The Razer Card is a product that invites many questions, but aside from pondering why this fun little item exists or furiously asking when it’ll be available in each of our regions, we wanted to know why a company recognised for its Chroma lighting didn’t pack RGB into the world’s first LED-laden prepaid card.
“It’s essentially a current limitation with technology,” Razer Fintech (the financial tech arm of the gaming brand) tells us. “The card itself does not contain a power source for the LED panel, and only lights up when used, drawing power from the NFC reader. There are also limitations on LED panels thin enough to fit in a card, and be efficient enough to be powered from the NFC reader.”
Even with these constraints, it seems the company didn’t feel the feature was needed, as Razer notes that there isn’t enough time to cycle through the colours RGB has to offer within the second or two it takes to make a contactless payment. Not everyone wants RGB for multicoloured lighting, however, as this removes an element of personalisation. Instead of your favourite colour popping up when you make a payment, you’re stuck with Razer’s green lighting – unless that is your favourite colour, then yay!
It’s fun to wonder what an RGB Razer Card would look like, though. Would you need an external power source that’d make it too bulky to fit into your RGB wallet (yes, they exist in a DIY capacity)? On the plus side, a hypothetical card that weighs 4kg and probably requires a reinforced belt to carry won’t be easily pickpocketed.
We’re going to have to wait a little while longer to get to a stage where the Razer Card RGB is even remotely possible, as the current version already contains “one of the largest NFC-powered LED panels thin enough to fit in a card and light up on payment” and a single colour bright light is simply “more effective.”