Razer said on Tuesday that its yummy tasty Windows 8 Pro-based Razer Edge tablets will finally be available for pre-order on March 1, 2013, at 12:01am PST (3:01am EST). Here in the United States, customers will have three online sources: RazerStore USA, Amazon and Best Buy. Purchased units will be shipped to customers late that month.
We took the Razer Edge for a spin last month at CES 2013 in Las Vegas (Kevin's look) (Don's look), and were highly impressed with the device. It seemed to create its own category, cramming the components and performance of a high-end all-in-one PC into a tablet form factor. One could seemingly call it a slate rather than a tablet, or possibly a hybrid PC when connected to its keyboard dock.
The only issue Razer may face with its gaming tablet is in the pricing. Don't expect the typical iPad tag, but more in line with what Microsoft charges for the Windows 8 Pro Surface tablets. The dual-core Core i5-3317U model (1.7 GHz / 2.6 GHz) with 64 GB of storage will cost a hefty $999 USD, and the dual-core Core i7-3517U "Pro" models (1.9 GHz / 3.0 GHz) with 128 GB and 256 GB capacities will set you back $1,299 and $1,499 respectively.
And that's without any peripherals. Starting March 1, Razer will also sell the gamepad controller which turns the Edge into a huge handheld gaming rig, a home console dock for connecting the device to an HDTV, and an extended battery accessory. The keyboard dock won't appear on the market until later this year in 3Q13. Bummer.
"The Razer Edge combines the features of full-functioning PCs, touch-enabled tablets and gaming consoles into one incredible, portable form factor," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "Furthermore, the Razer Edge's powerful chipset, unique among all tablet computers, ensures that you can take advantage of the world's most sophisticated games, programs and apps on these multiple platforms anytime."
In addition to the Core i5 and i7 processors, the Razer Edge tablets will sport a 10.1-inch LED-lit IPS screen (1366 x 768) with 10-point multi-touch, Nvidia's GeForce GT 640M LE and Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPUs with 1 GB of DDR3 SDRAM, 4 GB or 8 GB (Pro model) of DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 2 GB), a 2MP camera, 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and more.
To find out where you can pre-order this gaming tablet in the United States and Canada, head here. As previously mentioned, Razer is currently only listing three sources here in the States including Amazon, Best Buy and Razer's online store. That could change before the arrival of March 1.
