Razer Unveils High-End Gaming Tablet 136
adeelarshad82 writes "A year after Razer tantalized us all with a concept device codenamed Project Fiona, the company has unveiled the Razer Edge, the world's first tablet designed exclusively for high-end gaming. With the help of crowdsourcing endeavor of tapping into Razer's fanbase for input on everything from chipset to physical dimensions, 'Project Fiona' has morphed from concept to full-blown reality. The Razer Edge is a 10.1-inch device which weighs a shade under 2 pounds and measures 0.8-inches thick. The device comes in two models: Base and Pro. The Base model sports an Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB RAM, and a 64GB SSD, whereas the Pro comes configured with a beefier Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB RAM, and the option for either a 128GB or 256GB SSD. Both models feature a USB 3.0 port, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and both run on a full version of Windows 8 with Intel architecture, in turn allowing PC games to run natively on the Edge without the need to be ported or optimized."
The problem isn't looks. (Score:5, Funny)
Battery life - 4 minutes.
Relevant Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/09/16 [penny-arcade.com]
Re:The problem isn't looks. (Score:5, Insightful)
Battery life and cost. The damned thing is $999. I can buy quite a decent laptop for that, with similar or better specs, better battery life, and a lot more usability (since it's an actual laptop).
Re: (Score:3)
Yet, someone will buy this. Not everyone buys the cheapest or most practical thing. I could buy a new keyboard for $10, instead I buy a used Model M for $50 when I need another one.
Re: (Score:3)
But that's because the model M is actually better. Typically everyone buys the most practical thing for them. This is unlikely to be practical for anyone.
Re: (Score:2)
From 2005?
My youngest is from 1991. It does not need a lifetime guarantee, it is built to last.
Re: (Score:2)
For that you can get a refurb T900 with an i7 which sounds great right until you run into the intel graphics.
If you want gaming then it might be a good deal, especially if it will let you use the tablet display and the output for different things.
Re: (Score:3)
Ok put price aside for a moment, why do you think a Laptop is better than a tablet?
There honestly doesnt seem to be that much difference other than a hinge and a built in keyboard.
With the tablet you have an onscreen keyboard a small portable keyboard of varying sizes a full size keyboard a mouse, a trackball, a graphics tablet, a games controller or two wired wireless what ever you like.
you can have the screen standing or lying flat, being used for pen input if you want. while using a full size monitor wit
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Ok put price aside for a moment, why do you think a Laptop is better than a tablet?
There honestly doesnt seem to be that much difference other than a hinge and a built in keyboard.
A couple of ergonomic factors make tablet a poorer choice.
Laptop can have a matte display. A capacitive touch screen can be made only glossy.
A tablet you have to hold in some position constantly. A laptop can freely sit on your lap, with the keyboard and screen nicely aligned.
A touchpad stresses the hands much less than poking the screen.
Re: (Score:1)
The touch screen is why I don't like tablets for any 'real' use. Looking up something quickly, fine. Typing a paper, coding, anything where you will be typing for more then 5 minutes no way. Give me a real keyboard. My laptop is a 17 inch model with an almost real keyboard. It has all the keys. Only the arrow and the insert, home, end, delete keys are in a different place. The number pad in there. I have tried to use a few ipads for long periods. I hate it. The tablets are not for me.
If razer was charging i
Re: (Score:2)
Battery life and cost. The damned thing is $999. I can buy quite a decent laptop for that, with similar or better specs, better battery life, and a lot more usability (since it's an actual laptop).
It's Razer, what do you expect. Razer charge A$70 for a DeathAdder mouse, I paid 300 Baht (less than A$10) for a near perfect copy (exact same internals, shape and weight, sans Razer branding).
When Android tablets came out, they cost as much as Ipads. As more competition got into the market and the unit cost lowered, prices decreased. You can still by a Galaxy Tab for A$6-700 but then again, I can get a Nexus 10 for A$400 (A$350 if I wanted to stuff about with imports).
It wont take long for tablet/con
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Yet another poorly thought out tablet aimed at cashing in on the market. The problem is it seems to be aimed at "hardcore gamers", which rarely ends well. Most of us already have tablets to browse & play touch based games, so I don't see what this will add other than a hole in your bank account.
Re:The problem isn't looks. (Score:5, Insightful)
Yet another poorly thought out tablet aimed at cashing in on the market. The problem is it seems to be aimed at "hardcore gamers", which rarely ends well. Most of us already have tablets to browse & play touch based games, so I don't see what this will add other than a hole in your bank account.
This one actually had a lot of input from the market it is aiming for.
Since when does hardware aimed at hardcore gamers rarely end well? Razer does alright at that. I would not like using a Razer Naga Epic here at work, but I don't want anything else for an MMO at home.
This has some features not available in any other form, and for that reason I think it could sell. A full PC in a tablet size that has several input configurations (making it like a laptop, a tablet, or a gameboy-style device) and two different ways to hang on an additional, removable battery. It's pretty nice for the market and the purpose it was designed.
If you aren't a hardcore gamer, why would you think you would like it, if it was being made for you to play your basic tablet touch-based games?
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
I am an hardcore gamer, and most hardcore gamers I know don't use Razer because it's cheaply made overpriced junk. More than likely hardcore gamers are going to go with what works, not what's aimed at them.
This tablet is not nice, it's overpriced junk like everything else Razer produces. Again, us hardcore gamers already have tablets, we already have portable consoles, we have gaming laptops, we don't want or need another proprietary device that adds nothing new to the market.
Re: (Score:1)
Most gamers I have met disagree with you. Go back to your Angry Birds and WoW, Mrs. Casual Gamer.
Re: (Score:2)
The problem with Razer mice is that they seem to need a lab environment to function. Sure they work fine out of the box. But as your mouse working area accumulates oil and Cheeto dust, the skipping and jumping starts. Personally I am really prone to nerd rage and destroy tools that force me to notice them too often (if I'm really mad, with a large hammer). Every Razer product
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
If this input Razer got was in the form of a survey like the ones I get occasionally (and get $10 Amazon coupons for), the questions were probably designed to be able to interpret the answers any way they wanted. Multiple choice - THEIR choices.
This tablet can't possibly last very long while playing a game, so you'd want to be near a power outlet. At that point you're better off with a gaming laptop at least, or perhaps a real desktop. With a real screen and a comfy chair. It's also clearly not intended for
Re: (Score:2)
Razer MICE seem to be okay, except for a weird issue where plugging it into USB chokes any attempt to use a USB Mass Storage on my Win7-64 desktop...
Every other peripheral with their name on that I (or family who were well-intentioned and fleeced) has been utter crap. The last straw was the Onza gamepad my youngest brother gave me for my birthday. In less than 3 months, it was dead. Contacted Razer for an RMA.
No cross shipping, and I ended up paying almost half the price of a new one to ship the POS back to
Re: (Score:2)
Their whole company is aimed at hardcore gamers.
Re: (Score:3)
Gaming on a 24" screen versus, what, are you fucking joking, aimed at hardcore gamers. More like a gimmick to suck gaming noobs with inflated egos out of their money.
Nah! You just need an addon... (Score:5, Funny)
Mobile Power Unit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_generator [wikipedia.org]
Integration of controller a great idea (Score:2)
I don't know about running PC games on this thing, but I bet there'd be a market for an alternate console platform.
Re:Integration of controller a great idea (Score:5, Insightful)
uh, no. It's already on a platform - windows. The concept of having handles on a tablet is not new, alternate, or creative. It's incredibly retarded. Which isn't exactly a surprise that Razer doesn't understand the market anymore after their response to the "you must have your mouse connected to the internet" problems of a few weeks ago. This is a shit product, at a shit price, with shit design. I'd be surprised if they sell at all, considering a $999 price tag. That's even more than surface's crazy price in the first place.
Razer has no idea what they're doing - they keep wanting to foray into gaming, but they really should just double down on making great mice and keyboards instead of these continual failure products. First they had that "gaming laptop" thing which was crap, now this.
Re: (Score:2)
Let me clarify. What I mean is an alternative to console hardware to host your console OS. So, you can buy your X-box or a more compact tablet version. I didn't see that price tag, which isn't appealing to me. But, I'd consider a bigger tablet-sized handheld gaming console (not those little pocket ones).
Re: (Score:2)
To be fair ultrabooks with similar specs (i5/i7, 4/8GB RAM, 64/128GB SSD) are not much cheaper and this one has powerful dedicated NVidia GPU. People who play games on laptops with connected monitor, mouse and keyboard can actually play on this and you get a tablet and a handheld console for when you travel.
Re: (Score:2)
Essentially a quality controller... make the cash on first to market, and best hardware... let the games come (beyond initial games from vendors)
Re: (Score:2)
I'd buy this... I think it is a brilliant idea, especially with the Steam 'Big Picture' which I think would look splendid on a touch device. Controller based gameplay is not going away anytime soon, and to be able to integrate a controller in way that is functional yet doesn't melt your hands is awesome in my book.
Why do people have to spread so much hate?
So you don't want it... awesome, you don't have to buy it thank goodness.
Re: (Score:2)
Why yes, clearly the issue is my "hate", not the fact that it's a garbage product by a company sending clear signals of "we do not understand our customers". Clearly that is an argument of substance! Ignore any questions about whether this is even a good design, lets go straight to "Wow, look at what it can do!"
Facepalm. You are what's wrong with technology on every level. Thank goodness you do not represent the public at large.
Re: (Score:1)
No, really, you are full of hate. *I* do not feel like it is a poor design... though I've not actually played with it yet, I could be proved wrong by actually USING it.
But from a conceptual point of view I think it is a wonderfully refreshing idea.
The REAL problem with technology on every level is that the MAJORITY of 'Techies' are douchebags, with a massively narrow viewpoint and feel like they are better than everyone else because their opinion is correct. YOU sir are the problem with technology, not I. I
Re: (Score:2)
Please, keep going ad hominem. It is clearly reflecting poorly on me. Yes, that must be it. Any other phrases I'm missing? Excuse me while I imagine up some sort of rage you perceive I have, but I don't. Call me whatever you want, but going after people for stating that a product was incredibly poorly designed from a company that treats their customers like crap is not hate, it's explicit fact. Sorry that facts hurt your feelings, I guess?
If you think techies are douchebags, maybe you should find other tech
Only 128GB or 256GB SSD options? (Score:5, Insightful)
Games tend to be particularly oinky for disk space... newer "big budget" games seem to be around 12 GiB (12.88GB) standard a piece these days.
Also, how big is Windows 8?
Re: (Score:2)
Games tend to be particularly oinky for disk space... newer "big budget" games seem to be around 12 GiB (12.88GB) standard a piece these days.
Also, how big is Windows 8?
The PC version of Max Payne 3 is over 30 GB.
Re: (Score:1)
I seem to recall that God of War 3 (PS3 only) weighs in around 35 GB, which is why Sony didn't bother offering it for download at launch.
The answer to a question no one asked? (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, why doesn't someone make a gaming PC, but without all the pesky mouse and keyboard to get in the way?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:The answer to a question no one asked? (Score:5, Funny)
It's the goggles. They do nothing.
Re: (Score:1)
> gaming with a touch interface?
Again someone who didn't even bother to look at the device let alone the article.
You are not going to be using the touchscreen to play games. It supports xBox controllers, and has a dock with gaming handles that look like they might be fun in WOWp (not WoW but World of Warplanes). It also supports keyboard/mouse combo.
Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Actually, I've asked that question. About 5-10% of the people I've asked agree with me that using a gamepad beats the pants off a keyboard/mouse combo. Yes, we all agree the mouse is more accurate, but we're not playing for perfection, we're playing for fun, and using WASD + mouse isn't fun for us.
I like this new design. 5% of the PC market is a huge number. Unfortunately, their pricing puts it out of reach for me, so I guess I'll wait for the next try.
Re: (Score:2)
The controller is a separately sold accessory (as is the keyboard accessory and the dock accessory that allows you to hook up separate controllers), and they're a moot point anyway. If all you want is to use a controller on your PC, you can pair your PS3 controllers to your PC via Bluetooth or you can pick up a Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver for between $15-20 and use your 360 controllers. No need to purchase a $999 PC with a touchscreen attached that is useless with almost every game.
At least for me, I
Re: (Score:2)
It depends on the game. I always believe in using the right tool for the job when it comes to controlling video games. I absolutely believe using a controller is a more pleasurable experience usually but some things were just never designed with that in mind. Any RTS is nearly out of the question outright, and first person shooters are generally clunky unless they have some sort of aim assist functionality built in. Platformers, various action games, etc, all feel much better with a controller to me.
Re: (Score:1)
I see we have a PC gamer using mods that the console gamers can't use. Then claiming how much better they are. When certain games became who cheats best wins, the only people playing are the cheaters.
I stopped playing FPS in the 90s. I see the only thing that has changed is the game graphics.
I do not have an xbox or ps what ever number sony is up to now. I know people who do. I have played with them. I do not like the controllers. Most of those controllers are too small for my hands. Due to breaking many fi
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. Whoever gave the okay on this was insane. It would have been one thing if this was an Android device, since a market for touchscreen games exists on that platform, but Windows 8 has virtually no touchscreen games to think of (or, at the very least, I can't think of a single one). Why bother making a touchscreen device if, as they show in their gallery, you'll need to hook it up to the separately sold controller, dock, or keyboard accessories in order to play the games it's meant to play?
For the $999
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed. Whoever gave the okay on this was insane. It would have been one thing if this was an Android device, since a market for touchscreen games exists on that platform, but Windows 8 has virtually no touchscreen games to think of (or, at the very least, I can't think of a single one). Why bother making a touchscreen device if, as they show in their gallery, you'll need to hook it up to the separately sold controller, dock, or keyboard accessories in order to play the games it's meant to play?
While I don't expect the Surface Pro to do well, I don't see how you can expect to compete head-to-head with that while targeting an extremely niche/non-existent market and expect to come out intact.
Hopefully Razer kills this before it ever ships.
Hopefully, you are wrong. These are the same people who thought, "hey, let's make a normal mouse with a bunch of buttons, then let's add 12 thumb buttons on the side." I'm sure it sounded stupid, but it's a nice mouse.
I've asked the question for a long time. Sure, this isn't going to play everything well, but it is going to be able to play mainstream games in the back of the car like you would use a DS.
People don't buy these to save money, and for the money it would be silly to buy an air, as you get
Re: (Score:2)
You're lumping all crazy ideas together, regardless of whether they're good or not. The mouse with loads of buttons was a crazy idea, sure, but it was a good one. They recognized a need that existed for MMO gamers and provided a product that fit it perfectly. Had I still been playing WoW when that thing came out, I'm fairly certain I would have bought it for myself. The same goes for quite a few of their products. Gamers want to be able to play their games better, so Razer provides tools that help them do t
Re: (Score:3)
FWIW, there are touchscreen games for Win8. Completely leaving aside the Windows Store games (some of which are pretty fun, but which play more like oversized smartphone games than "serious" PC games), there are some other games which explicitly support touch on Win8. The first one that comes to mind is Civilization 5, which has an explicitly touch-enabled-and-friendly UI option which is intended for use on Win8 touchscreen devices.
That said, I understand that this is /. and all, but assuming that it's touc
Re: (Score:2)
I read the article and looked through the gallery of images before my posting here (in fact, I even referenced the pictures you told me to look at in my first paragraph), and my point still stands: seeing as there are very few AAA titles created with touchscreens in mind, it makes little sense that a company would create a "gaming" device whose primary differentiator from competing gaming products on the market is that it has a touchscreen. Ignoring the touchscreen, it's not hard to find laptops that are be
Re: (Score:2)
Hey, why doesn't someone make a gaming PC, but without all the pesky mouse and keyboard to get in the way?
Hey, why doesn't someone cram an ipod, a cell phone, and a web-browser all together?
Hey, why don't we create a website where people can only post messages 140 characters long?
Hey, why doesn't someone create a website where people can post normal photos, but we put them through a filter to make them look old?
Hey, why doesn't someone make a device that runs like a pc but you can hold like a portable gaming device, with an extra removable battery, so my kids can play mainstream games in the back seat?
battery life? (Score:2)
battery life?
Dead in the water (Score:2)
Target audience is the hardcore gamers that play on consoles or higher end PCs. Why would they trying the mess with an inferior system as a tablet.
Re: (Score:1)
Target audience is the hardcore gamers that play on consoles or higher end PCs. Why would they trying the mess with an inferior system as a tablet.
Consoles are essentially low-end PCs for about half of their lifetime...
Re: (Score:2)
There are small form factor laptops that are excellent for gaming. I've been using them for many years now; they suffer from a lack of being easily upgradable, but a good machine will be good for four years or so - and after that, they're still perfectly good, they just don't run the newest games at the highest graphics settings.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Then he wouldn't be able to lift this heavier device.
Re: (Score:3)
This device could form part of his rehabilitation. ;-)
Re: (Score:2)
You have a gaming laptop that weighs less than two pounds?? I mean, this isn't even two pounds, (~900g) so if you know of a gaming laptop (dedicated GPU, decent CPU, at least 4GB of RAM) that weighs less, please let me know. Even the lightweight ones tend to be at least 2.5lb.
Button position (Score:2)
screen resolution? (Score:1)
A tablet is basically a screen. Why don't you tell us the resolution? What kind of bs are you trying to hide?
Games? (Score:5, Funny)
So what games to you play on a high-end gaming tablet? " Insanely Incandescently Pissed-off birds"?
It's official (Score:2)
the world has gone full-retard.
Why the fuck would I want to play Windows games, on a tablet, and pay 999$ to do so with horrible battery life?
Re: (Score:2)
This is a joke (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
Battery Life Storage Windows 8
Is that a new version of Windows 8? It's so hard to keep track of all the different versions.
It was unveiled at 2012 CES (Score:2)
I'm interested, but not for gaming (Score:2)
I like the iPad for casual stuff, reading, websurfing, light games, but there are times when it just feels limited. You're out somewhere with it and have some time, but can't really work on your programming projects. Depending on the battery life/power economy when not running hardcore games, it could be a good platform, not so much for games, but for straddling the line between a casual platform and a serious work platform. You can do reading/websurfing on it one moment, but switch into a regular IDE as ne
The average user doesn't program (Score:2)
You're out somewhere with [an iPad] and have some time, but can't really work on your programming projects.
If there's one thing I learned from comments to the recent story about the discontinuation of netbooks [slashdot.org], it's that there are not enough other people who program as a hobby to make a device for mobile programming. As rolfwind wrote [slashdot.org]: "The average user doesn't program shit. They want to play their youtube videos and facebook." Mass production serves the masses, not the niche. The smaller the niche, the smaller the economies of scale, and the more expensive the product.
Build it and the software will come? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
allowing PC games to run natively on the Edge
Man I can't read. Says its windows 8 in summary.
God, you're a grumpy bunch. (Score:5, Interesting)
An option we'll all shortly have, we didn't have before.
Of course it's not going to be wanted by 99% of us - but surely you can find it in your heart to be glad that somebody out there is at least trying to innovate.
Razer, who were previously just an accessory maker of random gaming bits actually seem to be trying to push the boundary and putting some investment into creating interesting products - and then actually bringing them to market.
Full Disclosure: I own one of their mouse-mats - and it's the finest mouse mat I've ever seen/used.
Re: (Score:2)
Full Disclosure: I own one of their mouse-mats - and it's the finest mouse mat I've ever seen/used.
What on earth can make a mouse mat so much better than any other mouse mat?
Re: (Score:2)
The fact it doesn't slip around. That your mouse tracks well on it. That your mouse slides over it with less friction. That it is the 'right size' for your gaming habits.
Ha (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Remarkably enough, that's where I do a non-trivial portion of my tablet gaming... what features would one *made* for such an activity offer, I wonder?
Re: (Score:2)
Made from plastic that, like your toilet seat, resists germs. Waterproof. Extra paper dispenser (as a backup for when the main roll is empty).
About Time! (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-US/app/angry-birds-star-wars/c7628194-ce39-4a18-97e9-590af59c2fd0 [microsoft.com]
http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-US/app/angry-birds-space/8ece2571-91e0-4f2f-b7e5-b0b7944ced2d [microsoft.com]
Clearly, you know a great deal about the Win8 app ecosystem...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
especially since it runs x86 OS that cant run Angry Birds, you definitely wont be playing angry birds like a cave man
being x86 it can run _several_ versions of angry birds. even the js one(that uses flash for sounds..).
So it's a laptop? (Score:2)
Re:So it's a laptop? (Score:4, Funny)
They don't mention if it's a touchscreen, that would be the only advantage.
Uh, yeah. It's a non-touch screen tablet. Basically a thousand-dollar hand-held monitor with no built-in interface except for the power button and volume control. It's amazing it took this long for someone to come up with the idea.
Re: (Score:1)
Why oh why did I click '1 hidden comment'.
Barely run minesweeper? You're a moron. I think in this day and age A N Y T H I N G released by nVidia is going to be FAR better than any old intel piece of trash that currently FLOOD the market in every even remotely reasonably priced portable device.
You have a laptop that can play skyrim maxed out in 1080p? Awesome, I bet you spent more than $1,000 US on it. A 10 inch tablet doesn't *have* to run 1080p to look great and be smooth. The price for the power AND porta
As a programmer (Score:1)
I am actually tempted to get this, because as a programmer being able to have something that can run visual studio to show off your work, is a god send. Also it can be upgraded to 8gb of memory vs the surface pro which is only 4gb. Decisions are to be made :P. Glad I have hardware choices unlike iOS.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Excellent point. This device is a very well-specced ultra-portable computer... that also happens to be a tablet, and to be designed to support gaming. Not everybody who wants such hardware specs in a compact form factor is going to want the touchscreen or the gaming power, but in a market of a thousand look-alike low-end devices, it's nice to see somebody branching out.
My one concern from a productivity standpoint is the size of the keyboard. The Surface manages to (barely, or perhaps almost... it's missing
Heat dissipation (Score:2)
Will it req. activation/internet ? (Score:1)
resolution too low (Score:1)
I'd buy one today if it had a decent resolution, anything below 1080p is pointless with visual studio..
Re: (Score:2)
Another fail in gaming (Score:2)
Again another poor design for a game platform.
Whacking on some controllers to a screen is not a game platform. This neither functions well as a tablet, nor a game device.
Discount D&G shoes,LV shoes,Women Boots sale (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
You mean, the summary? Agreed.
adeelarshad82 meant to write "designed specifically for high-end gaming", not "exclusively", given that it wasn't designed to actually exclude non-gaming functions. I can barely even parse "With the help of crowdsourcing endeavor of tapping into Razer's fanbase", which seems to express the same concept twice redundantly without a preposition, and God only knows where the hyphen in "0.8-inches thick" came from or what it was meant to express. Absent these other issues, it would
Re: (Score:2)
Those who don't learn from the Simpsons are doomed to...relive their...zany antics. Or something like that.
I think the words you are looking for are "Simpsons did it".
Re: (Score:2)
Would have been a bit cheaper too, I imagine.
Re: (Score:2)
Intel was a poor choice. An AMD A8 with Radeon would've been much better.
640m.. or at least some comment said so.
Re: (Score:2)
The AMD hybrid CPU/GPU chips are great from the perspective of a low-cost chip that can handle moderate gaming, but they don't have the ultra-low power designs that Intel does. They also are less powerful as CPUs than an i7 (4 hardware threads vs. 8). They might be suitable (if the power consumption can be held in check) for a mid-range device capable of some gaming, but this is intentionally a fairly high-end model (its GPU is nothing to write home about... except that they shoehorned it into such a compac