Gaming laptop vendor Razer is warning that its products are about to experience a “significant” price hike due to rising component costs.
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan mentioned the news in a tweet on Tuesday. “Just had a long meeting to review our gaming laptops line for next year—looks like there are significant increases in component costs etc. and we’ll be seeing price increases for next-gen gaming laptops across the board (including the Razer Blade) next year.”
Razer’s CEO didn’t elaborate on the price increases, but the shortage is affecting the entire electronics industry. TSMC, one of the major chip manufacturers, is also reportedly raising fees by as much as 20%.
In Razer’s case, the rising costs could put the company’s already-pricey laptops out of reach for many consumers. Its Blade-series laptops currently start at $1,799, but many models go for $2,000 or more, depending on the configuration.
Razer also isn’t alone in warning about price increases. Last month, Asus said it was raising prices for products released next year, citing the tight chip supplies. “We will see an upgrade in product and specifications, therefore, the cost will also be suitably reflected in these upgrades, and passed onto our consumers,” Asus co-CEO Samson Hu said.
In addition to the price increases, PC vendors are also warning about low inventory. In October, the makers behind the upgradable Framework laptop said that many companies are now competing for the same chip supplies.
“Chips that would normally have 16-20 week lead times (meaning we’d place typically binding orders that far ahead of needing parts in our hands) went up to 52 weeks,” the company wrote. “In one case, we even got notified of a 68-week lead time on a chip!”
