Virtual reality set to give Razer a cutting edge

Gaming device provider Razer is eyeing a huge slice of the growing virtual reality (VR) market in China and will launch several new products to tap growth seams, a top company official said.

The company will also release new VR products developed jointly with its Chinese partners next month in China, according to Chief Executive Min-Liang Tan.

The California-based company designs gaming mouses and keyboards and recently expanded to high-performance laptops and a VR platform called Open Source Virtual Reality, or OSVR.

“We are going to make OSVR the de facto platform in China for virtual reality,” Tan said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

VR devices bring images closer to users’ eyes, creating the illusion that they are in a different environment. OSVR is a set of open hardware and software designs co-developed by Razer and its partners that facilitate VR functions.

Razer said it will announce its VR product line-up at the ChinaJoy expo next month. Tan, however, did not provide any details such on product specifications or prices. However, the company currently sells OSVR goggles for US$300 in the US.

“China and Asia will be huge growth drivers for us,” Tan said.