Razer has lost two prototype Blade gaming laptops after thieves stole several items from the company's San Francisco Bay Area R&D offices. The theft occurred over the weekend of November 4. The laptops in question, set to feature unique gaming oriented touch pads, are not yet fully functional according to Razer.
In a statement released on Facebook Razer said, "the return of these prototype units is very important to the company. We have already reported this to the authorities who are working closely with us on this matter. We take this act of theft seriously and would like to appeal for its return and discourage anyone from buying the Razer Blade prototypes from the perpetrators, whether online or otherwise, as they are stolen property."
It is believed that the intruders had access to the main lobby area of the building, therefore no signs of forced entry were found from the outside leading into the building. Police are currently reviewing access logs created by people using access cards for entry in the hope of a lead.
In an interview with Kotaku, Razer's director of global strategy, Heathcliff Hatcher said the intruders prised open the door to the development offices and then methodically picked through the desks picking up the two Blade laptops located in different locations within the office.
Also taken was another laptop, and a digital camera. They left everything else untouched, including all the remaining computers and electronic equipment used by the offices' 30-something employees.
"One of the prototypes was undergoing a weekend-long thermal test. The thief disconnected the prototype from the tracking equipment before stealing it," Thatcher commented. He further added that the primary reason for making the theft public was the hope of recuperating the laptops and more crucially the testing data.
Anyone with any information regarding sightings or about the theft of the items has been asked to contact Razer by email at cult@razerzone.com. More details and pictures of the Razer Blade prototypes are available in our coverage of Razer's announcement in August.