Razer prototypes stolen at CES

Razer, the company that specialises in creating gaming laptops and other hardware, has claimed two of its prototype devices unveiled at CES were taken from its booth on Sunday.

In a post on Facebook, CEO Min-Liang Tan said he was notified of the alleged theft on Monday and that the company had filed reports with both law enforcement and the show organisers.

He added: "At Razer, we play hard and we play fair. Our teams worked months on end to conceptualize and develop these units and we pride ourselves in pushing the envelope to deliver the latest and greatest.

"We treat theft/larceny, and if relevant to this case, industrial espionage, very seriously - it is cheating, and cheating doesn't sit well with us. Penalties for such crimes are grievous and anyone who would do this clearly isn't very smart."

Tan didn't specify which devices were taken in the Facebook post, and a spokesperson refused to tell IT Pro when we contacted the company.

Razer used CES to show off two concept designs, which both generated quite a stir at the event.

The first, Project Valerie, resembles a normal laptop when closed but, when opened, reveals the main screen and another two screens that fold out. All of the 17in screens have 4k resolutions, with the device intended to provide a desktop gaming experience on a laptop.

The second is Project Ariana, a "room scale" projector.

Tan has asked anyone who can provide any information regarding the alleged theft to contact the company directly via legal@razerzone.com.

"All information provided will be kept in the strictest of confidence," he concluded.

Picture credit: Razer

Jane McCallion
Deputy Editor

Jane McCallion is ITPro's deputy editor, specializing in cloud computing, cyber security, data centers and enterprise IT infrastructure. Before becoming Deputy Editor, she held the role of Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialise in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.