You may remember that Razer previously teased a 5G portable gadget focused on cloud gaming. The firm used RazerCon to publicly launch the system, dubbed the Razer Edge – yes, Razer finally went there with its branding.
The Edge has a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a Full HD+ resolution of 2,400 x 1,080. The display, according to Razer, has 87 percent more pixels than rivals’ devices. For example, the Steam Deck screen has a resolution of 1,280 x 800. The Gorilla Glass touchscreen on the Edge also features a 288Hz sampling rate, which should make it rather snappy.
On this gadget, Razer collaborated with Qualcomm and Verizon. It is powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Gaming Platform, which was designed specifically for the Edge. The smartphone has a 3GHz octa-core Kryo CPU, an Adreno GPU, active cooling, and six air vents. According to Razer, early testing indicates that the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 provides two to three times the speeds of standard mobile platforms like the Snapdragon 720G.
The gadget has a 5,000mAh battery, 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 128GB of storage. There are two-way speakers with Verizon Adaptive Sound and a pair of digital microphones on the audio front. There’s also a camera, which allows you to broadcast your gaming.
The Edge is made up of an Android 12 tablet that is packed into the new Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. The latter contains the same analog triggers as the Kishi V2, as well as microswitches, customizable buttons, and an “ultra-precise” D-pad, according to Razer. The Kishi V2 Pro is distinguished by HyperSense haptic feedback and a 3.5mm headphone port. The tablet and controller weigh 400.8 grams or somewhat less than a pound.
In terms of games, the Edge, which will initially be offered solely in the United States, will come preloaded with launchers for Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Nvidia GeForce Now. Remote play services such as Steam Link, Moonlight, and Parsec will also be available.
Because this is a cloud gaming gadget, the connection is essential. According to Razer, the Edge includes WiFi 6E, which operates on an “uncongested” 6GHz channel and supports the multi-gig capacity for high download and upload speeds. If you have the correct model, you will be able to connect to cloud gaming services while on the road through 5G.
The Razer Edge 5G is only available from Verizon. Pricing and specific availability will be announced later, although it is expected to be available in January, around the same time as the WiFi model. That model will cost $400 and will be available via Razer’s website and RazerStore locations. A refundable payment of $5 is required to reserve one. The standalone Kishi V2 Pro controller has yet to be priced or released by Razer.
That’s not a cheap price for a WiFi model, and the 5G version is likely to be more expensive, but the features seem to be enough for the money. If you don’t want to use your phone as a controller and don’t want to carry about a Steam Deck, it seems to be a viable choice for on-the-go cloud gaming.
The Razer Edge isn’t the only portable gadget geared toward cloud gaming. The $350 Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld, which does not support WiFi 6 or 6E, will be released next week. Other well-known brands are also focusing on cloud gaming. Google introduced three Chromebooks intended for streaming games this week, from Acer, ASUS, and Lenovo.
Razer’s single product reveal at RazerCon was the Edge. The Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds were shown off with the Kraken Kitty V2 Pro wired headset (containing swappable rabbit, bear, and cat ears with Chroma RGB lighting) and some other gear.
To reduce latency, the earbuds include Chroma RGB, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.2, and a 2.4GHz connection (through a USB-C adapter that may be plugged into your console or another device). Razer says that with charging case top-ups, you’ll get up to 30 hours of overall battery life. Hammerhead HyperSpeed is available in both PlayStation and Xbox versions. The earphones will be available in November for $150.
