News

Razer Reveals New Products, Including Leviathan V2 Pro Soundbar

The gaming PC company has announced a raft of new hardware, including a head cushion with haptic feedback and near-field 7.1 surround sound.

Published

4 years ago

January 6, 2023

Nour Nasir

Razer

The 2023 CES event has already seen plenty of amazing product unveils, and now Razer has added to the excitement with a brand new lineup for the coming year. The gaming-focused company has just introduced a range of new laptops, as well as the much-anticipated Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar. The company says that the new audio device boasts an infrared camera that can detect where a user is seated, before adjusting the audio using real-time 3D beamforming technology.

The Leviathan V2 Pro uses two modes for the 3D audio — THX Spatial Audio Virtual Headset and THX Spatial Audio Virtual Speakers. Razer claims the technology will deliver “crisp, clear treble and deep, punchy bass” using multiple drivers and an included subwoofer. If you’re in the market for an audio upgrade, the new Leviathan V2 Pro should hit the shelves by the end of the month, priced at around $400.

razer kiyo pro ultra webcam

Next up in the Razer lineup is a new webcam called the Kiyo Pro Ultra, featuring the largest sensor ever used in a device of its type (a Sony 1/1.2″ STARVIS 2, for those interested). Razer says the new device will achieve DSLR levels of optical quality, along with fantastic low-light performance and a host of features, including auto tracking and background blurring.

Also Read: Nanoleaf Sense+ Control Lighting Handles Automation By Itself

Razer also used CES 2023 to reveal Project Carol, a head cushion with “near-field 7.1 surround sound and HyperSense haptic feedback”. Razer explained that the cushion should fit onto any gaming chair and will convert in-game audio into haptic feedback. Although still at the concept stage, the head cushion is an interesting idea and will hopefully offer a deeper level of immersion when gaming.

Last but by no means least, Razer also confirmed the release date for its new cloud gaming device, known as the Razer Edge. The Android-based handheld will utilize a Snapdragon G3x and will be available for purchase on January 26th, with prices starting at $400.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.