New 0.66-inch Razer Blade claims to be "world's thinnest gaming laptop"; indie devs successful on Kickstarter can get Pro model for $999.

Razer today announced the latest in its gaming laptop line, the ultra-thin 14-inch Razer Blade. Described as the "world's thinnest gaming laptop," the Razer Blade measures 0.66-inches and is said to feature "more power-per-cubic-inch than any other laptop in the world."

Image credit: Sarah Tew/CNET

The laptop will be available for preorder beginning June 3 at $1,800.

The Razer Blade is powered by a 4th gen Intel Core processor, the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 756M GPU, and is said to feature boot speeds up to four times faster than a traditional 5400-RPM notebook. It sports 8GB of 16000 MhZ DDR3L memory and comes with 128GB of total solid-state storage. Options for a 256GB or 512 GB SSD are also available.

"We've designed and built the thinnest, most powerful 14-inch laptop in the world," Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said in a statement. "Thinner than a dime and more powerful than other traditional desktop replacements today, we've created an entirely new category of thin and powerful laptops that is generations ahead of other PCs."

The new Razer Blade features an LED-backlit HD display with a native resolution of 1600 x 900. It boasts a custom-made trackpad that features multi-touch support. The laptop's keyboard is full-size and backlit and features full anti-ghosting capabilities and programmable keys.

A 17-inch Razer Blade Pro will also be available at $2,300. It includes a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M graphics card and Windows 8 64 bit. Not all will need to pay full price for the system, though, as Tan explained today that independent developers that have successfully funded a game through Kickstarter can buy the laptop for $999.

More information about this model is available at the Razer website.

Full technical specifications for the 14-inch Razer Blade are available below. In addition, check out GameSpot sister site CNET's full coverage of the new device.

… Future 4th gen Intel Core processor (formerly codename 'Haswell')
… 8 GB Onboard Memory (DDR3L … 1600 MHz)
… NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M (2 GB GDDR5) & Intel HD4600
… Windows 8 64 Bit
… 128 GB SSD, with optional 256/512 GB SSD (mSATA)
… Qualcomm Killer NIC N1202 (802.11a/b/g/n + Bluetooth® 4.0)
… 14.0 in. HD+ 16:9 Ratio, 1600 x 900, with LED backlight
… Built-in stereo speakers
… 3.5 mm audio microphone/headphone combo jack
… Array microphone
… (3x) USB 3.0 port (SuperSpeed)
… HDMI 1.4a audio and video output
… Dolby Home Theater v4
… 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
… Built-in full HD webcam (1.3 MP)
… Compact 150 W Power Adapter
… Built-in 70 Wh Rechargeable lithium ion polymer battery
… Razer Anti-Ghosting Keyboard (with adjustable backlight)
… Razer Synapse 2.0 Enabled
… Kensington Lock
… 13.6 in. / 345 mm (Width) x 0.66 in. / 16.8 mm (Height) x 9.3 in. / 235 mm (Depth)
… 4.135 lbs. / 1.876 kg

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Microsoft says it began work in earnest of next-generation platform nearly three years ago; over 100 concepts evolved into Xbox One.

Microsoft began work in earnest on the Xbox One in late 2010, the company explained in a new video posted to the Xbox Wire.

"We started back in 2010; late 2010. And got the team together and really had fun," Sr. Principal Creative Director at Xbox Carl Ledbetter said. "At the beginning, we created a number of concepts and we started really refining those ideas."

By comparison, PlayStation 4 lead system architect Mark Cerny said Sony began "thinking about" its next-generation platform in 2007. It isn't clear, though, when the company began actual work on the system.

Elsewhere in the video, senior Xbox industrial designer Scott Dallmeyer revealed Microsoft created hundreds of different concepts that eventually evolved in the Xbox One.

The Xbox One launches later this year. For more on the platform, check out GameSpot's extended coverage.

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