High-end gaming hardware and social networking software have taken a big step towards perfect integration. On Thursday, Razer, the high-end PC-gaming hardware company, announced a partnership with Raptr, the high-end gamer networking software company. This partnership of course brings us ever closer to a universal gamer-run computer network, which will eventually become the Matrix/Skynet and enslave humanity, but in the interim should be pretty sweet.
Raptr is a social networking program specifically for gamers, integrated with all those social networking sites for everybody else. It can be hooked into your PC, Xbox, etc. to alert your friends via Facebook or Twitter that you are online, there is epic gaming afoot, and they should join in. Razer, the manufacturer behind mice and keyboards intended for hardcore gaming, is hoping to use Raptr to tap into the general vibe of the gaming community and get a better feel for user preferences. Razer can then tailor its production to consumer needs and desires, and Raptr in turn will have a wider pool of gamers on its network.
Raptr will now come bundled with Razer’s better selling products, and the networking site will host gaming contests to promote Razer gear. So hopefully, until it becomes sentient and destroys us all, the Raptr/Razer union should allow gamers to enjoy a new accessibility to both hardware and other gamers.
From Razer:
RAZER AND RAPTR PARTNER TO ENHANCE MILLIONS OF GAMERS’ EXPERIENCE
Leading Gaming Peripheral Company Razer Leverages Raptr’s Social Platform For Deeper User Connection
Carlsbad, California – Jan. 29, 2009 – RazerTM, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals, today announced a new partnership with Raptr, the first social platform that allows users to know, in real-time, what games they and their friends are playing across multiple platforms. When combined with Razer’s precision keyboards and mice, the joint offering provides Razer’s millions of customers the opportunity to seamlessly join Raptr’s community and build friendships, compete and connect while gaming.
The partnership will also enable Razer to communicate directly with its fan base and better understand their gaming habits with Raptr’s innovative unique social network integrations. Razer will be able to reach their fans wherever they are and forge a deeper user connection. With Raptr, users can also automatically broadcast this information via the Internet’s most popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, thus extending users’ ability to reach their friends.
In addition, Raptr and Razer plan to hold contests that give Raptr users the chance to show off their gaming skills and win special Razer gear. Raptr will be bundled with three of Razer’s most popular products: the Razer DeathAdder mouse, the Razer Lachesis mouse, and the Razer Lycosa keyboard, with more products to be added over the coming months.
“Razer’s products have traditionally been created and marketed for hardcore gamers and with this new partnership, Raptr is providing us with the best way to build a deeper connection with our existing gamers as well as reach new gamers in a consumer-friendly and innovative way,” said Razer president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff. “We feel incredible synergy with Raptr, specifically in our goal to continuously engage new gamers and introduce them to the very best gaming products and services available.”
“With this partnership both companies are embarking on an exciting new growth opportunity. By making Raptr accessible through Razer’s products we’re able to reach additional gamers who may not yet be members of Raptr,” said Dennis Fong, CEO of Raptr.
About the Razer Group
RazerTM is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-end precision gaming products and peripherals that are designed “For Gamers. By GamersTM“. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Razer’s award-winning lineup of products includes desktop speakers, headsets, keyboards, mice, software, and gaming surfaces. Since 1998, Razer has collaborated with leading professional gamers to develop, manufacture and market cutting-edge gaming peripherals using proprietary technologies that give gamers the competitive edge. Razer products offer the best in precision, sensitivity, usability and distinctive product design and have a reputation for being leaders in gaming peripheral technology. For more information, please visit www.razerzone.com.
About Raptr
Raptr is a free service that helps connect people who like to play and discover games and is available at http://raptr.com. Our goal is to make playing games more fun and social by letting
you:
* Know when your friends are playing
* Share your achievements automatically
* Discover new games you might like
* Update your games automatically
* Display your gaming identities in one place
Raptr is the first service to automatically let you know when your friends are playing games in real-time across multiple platforms and the first service to automatically allow you to share your gaming activity with your friends on Raptr and other popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, the Raptr client software is distributed through a variety of channels in the gaming industry that include Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War, Lighthouse Interactive, NHN USA, and Razer. Raptr was founded in 2007 by Xfire co-founder and world champion gamer Dennis Fong. The company is made up of people who love to play games and has raised over $12 million dollars in funding from investors that include Accel Partners and The Founders Fund. For more information, please go to http://raptr.com.
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