bit-tech: Moving on to some specifics about your products. In terms of keyboards, I don’t think you widely advertise it but it's fairly well known that you use Kailh switches now. There's quite a negative perception around that company so what would you say to dismiss that?
Min-Liang Tan: We have our own lines that are dedicated to ourselves and we've got our own QA staff on the ground. We don't just have one manufacturer. I think that's the thing, we've got multiple manufacturers at any point in time and essentially they adhere to our specification. There's a difference between buying an existing switch from someone and being a contract manufacturer, because as a contract manufacturer we dictate everything about the design, actuation points etc. We don't see it as an issue because these are our switches, not just from an existing supplier. They only make it for us on that particular line because we own that line.
Click to enlarge - The DeathAdder Chroma
bit-tech: With your Synapse software, what benefit is there to requiring an internet connection at first and stopping the use of onboard profiles?
Min-Liang Tan: We invented onboard profiles. We were the first in the world to do that. In fact, I think I hold the patent for onboard profiles. We just allow other people to use them; we could stop everyone else from using them. We own the patent for cloud-based profiles and I think it's a natural progression. You only need to register once, and that's it. I think everybody, almost every gamer, has an internet connection, and it's not perpetual either – you can go offline. Even now, we've just very recently released tournament-grade drivers so you can actually create it, unzip it and take it as an offline driver.
bit-tech: So that would allow you to take all your profiles with you?
Min-Liang Tan: Yes, but that's actually geared more toward tournament certification. Honestly, who doesn't have an internet connection today? It's like trying to find something to talk about. You can go offline any time. Don't get me wrong, there's some very rare, one-off cases we've had issues with where somebody is in a remote mountain somewhere that doesn't have any internet connection at all but we make it very clear that for the initial set-up you need an internet connection. I think for the vast majority, for 99.99 percent of users, Synapse is phenomena. And you see everybody else trying to copy it right now.
Click to enlarge - The DeathAdder Chroma
bit-tech: What are some competing products that you've been impressed by recently and why?
Min-Liang Tan: I think Logitech makes good mice. That's something I'm open about. In fact, they're the only company I would recommend people to buy mice or keyboards from to be honest because they do their own proper design. I'm very open about it; I recommend them constantly. People think, “oh my god, you're recommending a competitor”, but they make value for money products and they do good design. I think almost everybody else just kind of goes to a Chinese factory and makes some changes here and there. But we don't necessarily see Logitech as a competitor internally. The difference between us and Logitech is that Logitech is more like a company for your dad. I mean, don't get me wrong, they make great products, but they're not going be able to innovate for the gaming industry. That's the difference, but they make great value for money products, and that's what I would say is great.
bit-tech: You guys have entered the wearables space as well. Is this just a gimmick or is it something you've seen serious interest in from gamers?
Min-Liang Tan: We think it's a big thing for us, ultimately. It's not just smart-bands or smart-watches. We've got a long-term roadmap for wearable devices for gamers.
bit-tech: There is a justified concern about the data collected by companies. What guarantees does Razer make about this considering things like Synapse and Nabu/Nabu X?
Min-Liang Tan: We use the data. It's non-user-identifiable, but it helps us design better products. But most importantly, the Nabu, for example, allows you to switch it off altogether if you don't want it. We put the power in the hands of the gamers themselves and I think that's important. But we're also very upfront when we say we're looking at non-user-identifiable data that can help us make better products.
Jan Horak (European PR): Also, it's all opt-in, which makes a huge difference compared to other companies that are getting data. Usually, it's opt-out, but for us it's very important to make it opt-in, so you have to actively choose to have your data collected.
Min-Liang Tan: We have our own lines that are dedicated to ourselves and we've got our own QA staff on the ground. We don't just have one manufacturer. I think that's the thing, we've got multiple manufacturers at any point in time and essentially they adhere to our specification. There's a difference between buying an existing switch from someone and being a contract manufacturer, because as a contract manufacturer we dictate everything about the design, actuation points etc. We don't see it as an issue because these are our switches, not just from an existing supplier. They only make it for us on that particular line because we own that line.
Click to enlarge - The DeathAdder Chroma
bit-tech: With your Synapse software, what benefit is there to requiring an internet connection at first and stopping the use of onboard profiles?
Min-Liang Tan: We invented onboard profiles. We were the first in the world to do that. In fact, I think I hold the patent for onboard profiles. We just allow other people to use them; we could stop everyone else from using them. We own the patent for cloud-based profiles and I think it's a natural progression. You only need to register once, and that's it. I think everybody, almost every gamer, has an internet connection, and it's not perpetual either – you can go offline. Even now, we've just very recently released tournament-grade drivers so you can actually create it, unzip it and take it as an offline driver.
bit-tech: So that would allow you to take all your profiles with you?
Min-Liang Tan: Yes, but that's actually geared more toward tournament certification. Honestly, who doesn't have an internet connection today? It's like trying to find something to talk about. You can go offline any time. Don't get me wrong, there's some very rare, one-off cases we've had issues with where somebody is in a remote mountain somewhere that doesn't have any internet connection at all but we make it very clear that for the initial set-up you need an internet connection. I think for the vast majority, for 99.99 percent of users, Synapse is phenomena. And you see everybody else trying to copy it right now.
Click to enlarge - The DeathAdder Chroma
bit-tech: What are some competing products that you've been impressed by recently and why?
Min-Liang Tan: I think Logitech makes good mice. That's something I'm open about. In fact, they're the only company I would recommend people to buy mice or keyboards from to be honest because they do their own proper design. I'm very open about it; I recommend them constantly. People think, “oh my god, you're recommending a competitor”, but they make value for money products and they do good design. I think almost everybody else just kind of goes to a Chinese factory and makes some changes here and there. But we don't necessarily see Logitech as a competitor internally. The difference between us and Logitech is that Logitech is more like a company for your dad. I mean, don't get me wrong, they make great products, but they're not going be able to innovate for the gaming industry. That's the difference, but they make great value for money products, and that's what I would say is great.
bit-tech: You guys have entered the wearables space as well. Is this just a gimmick or is it something you've seen serious interest in from gamers?
Min-Liang Tan: We think it's a big thing for us, ultimately. It's not just smart-bands or smart-watches. We've got a long-term roadmap for wearable devices for gamers.
bit-tech: There is a justified concern about the data collected by companies. What guarantees does Razer make about this considering things like Synapse and Nabu/Nabu X?
Min-Liang Tan: We use the data. It's non-user-identifiable, but it helps us design better products. But most importantly, the Nabu, for example, allows you to switch it off altogether if you don't want it. We put the power in the hands of the gamers themselves and I think that's important. But we're also very upfront when we say we're looking at non-user-identifiable data that can help us make better products.
Jan Horak (European PR): Also, it's all opt-in, which makes a huge difference compared to other companies that are getting data. Usually, it's opt-out, but for us it's very important to make it opt-in, so you have to actively choose to have your data collected.
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