The Most Interesting Forgotten Razer Headsets

Tales from the tech graveyard

The Razer Kaira Pro was the company’s big attempt at a console headset. It kind of almost worked? Photo taken by the author.

Razer is a big force in gaming peripherals, and to stay that way they’ve got to make a lot of stuff.

Sometimes, with the weight of their massive R and D budget, this leads to a new winner that dominates the market. Updates and newer models then follow, creating a little mini IP within their larger brand. You’ve probably heard of the Kraken headset series, or their recently popular “Kitty”-branded lines, or maybe even their eSports-focused Blackshark series. All three benefitted from this development process.

Other times this design machine short circuits, with innovations that don’t go quite right, or products that don’t connect with the community enough to drive sales. Razer might have done everything right save for one bit of branding, or perhaps they spent too much money and time on a feature that the audience didn’t really want. Razer gently fades these lesser attempts off the market and away from their massive retail shelf space rather than offering updates.

Here are my two favorite “abandoned” Razer headsets from the last five years, alongside the reasons why I think they didn’t hit mass adoption. I wasn’t paid or asked by the company to write this — and I don’t even necessarily think you should buy either of them. You’re probably…