Razer confirms Project Valerie laptops were stolen at CES 2017, offers $34,000 reward
Razer has confirmed that two of its Project Valerie prototypes were stolen at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2017) in Las Vegas. The world’s first and only laptop to furnish three fully automated displays was a hot item during the event and drew a huge amount of attention. The gaming company is offering a US$25,000 (AU$34,000) reward for any information that could lead to the identification or capture of any guilty party.
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced in a Facebook post about the two Project Valerie prototypes that were stolen from his company’s CES booth. He didn’t identify the Project Valerie devices in his initial post, but the company later confirmed to Polygon that the prototypes of its three-headed gaming monster were indeed stolen.
“I’ve been informed that two of our prototypes were stolen from our booth at CES today. We have filed the necessary reports and are currently working with the show management as well as law enforcement to address this issue,” said Tan in his Facebook post. “We treat theft/larceny, and if relevant to this case, industrial espionage, very seriously - it is cheating, and cheating doesn’t sit well with us. Penalties for such crimes are grievous and anyone who would do this clearly isn’t very smart.”
Razer’s revolutionary Project Valerie is a powerful yet portable gaming marvel that features three 17.3-inch 4K IGZO displays with a 11,520 x 2,160 resolution. It’s powered by an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card and comes with Nvidia G-Sync and Nvidia Surround View native support. Project Valerie is also VR-ready and can accommodate the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift headsets.
Razer mentioned in its confirmatory statement that the two Project Valerie prototypes were taken from the company’s CES press room at about 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 8, 2017. Razer said that the reward depends on the weight of the information given and that the company will be the one to decide who is entitled to a reward and how much the reward will be.
“A US$25,000 (AU$34,000) reward is being offered for original information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of a criminal suspect. Razer may pay only a portion of the maximum reward offered,” said Razer. “The decision will be based primarily upon law enforcement's evaluation of the value of the information provided. When there are multiple claimants, the reward will be shared in amounts determined by Razer.”