastic furniture
If you want some wacky gaming innovation then two products stand out, and neither are a peripheral, something that Razer is best known for. After having released the Iskur gaming chair last year it would seem that Razer is looking to see how far the gaming experience can be affected by your physical environment, and have taken a leaf out of the Playstation 5's DualSense controllers.
The Enki Pro Hypersense gaming chair is powered by an advanced haptic engine that has been developed to simulate a range of vibrations, textures, and motions. This makes games feel more interactive and apparently already has native support for over 2,200 games, movies and music titles. Being a Razer product, it also has a customizable RGB headrest so you can match the rest of your setup.
Razer also assures consumers that even games not directly supported through the software can still be enjoyed with haptic feedback through "Direct Input Haptics, where controller, keyboard, and mouse inputs will generate physical feedback when used."
For something that reads like a glorified vibrating chair, this does sound genuinely intriguing, though some people do find haptic feedback to be as distracting as it is immersive, so we'll just have to see if there's enough demand for this for it to take off.
“With the Enki Pro HyperSense, Razer and D-BOX have built the most advanced gaming chair to date,” said Sébastien Mailhot, President and CEO of D-BOX. “Our combined efforts have resulted in a product that physically transforms the experience of games, movies and music through the use of cutting-edge high-fidelity haptic feedback".
The most notable thing Razer revealed at CES 2022 is a concept desk dubbed as 'Project Sophia', which is much wilder than you might be thinking. This 'desk' looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, with thirteen different modular sections that can be reconfigured for different tasks, such as working from home, streaming and gaming, allowing you to switch out slots for temperature readouts, audio mixers and other useful functions.
The desk itself also has a PC built into it, containing a custom PCB and a glass top that houses an Intel processor and Nvidia GPU. We're unsure if this allows for any future upgrades, but it's hard to imagine that Razer would allow something so futuristic to be held back by physical hardware, even if it might be a pain to open up and tinker with.
That said, It's likely that this concept is going to remain as just that – a concept, as many of these 'future of gaming' projects are fanciful imaginations and 3D renders rather than a plan to actually create the product itself. It certainly does look cool though, and is designed with that familiar Razer Chroma RGB lighting wrapped around the edge of the desk.
Razer and Fossil create a smartwatcor gamers
Smartwatches and fitness trackers have gained some serious popularity over the years, so it's little wonder that Razer is trying to get in on the action. That said, you'll be pretty hard-pressed to find this offering in the wild as only 1,337 units are being produced. Because of course there are, this being both the Hong Kong stock code for Razer, as well as representing the word 'elite' in outdated gamer speak from the early days of the internet.
Created in collaboration with Fossil, a well-established watch brand, the Razer X Fossil Gen 6 will be launching globally this month for $329 (around £250 / AU$450) and is the first smartwatch powered by the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ Platform. Alongside the Chroma RGB you'd expect, it has plenty of other functionality such as sleep tracking, health & fitness tracking and fast charging, reaching 80% charge in just 30 minutes.
Addie Tan, Associate Director, Business Development at Razer states that “We are always on the lookout for opportunities to compliment gamers’ lifestyles and to bring them products that not only look good but bring value to their lives as well. This is why we kept the gamers’ well-being at the heart of the Razer X Fossil Gen 6. Leveraging Fossil’s innovative technology and Razer’s iconic design aesthetic, this smartwatch will be the perfect accessory to keep you ahead of the game.”
After looking through the information, there's no actual 'gaming' functionality to the watch itself, so this mostly appears to be a marketed aesthetic rather than something to actually improve performance while playing something.
Australia vs England live stream: how to watch Ashes 5th Test from anywhere, England bat for first win
Sorry Aussie fans... there will be no whitewash! But with a historic first ever Ashes Test taking place at Hobart this week, there's still plenty of intrigue to enjoy. Read on as we explain how to watch an Ashes 5th Test live stream from wherever you are in the world - and be sure to note that this is another day/night game with play starting at 3pm AEDT / 4am GMT .
Having come within one wicket of having the chance to whitewash the tourists in Tasmania, the rampant Aussies will be eager to put an exclamation point on a fantastic home series Down Under but now at the final innings of the Test, England have victory in their sites – unless the Aussie bowlers can spoil the party.
Everything that captain Pat Cummins and his selectors have done has seemed to work, with debutant bowler Scott Boland and returning batsman Usman Khawaja the standout success stories. And what about Travis Head!?
For England, it has been a desperate couple of months and serious recriminations will follow. But first they need to capitalise on the shining lights of the Sydney Test, with Zak Crawley's stylish second-innings knock giving some glimmer of optimism. Rory Burns, Ollies Pop and Robinson and Chris Woakes return. While Jos Buttler's injury gives the well-travelled Sam Billings the chance to get his first cap behind the stumps.
It's time for some fun under the lights, so follow our guide for all the details you need to find a reliable Australia vs England live stream and how to watch the Ashes 5th Test online from anywhere. Fans in Australia can watch the Ashes for free on Channel 7 (an online Ashes live stream is available on Kayo Sports - you can watch for free with a 14-day Kayo Sports trial ).
How to watch the Ashes FREE: live stream 5th Test in Australia
How to watch Australia vs England: live stream Ashes in the UK
How to watch Ashes from outside your country
Below we've got you covered with your official broadcasting options for major cricket loving countries (and the US!), but if you're outside your country of residence and try to start streaming Ashes cricket via your local broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't, as it's location restricted. But there is a way to tune in regardless.
By downloading and installing a VPN , you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course - specifically its terms and conditions.
Use a VPN to live stream Ashes cricket from anywhere
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - so that's Kayo Sports for Aussies and BT Sport for UK cricket fans
How to live stream Ashes in New Zealand
Ashes live stream: how to watch Australia vs England Test cricket in India
Australia vs England live stream: where to watch Ashes cricket in the US (and Canada)
Skydio 2+ drone lets amateur pilots pull off Hollywood-style camera moves
The Skydio 2+ drone has landed at CES 2022 with some relatively minor hardware upgrades over its predecessor, but one big software feature could be a big deal for amateur pilots.
One of the toughest things for non-professional drone fliers to master is making seamless aerial camera moves around points of interest. But Skydio's new Keyframe feature, which will be available on both the Skydio 2+ and the Skydio 2 model it replaces, promises to make this much easier than current solutions, like waypoints or subject-tracking.
Videographers use 'keyframes' to define start and end points for moving sequences, along with any important frames in between. Waypoints let you achieve a similar function on drones, but Skydio's Keyframe feature promises to produce smoother results when you're making complex moves around subjects.
Rather than marking waypoints on a map, you simply fly your Skydio drone to a 'keyframe' moment in the air, save its location along with the camera angle you want, and move onto the next one until you've finished a sequence. Once you've chosen the speed you want it to fly at, the Skydio drone will automatically fly between the points to produce the video – while using its six-camera obstacle avoidance to stay safe.
It certainly sounds like a simpler and more versatile alternative to waypoints and subject-tracking, which are the fine on their own, but rarely combine well. DJI fans will hope the company creates something similar for drones like the DJI Mavic 3 , which is still having its under-cooked feature set fleshed out following a rushed launch in December 2020.
Beyond the new Keyframe features, the hardware updates to the Skydio 2+ are relatively minor. There are two main improvements to the current Skydio 2 – it now has 5Ghz Wi-Fi connectivity, which boosts its range to 6km (3.7 miles), plus a new battery that slightly improves the drone's flight time to 27 minutes.
The Skydio 2+ is on sale now in the US and Canada, with prices starting at $1,099 (around £800 / AU$1,500). Skydio drones are currently only available to buy in the US, though the company has hinted at international expansion, with its enterprise models now available in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Analysis: a useful semi-automatic mode for amateurs
The image quality offered by consumer drones has improved greatly in recent years, with the recent DJI Mavic 3 coming with a huge Four Thirds sensor. But camera moves are just as important for the overall look of a video, and this is where Skydio's KeyFrames feature promises to improve the experience for amateurs.
Keyframes appears to sit in between current automated options like DJI's QuickShots (which are pre-scripted drone movements) and waypoints, which let you define a flight path for your drone on a map. Unlike the latter, the Skydio's new feature gives you a preview of each keyframe, because its path is based on your performing a dummy run around your chosen subject, and marking all the important shots.
The other benefit of this approach is that you should be able to avoid the slightly amateurish look of popular automated drone moves, like Helix or Rocket. These are easy to pull off, thanks to their one-button activation, but are a little too robotic and simplistic for pros.
Professional fliers will still likely rely on their own manual flying skills, rather than any automated drone modes (including Keyframes). But for amateurs who'd like to combine several drone moves in one shot, Skydio's Keyframes could be a popular new feature, if one that's still only available in the US and Canada for now.