Razer Raptor enters the monitor market

Razer has announced that it is in the process of designing a gaming monitor, dubbed the Razer Raptor, but that the device it is showing off at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 (CES 2019) is an 'early-design-phase model' with production not scheduled until later in the year.

As part of Razer's increasing desire to branch out from its core competency of keyboards, mice, and RGB LEDs, the company has taken to the CES 2019 event with a design for a 27" gaming-focused monitor dubbed the Razer Raptor. Featuring a WQHD 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and an in-plane switching (IPS) panel plus 2.3mm-thick bezels, the display is said to include a native 144Hz refresh rate, support for AMD's FreeSync adaptive refresh rate technology, HDR support - though which of the competing standards Razer is targeting has not been shared, with the display's peak 420 nit brightness meaning it would only barely scrape the lowest VESA DisplayHDR-400 certification - and a 7ms refresh rate dropping to 4ms when overdriven and 1ms with motion blur reduction enabled.

'Razer has worked alongside partners in the past to bring the Razer experience to monitors, but the full potential was never fully realised,' claims co-founder and chief executive Min-Liang Tan of his company's previous efforts in this field. 'We have decided to tackle this space on our own and are very excited to expand our presence to include desktop displays.'

The monitor is set to come with present 'gaming mode' settings which optimise the panel for first-person shooters, racing simulations, massively multiplayer online (MMO), and streaming use, though Razer hasn't shared how these differ. The panel includes a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and supports 95 percent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The external design, meanwhile, includes a single HDMI 2.0 connector, a DisplayPort 1.4 connector, a USB Type-C connector with DisplayPort 1.4 support, and two USB 3.0 pass-through connectors, while the stand is adjustable in height and includes channels in the base for cable management.

UK pricing and availability for the Razer Raptor have yet to be confirmed, with the company setting a US recommended retail price of $699.99 (around £550 excluding tax) and a launch 'later this year' once the design has been finalised.