Razer Blade Gaming Laptop Unleashed at CES 2012: Should Alienware be Afraid? (Photos)

When we think of gaming laptops, a few names that come to mind are Asus, MSI and , of course, Alienware, the current leader in the gaming laptop market. However, they all now face a new threat called Razer Blade.

Razer took the wraps off of a new powerful gaming laptop called Razer Blade and, it is sharp and powerful enough to slice through its competition.

Though there are a lot of powerful laptops in the market that can play games, yet, RazerBlade can be called the first true gaming laptop because unlike its competition, it has been able to successfully combine portability and performance.

So should Alienware be afraid? Start the slideshow to find out.

The laptop has an ultra slim form-factor - it's lightweight (it weighs 6.6 lbs) and slim (0.88 inch), despite bearing a massive frame (16.81x10.9x0.88 inches) - and also packs quite a punch. Razer Blade is powered by Intel i7 2640M 2.80GHz processor (turbo charged to 3.5GHz) and boasts of full-HD LED-backlit 17.3-inch display (1920x1080 pixel resolution, 16:9 ratio), 8GB DDR3 RAM, 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive) and 2GB DDR3 dedicated graphics card (NVidia GeForce GT555M).

Other features are built-in HD webcam (2.0-MP), built-in speakers (with Dolby surround sound), 1 HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output (Supports NVIDIA 3DTV), 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, 1 3.5mm Audio Microphone/Headphone Combo Jack, 1 Ethernet port, and 1 Kensington Lock.

Razer Blade has an integrated 60Wh battery and the operating system is Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit).

The most unique and innovative feature in Razor Blade is the "Switchblade UI." Instead of having a standard touchpad in somewhere around the palmrest, the Razer Blade's touchpad panel lies on the right side of the keyboard together with ten custom keys set above it.

Above the touchpad panel, which serves a dual function (it serves as a mini-LCD screen that displays in-game and other information, as well as an ultra-sensitive multi-touch track-panel designed for gamers on-the-go), there are 10 dynamic, adaptive, tactile or hot/customizable keys for easier access of in-game commands (the pre-programmed 6 hot keys or "apps" as a Razer representative called them, are - default Razer Web site, gaming mode, one-touch macro recorder, number pad, standard trackpad key that supports multi-gesture, and YouTube video).

Razer Blade is expected to hit the market in a month or two and will sport a price tag of $2,799.

Now the billion dollar question is - should Alienware be afraid?

The answer is no. Despite its impressive looks, Razer Blade does have a few drawbacks - for instance, to maintain its svelte frame, it has sacrificed the optical drive. Also, for its price, it features a disappointing, mid-level video card.

Moreover, a 512GB SSD would have been more apt instead of 256GB SSD. Also don't expect it to be a battery miser. If you manage to squeeze in anything more than 4 hours, you're lucky.

Lastly, for its price, it could have well featured a quad-core processor and special MMO keyboard.

In conclusion, Alienware has nothing to fear from Razer Blade. At least for now. Because for the same (or even better) configuration, you can get an Alienware laptop for at least $500 less. And, use the cash saved to buy the latest games. But yes, Razer Blade will certainly be the thinnest and lightest 17-inch gaming laptop to hit the market.