Robert Krakow, co-founder of Razer and gaming mouse pioneer, has passed away

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Origin stories can be complex, and Razer’s story is more complex than most. It wasn’t actually Razer company Until 2005 – it was a registered trademark of an entity called Karna, who invented an optical-mechanical encoder wheel that could track mouse movements at a resolution of 2,000 dpi, a much higher resolution than other mice of the time. (Yes, the first gaming mouse rolled Rhodesalthough optical mice have become one thing.)

Karna faliu em 2001Krakow co-founded Razer with current CEO Min-Liang Tan in 2005, but neither invented the gaming mouse: This case study (pdf) Details how I set up a marketing agency called Fitch All Razer brandincluding the name, iconic three-headed python logo, website, packaging, and most importantly, the design and engineering of Boomslang Mouse itself.

None of this is indisputable: Razer’s first press release He says that Boomslang was “designed by Fitch, Inc. for karna”.

But he also quotes “Robert Krakow, General Manager of Razer” – who will not only become the public face of the company during its first decade and change, but also make an incredible impression as one of the most accessible public faces of a company you can be happy to know.

You will receive a short message from Razerguy With every Razer product I’ve purchased, the public email address wasn’t just for display. He was known for responding to fans and Sit down to interview arrogant journalists who barely had a following. sometimes He would give them jobs. According to his Facebook page, he studied journalism at UCLA, although he did so on a football scholarship.

He was also extremely candid: in 2009, Shaun, an equally unknown journalist, told me that the company didn’t need to sell a single unit of the new Razer Mamba wireless mouse for the then-expensive price of $130. The goal, he said, is to inspire a large audience of gamers with innovation, knowing that they will choose mice and other merchandise cheaper than Razer.

He also told me, as a well-known left-hander, that he wished Razer could make a mouse for lefties, but he didn’t have the authority as president of the company to make that happen – the board apparently decided it made no financial sense. A year later, I smile at the launch of Razer The first left-handed gaming mousea replica of the best-selling DeathAdder.

While Krakow has been advising the company for years as “chief emeritus”, Razer is not its last act by a small margin. also founded MindFX ScienceA brand focused on selling energy drinks and nutritional supplements, they serve as a “healthy alternative to high-caffeine energy drinks and pre-workout products.”

Fitness seemed to be an important part of Krakow’s life. he is I played with the Los Angeles Rams For five years in the sixties. As he gets older, Krakow said he loves playing tennis, cycling and fitness training. He and his wife, Dr. Patsy Krakow, even escaped blog Focused on fitness and nutrition advice for seniors, and co-author of a book on Secrets of staying young.