SINGAPORE — Playing the latest games on-the-go while still having them look their best has been a dream of mine. Ultrabooks, even with dedicated graphic cards, have lacked enough power for the most demanding games, and larger gaming laptops really stretch the definition of the word “portable”. But now the new 14-inch Razer Blade has reached our shores — is it the one I’ve been looking for?

Well, it definitely looks the part. The uber-slim 16.8 mm Blade (about the diameter of the new five cents coin, said Razer) is cased in a black aluminium shell that measures just 345 mm (Width) X 235 mm (Depth) and weighs only 1.876kg. It’s pretty dense, but it feels easy to carry without feeling fragile and slips easily into my bag. Looks-wise, it’s definitely a head turner — it is stunningly slim and a beauty to boot.

Lift the hood and you’ll find the Blade’s power is due to a new Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M mobile graphics card. There’s also a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, topped off with a new Intel Core i7 chip that helps give you over six hours of battery life on the go — so long as you’re not doing some hardcore gaming.

But if you are, you’d want to be plugged-in to the mains — through its very slim power brick — or else the graphics card will be crippled. Without being tethered to the mains you’ll be able to play some older games with some compromise, but once you’re plugged in that’s when the Blade truly shines: I was able to play games such as Crysis 3 at one step below the highest settings quite comfortably.

It’s not perfect, but at that screen size, and backed with some capable speakers, it is as close to a perfect portable gaming device.

Still, all these technologocal advances come at a cost — on top of the price you pay.

Razer’s deem it fit to use a non-full High-Definition (HD) 1600x900 screen which does earn you some extra frames a second but is a step down from some other 14-inch screens out there. Besides, you can still output to full HD using the HDMI port, and getting a better screen may add to its price point.

That slimness also doesn’t allow space for cooling fans. While the Blade runs cool when you’re just doing work, pushing the system wil raise CPU temperatures up to 75°C — which is very hot, and not something you’d want on your lap.

I had also noticed some points where the right trackpad button wouldn’t trigger — but was good to go once I found the sweet spot. Anyway, if you’re actually gaming, shouldn’t you be using a mouse?

Even with these caveats, the Razer Blade is a gaming laptop to behold. Its ultra-sleek black body packs power that shows how much closer we are to being true road warriors.

It also costs more than most ultrabooks and other gaming laptops but for the hardcore gamer, its power, premium finish and bragging rights seem to justify the cost.

The Razer Blade will be available Aug 1, for S$2,799.