Razer announces super-webcam with the Stargazer

No, it’s not a ship from Star Trek, but Razer’s Stargazer is probably the most advanced and fully-featured webcam you’re likely to find anywhere.

Announced today at CES in Las Vegas, the Stargazer has just about any and every feature that you could want in a webcam.

Powered by the Intel RealSense SR300 camera, the little device is a homerun for streamers and internet broadcasters as it can record 60fps video at 720p and can even be bumped up to 1080p definition, albeit with a loss of 30fps. It also has advanced features built right in, as you might expect.

Want to get rid of a background as you record? You can do that with the Stargazer without the need for a greenscreen. Into facial recognition as a security feature on your PC? Yep, this little guy can do that too. Any interest in launching programs and playing (some) games with your face and/or hand-gestures? Yes, that’s a part of the feature-set that the Stargazer boasts as well.

“Webcams have not had any real innovation in several years, beyond resolution quality,” says Razer CEO and co-founder Min-Liang Tan. “There are exponentially more people streaming and video conferencing than ever before and their needs are constantly evolving. The Razer Stargazer can revolutionize work done by game streamers, YouTube personalities, 3D designers and game developers with additional benefits to the average computer user. Simply stated, this is the webcam of the future.”

With what the Stargazer is packing, it kind of sounds like Tan’s on the money there. Razor has a pretty good name among gamers too, with offerings that run the gamut from mousepads to controllers and even full-on PC gaming systems. Most of their stuff that I’ve tried out has been excellent in quality and my home setup right now is exclusively made up of their products (well, excepting the headset).

I dig ’em, and I just might be tempted to add the Stargazer to my stable when it hits (exclusively for the PC) in the second quarter of this year. while the Stargazer has loads of features, it doesn’t come cheap, as the camera will run you $199.99 USD.

Here’s the spec list:

Price:
U.S. $199.99 / EU €239.99

Availability:
Razer Store – Q2 2016
Worldwide – Q2 2016

Product features:

·         Ultra-high 60 frames per second capture optimized for streaming (720p max)
·         Max 1080p HD video capture
·         Automatic noise cancelling dual array mic
·         Dynamic Background Removal
·         3D scanning
·         Facial/gesture recognition
·         Flexible clip for laptops and desktop monitors

Technical specifications:

·         Intel 6^th Generation Core processor
·         USB 3.0 connectivity
·         Windows 10 only