Project Fiona Now the Razer Edge: A Full-on Gaming Tablet
Project Fiona is now the Razer Edge, and it's available in two models: Standard and Pro.
On Tuesday Razer officially named its "Project Fiona" gaming tablet as the Razer Edge, a powerful machine that crams three platforms – a tablet, PC and gaming console – into one compact form factor. Even more, the device provides four different modes to meet every computing need: multi-touch tablet mode, keyboard dock mode, gameepad controller mode, and docking station mode.
As previously reported, the Razer Edge features the hardware of a desktop/notebook, but the overall thin, portable form factor of a tablet. Even more, it comes packed with Windows 8, meaning it's not your typical Android tablet or even worse, Surface RT which can't even run your favorite Activision or Blizzard titles natively. Razer said it took the Windows 8 route because the company wants customers to take their PC gaming on the go without sacrificing performance or suffering with mediocre ports.
"When we decided to design a tablet from the ground up, we did it to create a phenomenal experience for mobile gamers," said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "By combining the best of PC and console gaming with Windows 8, we’ve created a true gaming tablet. Clearly, the critical acclaim and community support the Razer Edge has enjoyed suggests we hit the mark. Now, we get to celebrate the reality of what was formerly a dream with the audience for which this groundbreaking tablet was made."
To make sure the tablet meets the high requirements of PC gamers, the company chose to let those PC gamers – along with the Razer community – select the hardware configuration including the end-game chipset, weight/thickness, features and even the price. The resulting final product actually arrives in two flavors: the standard Razer Edge, and the Razer Edge Pro. Both models will be available sometime in 1Q13, starting at $999 USD.
According to Razer, the Standard model consists of an Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia's GT640M LE GPU, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 64 GB SSD. The Pro version features an Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia's GT640M LE GPU, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 128 GB or 256 GB SSD. That's right: there's no ARM-based processing going on here – it's all Intel and Nvidia, capable of playing PC games like RIFT and Dishonored right off the shelf.
"Gamers are among the most demanding audience when it comes to processor performance. We’re happy to be working with Razer to satisfy those desires by helping build one of the most powerful tablets based on the 3rd gen Intel Core family of products," said Brad Graff, Director of Customer Marketing, Mobile Communications Group at Intel. "The Razer Edge is a testament to what can be achieved with true innovation between industry-leading companies."
In addition to the Razer Edge tablet, the company offers optional accessories including a Keyboard Dock that turns the device into a makeshift gaming laptop. This peripheral supports a removable 40 Wh battery and the traditional USB-based mouse to play your favorite shooter, MMORPG or strategy title. There's also an optional Gamepad Controller that turns the tablet into a mobile console, adding a fully programmable dual controller interface with precise analog sticks and vibration-based feedback.
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For those who want the AIO experience, an optional Docking Station makes it part touch-based PC, part touch-based gaming console. The dock serves as a full charging station while also providing an extra three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, mic-in and stereo-out. Awesome.
"The Razer Edge tablet in its many forms is designed with ultra-precise accelerometers and a highly-sensitive, multi-touch screen," the company said in a press release on Tuesday. "This provides game developers with fertile new ground for engineering game experiences around the hybrid control capabilities. It also ensures current-generation PC games and those optimized for touchscreens run on the tablet. Future games developed for the Razer Edge are expected to take advantage of the integrated gamepad and functionality controls for the touchscreen and accelerometer-based movements."
Razer said it plans to offer a Razer Edge Pro bundle featuring the Pro model (128 GB or 256 GB SSD) and the Gamepad Controller. We'll get more details on exact pricing as we take a closer look at the tablet this week during CES 2013 in Las Vegas.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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elcentral so the pro only got enhanced on all the unnecessary parts and not the Gpu?Reply
but this is how a gaming touch screen should be like, if i did not own a Asus padfone i could haw easily gone for one. but its not to hard to make your own hand held gaming device from a 10" touch screen. -
bjaminnyc elcentralso the pro only got enhanced on all the unnecessary parts and not the Gpu?but this is how a gaming touch screen should be like, if i did not own a Asus padfone i could haw easily gone for one. but its not to hard to make your own hand held gaming device from a 10" touch screen.Reply
No mention of resolution, but I'm guessing whatever it is the 640 is more than capable.
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vmem bjaminnycNo mention of resolution, but I'm guessing whatever it is the 640 is more than capable.Reply
the 640M will be the most powerful GPU a tablet has ever seen. on the Razer website they said 1366x768, so the 640 will indeed be capable of playing whatever you'd want at that resolution.
Although the resolution leaves a lot to be desired at 10.1", it is an IPS panel. all in all, this is what a windows 8 tablet should be like, and among gamers, it should be fairly popular. hell, I'm considering getting it as a tablet that can fulfill my LAN party needs -
bjaminnyc vmemthe 640M will be the most powerful GPU a tablet has ever seen. on the Razer website they said 1366x768, so the 640 will indeed be capable of playing whatever you'd want at that resolution. Although the resolution leaves a lot to be desired at 10.1", it is an IPS panel. all in all, this is what a windows 8 tablet should be like, and among gamers, it should be fairly popular. hell, I'm considering getting it as a tablet that can fulfill my LAN party needsReply
The 640 ought to provide decent FPS on a 1080p external monitor. I agree its a sexy actually useful solution, most tablets are just big phones.
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Ragnar-Kon Eh, probably won't get it. But I honestly... would rather buy this than the Microsoft Surface Pro (I know the two are aimed at different markets, but still).Reply
If the "Pro" version came with a GT650M, then we might be in business. -
vmem RADIO_ACTIVEBattery life...Reply
and you get better battery life on your other gaming laptop? my main concern would be how well the Nvidia optimus GPU switching works. if it works properly, you should still be able to get ~10 hours of regular tablet usage reading the news, checking emails, watching videos etc. -
magicandy The fact that they were willing to directly mention price but not mention battery life at all frankly scares me. The price seems about right for the power you're getting, but I'm not sure I'd want to plunk down $1000+ for something that will hardly be able to last my breaks at work without needing to be plugged in.Reply
I'm glad all versions of this are full Windows 8, though. Even just an i5 should be fine for most games coupled with that not-so-hot GPU (but amazing for a tablet). Not sure you'll see much performance gain going from an i5 to an i7 without changing the GPU. Seems like the only real benefit of the Pro model is the larger SSD and bigger memory pool (but honestly for a tablet 4GB is more than enough). -
hate machine Planning on buying a Surface Pro (It covers pretty much all my steam games as my existing Elitebook with an i5 and HD 3000 can handle them all)Reply
However, if the battery life is at least 4-5 hours and the screen res is 1080 I will opt for this instead. I ain't holding my breath though.
Kevin you should note on your post that the Keyboard is 199.99, the Gamepad (LOL who wants this console garbage) is 249.99 and the AIO docking station is 99.99.
Also that the Pro model starts at 1249.99.
This thing is going to have quite a price on it.