A pioneer of gaming mice, Robert Krakoff has passed away at 81
Razer Co-Founder Robert Krakoff has passed away as the gaming peripheral company shared the sad news in a recent tweet. As a founder of the company, Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff was a staunch supporter of gaming peripherals such as mice, keyboards, and headsets of the early 2000s.
Krakoff was a major influence in the development of the first dedicated gaming mouse that eventually became known as the Razer Boomslang. The Bloomslang was unique in how it became one of the first computer mice to incorporate on-the-fly adjustable dpi settings and later on included infrared technology in its second variant.
As reported by The Verge, Krakoff was employed by Kärna, a company that developed an “opto-mechanical encoding wheel that could track a mouse’s movements at 2000 dpi, far higher resolution than other mice at the time”. After Kärna went bankrupt in 2001, Krakoff co-founded Razer with current CEO Min-Lian Tan in 2005.
“We are saddened by the passing of Co-Founder and President Emeritus, Robert Krakoff, known by everyone as RazerGuy. Robert’s unwavering drive and passion for gaming lives on and continues to inspire all of us,” stated Razer following the news that Robert Krakoff has passed.
Razer Co-Founder Robert Krakoff would not only become the public face of the popular gaming peripheral company; RazerGuy was known in the industry as one of the most approachable people you could ever meet. A lesser known fact of Krakoff is how he played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s for five seasons.
Following his stint at Razer, Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff founded MindFX Science, a firm that specialized in energy drinks and supplements, with the goal of providing a “healthy alternative to the highly caffeinated energy drinks and pre-workout products”. He was also a published author under the moniker RM Krakoff, having written a dozen novels ranging from fiction to nonfiction.
Robert Krakoff has passed at 81 years and is survived by his wife Dr. Patsi Krakoff, their two children Scott and Robin, and five grandchildren.