Razer’s cloud gaming handheld starts at $400 for the WiFi-only model

As you may recall, Razer recently unveiled a 5G handheld device focused on cloud gaming. The company took the opportunity at RazerCon to officially announce the system it’s calling the Razer Edge – yes, Razer went there with its branding after all.

The Edge sports a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and a Full HD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080. Razer claims the display has 87 percent more pixels than competing devices. The Steam Deck’s screen, for example, has a resolution of 1,280 x 800. The Edge’s Gorilla Glass touchscreen also has a 288Hz sample rate, which should make it pretty darn responsive.

Razer has collaborated with Qualcomm and Verizon on this device. It runs on the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform designed exclusively for the Edge. The device features a 3GHz octa-core Kryo CPU and Adreno GPU, as well as active cooling and six air vents. According to Razer, early benchmarks show that the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 is two to three times faster than typical mobile platforms like the Snapdragon 720G.

The device packs a 5,000mAh capacity battery along with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage. On the audio front are two-way speakers with Verizon Adaptive Sound and a pair of digital microphones. There is also a webcam – you have the option to live stream your gameplay.

The Edge consists of an Android 12 tablet housed in the new Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. The latter has the same analog triggers as the Kishi V2, along with microswitches, programmable buttons, and what Razer claims is an “ultra-precise” D-pad. What sets the Kishi V2 Pro apart from the rest is that it has HyperSense haptic feedback and, thankfully, a 3.5mm headphone jack. The tablet and controller together weigh 400.8 grams, a little less than a pound.

As for games, the Edge, which will initially be available only in the US, will come preloaded with launchers for Epic Games, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Nvidia GeForce Now. You can also access remote gaming services like Steam Link, Moonlight, and Parsec.

The story goes on

Being a cloud gaming focused device, connectivity is key. Razer says the Edge features WiFi 6E, which operates on a “non-congested” 6GHz channel and offers multi-gig bandwidth support for fast download and upload speeds. If you’re on the go, you can connect to cloud gaming services via 5G as long as you have the right model.

The 5G version of the Razer Edge is exclusive to Verizon. Pricing and exact availability will be confirmed later, but it should be out in January, around the same time as the WiFi model. This version costs $400 and is available on the Razer website and RazerStore locations. You can reserve one with a $5 refundable deposit. Razer has not announced pricing or availability for the standalone Kishi V2 Pro controller.

That’s not an inconsiderable price for the WiFi model, and it’s likely the 5G version will cost more, but the specs seem solid for the money. It seems like an option worth considering for cloud gaming on the go if you’d rather not stick your phone in a controller and don’t want to lug around a Steam deck.

The Razer Edge isn’t the only handheld device focused on cloud gaming. Logitech’s $350G cloud gaming handheld, which doesn’t have WiFi 6 or 6E support, will be available next week. Other well-known manufacturers are also turning their attention to cloud gaming. Google this week announced three Chromebooks from Acer, ASUS and Lenovo designed for game streaming.

The Edge was far from the only product announcement from Razer at RazerCon. Along with the Kraken Kitty V2 Pro wired headset (featuring interchangeable bunny, bear, and cat ears with Chroma RGB lighting) and a few other devices, the company showcased its Hammerhead HyperSpeed ​​earbuds.

The earbuds feature Chroma RGB, active noise cancellation, Bluetooth 5.2 and 2.4GHz connectivity (via a USB-C dongle that you can plug into your console or other device) to minimize latency. Razer claims you’ll get up to 30 hours of total battery life when you factor in charging from the charging case. Hammerhead HyperSpeed ​​is available in PlayStation and Xbox branded variants. The earbuds cost $150 and will be available in November.