Today there are a large number of brands and peripherals with a gaming version: mice, keyboards, headphones, speakers, etc. But you might be surprised to learn that it’s a relatively new industry, because just over 20 years ago, there was no. People used conventional mice or keyboards to play games.
One of the pioneers of this industry was Robert ‘Razerguy’ Krakoff, founder of Razer and the main promoter of gaming micewhat passed away on April 26, at 81 years old.
Writer, athlete and fan of video games, Robert Krakoff did not directly create the first gaming mouse, the Razer Boomslangbut he did participate in its development and, above all, he was the visible head of Razer during that decade, convincing gamers to use gaming mice. Here we can see it in a Razer Boomslang promo:
As The Verge explains, at the end of the 90s there were hardly any PC gaming peripherals. At that time Razer was the brand of a company called Kärna, and Robert Krakoff was the General Manager of said brand.
An advertising agency called Fitch, in collaboration with Krakoff himself, designed the first gaming mouse, the Razer Boomslangwhich was introduced in 1999.
Although it still worked with the old mouse wheel, it had some optical features. offered a resolution of 1,000 or 2,000 dpi (dots per inch), compared to 400 dpi for conventional mice. This made the mouse more precise with quick movements, just the ones used in video games.
It also offered important changes, such as embossed buttons to prevent fingers from slipping through sweat, or the possibility of change resolution on the flydepending on whether you need more speed or more precision.
Despite the obvious improvements, at first it was not easy to convince gamers to buy a more expensive gaming mouse. Kärna went bankrupt in 2001. It seemed the end of Razer, but in 2005 Robert Krakoff and Min-Liang Tan turned the brand into a company. And as they say, the rest is history.
Razer is today the reference company in the PC gaming market, with a large number of products ranging from gaming mice to keyboards, headphones, chairs, laptops, mobiles, and much more.
in his younger years Robert Krakoff became a professional football player for the Los Angeles Ramswhere he played for five seasons.
He worked as a freelance journalist and published several books, until he went to work at Karma in his Razer brand, to turn it into a gaming company, as we have mentioned.
For the first 10 years Krakoff, known to all by the nickname of Razerguy, dedicated itself to promoting its products in the main fairs and media in the sector. She immediately earned the love and respect of the industry and gamers, for her good character.
His email was open to everyone, and he did not hesitate to chat with everyone at the fairs, and to grant interviews to anyone who asked for it.
Since ever, all Razer products carry a small message signed by Razerguy. Fans of the brand, and the gaming industry in general, will miss him. Rest in peace.