Razer makes some of the best gaming laptops in the world, and they're almost always introduced at each year's CES. 2024 is no different, and the company has just announced the brand-new Blade lineup, include the Blade 14, 16, and 18. All laptops are packing some upgrades, but the Blade 16 and 18 are the highlights thanks to the new dsplays being used. What's more, there are new peripherals and software announcements in tow, including a new concept you can't buy (yet).

The new Razer Blade laptops

First, we have the big announcements with the Razer Blade laptops, which have all been upgraded for 2024. The most notable upgrades start with the Blade 16, which now comes with the option for a stunning Quad HD+ 240Hz OLED panel. This 16-inch display achieves VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black and VESA ClearMR 1100 certification, providing both a great HDR experience and great clarity during fast movement thanks to the 0.2ms response time of the OLED panel. If you don't want the OLED panel, you still have the option for the dual-mode Mini-LED display, too, wwhich can switch between 4K at 120Hz and Full HD at 240Hz.

Of course, it's also been upgraded on the inside, with 14th-gen Intel Core HX-series processors delivering even more performance than the previous ones. Like most gaming laptops this year, we're not getting Intel Core Ultra yet since there are no models made for high-end gaming laptops.

The Razer Blade 18 also has a similar upgrade, and it now features the world's first 18-inch 4K 165Hz display. It's also the first laptop to be announced with Thunderbolt 5 support, which offers up to 80Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth or up to 120Gbps of bandwidth in a single direction. However, the Blade 18 will be coming later and a lot of details weren't shared.

Finally, the Razer Blade 14 has the fewest upgrades, now featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor with enhanced AI performance, enabling features like Windows Studio Effects. The display on this laptop has also been Claman verified, ensuring accurate color reproduction. In fact, Calman verification is now applied to all Blade models.

One cool thing about the new models is that they also support Windows Dynamic Lighting to control the RGB backlight on the keyboard, showing some promise for Microsoft's platform. Razer is also launching a standalone Chrome lighting app so you can customize RGB lighting without the full Synapse app, which is also getting a big update with a new design and up to 30% faster performance.

The Razer Blade 16 is available to pre-order today starting at $2,999.99, while the Blade 14 will be available to pre-order on January 23rd at a currently unknown price.

Razer Sensa HD Haptics and Project Esther

Razer often has concepts and projects at CES that aren't going up for sale, but this year is kind of different. Razer's concept this year is Project Esther, a gaming chair cushion with 16 vibration motors to provide an immersive haptic experience while gaming. While the product itself isn't for sale, it's based on another real announcement from today: Razer Sensa HD Haptics.

This is a platform that integrates software and hardware solutions to provide immersive haptic experiences in games, with vibrations to help users feel the impact of everything that happens in a game, not just on their hands, but their whole body. Razer Sensa HD Haptics allows developers to fully optimize the haptics for their games, but it also has a plug-and-play implementation that translates a game's audio into vibrations, making it compatible with any existing game to some extent.

Project Esther is just a potential device to take advantage of this platform, but Razer is naturally opening the platform up for developers to create tailored experiences first before making a product for consumers. Still, it's possible that Project Esther will become a real product later down the line.

New gaming peripherals

Back to products you will be able to buy, Razer has a few more announcements in tow. First, there's the Razer Iskur V2 gaming chair. This version has been refined to offer even more comfort, now offering 6D adjustability and adaptability for the lumbar support. It naturally adjust to the curvature of your pine, but you can also manually adjust the protrusion and height of the lumbar support so it works best for you. The chair also features 4D adjustable armrests, and it's made with high-desnity ushions and using EPU synthetic leather for a more premium feel and better durability. It can also recline up to 152 degrees.

Another new product is the Razer ether Monitor Light Bar, which is pretty nuch what it claims to be. This light bar can be mounted on top of any typical monitor to illuminate the desk space, making the display itself easier on the eyes if you're in a dark environment. The front of the light bar uses white light, with adjustable temperature and brightness so you can get a more comfortable experience at different times of the day. On the back, the light bar has Razer Chroma RGB lighting, which also has adjustable brightness and different lighting patterns you can choose from.

Finally, there's the Razer USB-C Dock, a portable USB-C hub with 11 ports to expand the port selection on your laptop It includes USB-C ports, USB Type-A, HDMI, Ethernet, and SD cards, providing plenty of connectivity options for laptops with fewer ports. It also has a headphone jack, and it even supports 7.1 surround sound out of it. Of course, it also supports power passthrough up to 85W, which should be enough for any ultrabook.

The Razer Iskur V2 is available today for $649.99, while the USB-C Dock is also available now for $119.99. The Razer Aether Monitor Light Bar is planned to launch in March at $129.99.

An increased focus on sustainability

Finally, Razer also had two announcements on the topic of sustainability, and they're pretty cool. For one, the company announced that starting in 2024, its PC peripherals — mice, keyboards, and headsets — will all incorporate recycled materials. This is part of a multi-year plan to incorporate recycled materials into all of the company's products.

The other key announcement is even more interesting, though. Razer is the first company to include a UL Environmental Product Declaration on its product boxes. This delaration indicates the carbon footprint and water, mineral, and fossil resource usage required to make the product, and Razer equated to nutritional labels on food. The goal is to eventually make this a standard so that there's a benchmark for how much impact products should have on the environment. Razer says it will be submitting more products to get the UL Environmental Product Declaration in the future.