If you tell someone you've been invited into a private suite in Vegas, they may well raise their eyebrows. It is the city of sin, after all, and the imagination can run wild. However, Razer gave me me an experience to remember before CES 2025 kicked off in earnest—although thankfully all of it was gaming hardware-related.
First of all, I got the chance to experience the Razer Freyja haptic feedback cushion (affectionately referred to as "the bum rumbler" in the PC Gamer office) in combination with the Razer Kraken V4 Pro headset and its built-in, err, vibrators. Both existing products we've reviewed recently, and if I'm honest, ones I was a little wary of.
Haptic feedback can be a bit gimmicky, although if anyone's game for some good vibrations (in theory, at least), it's me.
Well blow me down, the two working in unison is quite the effect. To add to the immersion, I was placed in front of a laptop making use of Razer's new Aether standing lightbars (two glowing RGB rods sitting on either side of a laptop and set to adjust the colour at appropriate points) while I watched a gameplay video of what-did-you-just-put-in-my-coffee simulator, Thumper.
My buttocks vibrated in unison with my earlobes (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write), the lights flashed in gameplay-linked psychedelic strobes, and if I'm honest it was a darn good time. I'm not sure I'd convert my home setup to be haptic-ified—especially when the cushion and headset together cost a massive $700—but having experienced all the effects at once I can say it definitely adds something. Colour me curious to try more, at the very least.
However, the real revelation came in the form of Project Arielle—and before we go any further, I regret to inform you it has nothing to do with mermaids. What it does have a lot to do with, however, is thermal comfort in your gaming chair.
I don't really like mesh chairs. It's not that they're uncomfortable, but I'm the sort of human being who leaks heat at a rapid rate. I'm told this makes me good at warm hugs—but it also means that, given a mesh seat, my body will pour heat through it at an immense rate and I'll end up feeling very cold as a result.
Project Arielle is a mesh chair with a party trick. Thanks to a hidden bladeless fan system, the chair can blow either toasty warm or slightly chilly air right down your neck and back. And, being a Razer product, it glows blue or red-orange while it does it.
So for heat-leakers like me, it's a very comfy mesh chair that's designed to warm you on a chilly morning. And I have to say, the effect is surprisingly gentle, even-handed, and just plain nice.
Even nicer was the cool setting. I don't know if Razer set this up deliberately (it definitely did), but the hotel suite was slightly on the wrong side of warm. And as a result, setting the seat to blow cool air resulted in an effect that was simply delicious.
It's like your own personal air conditioning system, and it's whisper quiet. I had to put my ear directly on the seat frame to hear any hint of noise, but the chair still fired cool air (and toasty warmth, on the opposite setting) across my neck and back with aplomb.
Catch up with CES 2025: We're on the ground in sunny Las Vegas covering all the latest announcements from some of the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Razer, MSI and more.
I was sceptical when I read the press release. In person though? Yep, I'm sold. While Project Arielle remains a concept for now, the Razer folk I spoke to seemed immensely proud of it—and when I asked about future production, I received what my mother would call a "knowing look."
Nothing's certain, of course, but I can't see the Arielle's temperature delivery system receiving anything but glowing feedback. Put me down as a convert, at the very least.
So there you go: Two concepts I really wasn't sure about, two experiences that in person work a lot better than you might think. Fair play for thinking laterally, Razer. I have been both shaken and entirely stirred, and I liked it.
