Razer's Concept Three-Screen Laptop Courts the Awesome and Absurd
Razer has developed something of a reputation at CES for using the annual Las Vegas trade show to unveil truly crazy concepts. Even so, what it hauled out at CES 2017 may be its most outlandish idea for a product yet. Project Valerie probably won’t ever become a real thing, but there’s something about a gaming laptop with three 17-inch, 4K displays – that’s right, a multi-screen, 12K laptop – that has us itching to see it in the real world. To be fair, it’s a heavy machine that stretches the bounds of portability, but it could theoretically deliver that immersive, multi-monitor experience wherever you go.
Key Specs & Features
- Project Valerie's core design is identical to that of the Razer Blade Pro, except that it has two extra displays that can be deployed on either side of the main screen.
- Each of the Valerie's three 17.3-inch displays feature 4K resolution, allowing for an insane 12K, 180-degree viewing experience when they're all activated. That's the most pixels you may ever see on a single gaming laptop. All three screens also support NVIDIA G-Sync, which eliminates screen tears and allows for extra-smooth graphics performance.
- The notebook features Razer's signature Chroma lighting effects, both on the keyboard and underneath the two side monitors.
- Though similar to the Blade Pro, the concept system’s CNC aluminum chassis is much heftier at a solid 1.5 inches thick. It weighs a little under 12 pounds and features the same mechanical switches as the Blade Pro, which mimic the feel of a true mechanical keyboard.
- Project Valerie packs NVIDIA’s GTX 1080 graphics card, making it a mobile virtual reality powerhouse.
Early Impressions
- Project Valerie is a joy to look at, both in terms of that impossibly ridiculous design and the insanely rich colors produced by its three 4K displays. I played some Battlefield 1 on the notebook and immediately enjoyed the benefit of being able to see enemy soldiers out of the corner of my eye thanks to its immersive three-display setup. The game’s detailed, muddy warzones looked simply great.
- While the laptop’s two external screens are designed to automatically pop out of the notebook’s main display, Razer wasn’t demonstrating that feature. If the machine ever reaches stores, a lot of its success may hinge (sorry) on just how easy it will be to deploy the extra screens.
Why You Should Care
Anyone who games on multiple monitors knows that doing so is expensive and can leave you with a mess of hard-to-organize wires. Valerie could solve the latter problem by giving you everything you need for a multi-monitor gaming experience, all packed into a highly portable and powerful laptop. Just imagine getting some light play in on your flight in laptop mode, only to get home and turn the notebook into an immersive, three-screen gaming monster.
Price, Availability & Outlook
Project Valerie is still just a concept, so there’s currently no planned price or release date. If it does ever hit shelves, it won’t be cheap – the Razer Blade Pro will run you up to $3,699, and the addition of two extra 4K displays will likely drive that cost up considerably.
Previous Razer concepts, such as the modular Project Christine PC, never ended up seeing the light of day, so you should take the viability of Project Valerie with a grain of salt. Still, the thought of a portable, multi-monitor gaming PC is quite alluring, and it would be fun to see our skepticism proven wrong.
