The cult of Razer: the story of the tech giant that took PC gaming to the next level
- Razer created the first dedicated gamer’s mouse, the first ‘pro’ mouse, and the best gaming laptop and phone
- The high-end hardware company is so popular, some fans have tattoos of its logo
Razer may now be one of the world’s sexiest technology companies, but it wants to be known as more than just a hardware manufacturer.
Tan’s success stems from giving serious gamers what they want and need. He and co-founder Robert Krakoff designed the world’s first gaming mouse – the Razer Boomslang – in 1999. They then integrated a light encoder – a precise and fast-transmitting sensor – into a mouse to create the world’s first pro gaming mouse, the Diamondback, in 2005.
While most mice at the time cost around US$7, Razer’s peripherals were targeted at the top end of the market and cost US$70 to US$140. Nevertheless, the devices were snapped up by serious gamers, especially fans of first-person shooter games, where speed is a matter of in-game life and death. In 2017, Tan became the youngest self-made Singaporean billionaire at the age of 40.
“I first came across Razer in Wan Chai Computer Centre in Hong Kong around 2006,” said Victoria Cheng, an avid gamer who moved from Hong Kong to Singapore in 2010. “I was blown away, as it finally felt like someone understood me – Razer was the first brand that embraced the ‘for gamers by gamers’ attitude. I had never seen gear like that before and took home a Razer mouse that very day.
