Razer Opus

Can Razer enter a new market?

- SAM LEWIS

IT’S ALWAYS interesting to see a company switch into a new line of products. The transition can be a scary move for a team with a fixed brand identity, but Razer seems to be handling this new expedition into a more lifestyle-oriented sector of the tech world pretty darn well.

That’s not to say it has abandoned its gaming ethos by any means, but with more productivity-focused devices coming out, it’s really pushing the brand forward. One of these products is the new Opus headset, a slightly different set of headphones from Razer’s traditional gaming cans. So, how does the Opus perform, and can it stand up to other music/media-focused headphones?

As a pair of active noise-canceling (ANC) Bluetooth headphones, they certainly differentiate themselves from other Razer headsets. The Opus has ditched the green accent color associated with Razer’s gaming division and replaced it with clean silver detailing. The headphones are very sleek and have a minimal black design. Razer’s logo has also been switched out for text-only branding that sits on both sides of the headband, while the left cup features nothing other than a tiny THX logo on its face. All the ports and buttons are located on the right-hand side, including USB-C for charging, 3.5mm jack, mic, power button, light indicator, volume up and down buttons, and a button that needs to be held down for five seconds to activate “gaming mode.” That’s right, Razer had to feature some sort of gaming angle, and hats off to the company for doing so, as it’s always going to be a big part of the brand. As for battery life, you can get around 25 hours with ANC enabled, which is pretty solid. We’ll talk about ANC more later on.