Razer is going beyond headsets, keyboards and controllers that gamers use to take more wins. Now the company’s invested in what you put into your body.
That why it’s released Razer Respawn, an all-new energy drink that, in reality, is a hodgepodge of caffeine, vitamins and the kinds of stimulants that kick like something you'd find in pre-workout powders, stimulants like like niacin and choline.
If it’s surprising for a company that makes gear for people that play video games to get into the supplement space, it will also surprise you to know that Razer Respawn...kind of works.
We sampled each of its four flavors—pomegranate watermelon, blue raspberry, tropical pineapple and green apple— and within minutes, each of our taste-test subjects reported various levels of stimulation.
Me, the writer:
“According to my Fitbit, I have a resting heart rate of 50 bpm. It just jumped to 63 bpm.”
Matt Safford
“I do feel more awake than I did a half-hour ago.”
Sherri Smith:
“I feel like my soul got punched out of my body like in Dr. Strange.”
Jorge Jimenez:
“I feel like the Flash when he vibrates through stuff. So I might be able to phase through walls.”
One other notable scientific observation includes Sherri Smith experiencing weird sensations behind her eyeballs. True story.
But no one was more enlivened by the sweet electric pull of Razer Respawn than Tom’s Guide gaming and security editor Marshall Honoroff. As the label on the bottle warns, Respawn may more drastically affect people with a low tolerance for caffeine. Marshall drank one latte a few weeks ago and he still tells the story of how it kept him up too late.
Here’s what happened after coffee-free Marshall drank some Respawn:
Clearly, the effects of Respawn were taking hold.
In order to fill our mandate of thoroughly testing all gadgets, software and energy drinks with a critical (but maybe twitchy) eye, we also decided to play a little Mortal Kombat 11 after drinking Respawn. Our curiosity lay in Razer’s claims of improved reaction time and faster, more effective gameplay. Here are the results:
As you can see, we were all so energized, we forgot to include any thoughts on whether or not Respawn actually improved our gaming. That said, perhaps this is exactly how the mental performance cocktail is supposed to work: maybe it puts you into a state of flow, where it’s easier to focus on your mission and your enemies.
Our final verdict after testing? Shrugg emoji.
We can’t say definitively if Respawn will make you a better gamer or not. But we do know for certain that it could give you a boost of energy and increased focus. However, to harness that heightened state of awareness for gaming glory depends completely on you.
Case in point: after practicing his kicks, Marshall decided to take a typing test to see how Respawn might improve his productivity. Here’s what happened:
