Brandishing its blade: Razer opening retail outlet in San Francisco
The gaming laptop and periphery maker has three RazerStores in Asia, but this is the first one in the west.
Razer has had a big few years, widening its reach thanks largely to its Blade line of laptops. In another significant move for the company, which primarily sells its products online, it's opening a physical RazerStore outlet in San Francisco.
Its first brick and mortar RazerStore outside of Asia, the 1,286 square-foot, fully enclosed outlet will open on Saturday at the Westfield San Francisco Center.
Razer products will be sold at the store, but its main aim is to get prospective customers to try out the company's line of laptops, keyboards, headsets, mice and other gaming accessories. The outlet will also be home to eSports tournaments, free giveaways, game and product launches.
The periphery giant currently has three other RazerStores in Bangkok, Taipei and Manila.
Razer has had a busy year, launching three key products: the Blade Stealth, an ultrabook that's its first non-gaming laptop; the impressive 2016 Blade, which is more powerful and $400 cheaper than last year's model; and the Core, a graphics card docking station that plugs into a laptop to give it desktop-level gaming power.
"This is not a traditional retail outlet," a Razer spokesperson said of the new outlet. "We are encouraging fans to come hang out and game in the store. Sell-through is not the priority, giving people the true customer experience is the motivation behind these stores."
The company will have all of its products, including Web exclusives, on show in the store, as well as items from partners like Microsoft and Lenovo.