[quote]We saw Razer's Project Fiona gaming tablet last year at CES, and came away from the hands-on opportunity and corresponding conversation with Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan fairly impressed with the device. It was chunky and hot, but it ran a Core i7 CPU and an unspecified Nvidia GPU. The concept still needed a fair amount of refinement, but it was clear that Razer had a fairly good idea there.
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(1)_575px.png[/img]
This year at CES, Razer's big reveal is the Edge, essentially the production version of Project Fiona. It's a Windows 8 tablet running Core i5/i7 CPUs, an Nvidia GT 640M LE dGPU, and a 10.1" 1366x768 display. Like many of the new Windows 8 tablets, a lot of the story is hidden in the accessories and attachments - the Gamepad Controller being the most recognizable. Basically, the gaming controller/handles from Project Fiona are now part of a case that the tablet unit attaches into, with an optional extended battery that doubles battery life. Other accessories include a keyboard dock that uses a traditional keyboard and external mouse experience for MMO gamers and other heavily keyboard reliant games, as well as a docking station for connecting to big screens and external gamepads.
From a hardware standpoint, the Edge is pretty interesting. The tablet unit comes in two different SKUs, regular and Pro. The regular comes with an unspecified Core i5 CPU, GT640M LE, 4GB DDR3, and a 64GB SSD for $999, while the Pro upgrades you to an i7, 8GB DDR3, and comes in 128GB and 256GB variants. Razer has not yet announced pricing for the Pro, but will be offering it in a bundle with the Gamepad Controller for presumably cheaper than the accessory on its own.
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(10)_575px.png[/img]
The design of the Edge is pretty familar to anyone who has used the Blade. The back has the same radiused edges and contoured ridges on either side of a light-up Razer logo. Think of the Blade's lid scaled down to 10" and you've got a pretty good idea. Bet on a similar anodized aluminum unibody construction to the Blade. The front face is clean, with a single unbroken glass surface with a circular Windows button underneath the display and a webcam above. Ports and accessories on board include a single USB 3.0 port and Bluetooth 4.0. The dock/power connector is a rectangular slot-in kind, similar to the connector you see on the ASUS Transformer and VivoTab tablets.
Now, there are a few interesting wrinkles here regarding the hardware: the odds that Razer is using one of the new 7W Ivy Bridge parts seems pretty high, there'd be no other way to fit a Core CPU and a midrange GPU, even a 28nm one, in a chassis of this size. There are a bunch of different GT 640M and GT640M LE SKUs, including some that are built on 40nm Fermi cores, but the Edge is virtually guaranteed to be using a 28nm Kepler part. And though it wasn't explicitly mentioned, I think Optimus graphics switching is a given. As far as SSD goes, a Marvell 88SS9174-based drive wouldn't be a bad bet, considering its use as the exclusive SSD controller in both generations of Blade, but I think I would lean towards it using the next-generation Marvell 88SS9187 controller.
A major point of contention I have with the specs, on paper at least, has to do with the display. Razer specced a 10.1" 1366x768 TN panel for the Edge, and while I believe that this will be a high quality TN panel like that used on the Blade, I really have to question the decision to skip an IPS display. Razer's line is that the response rate of the IPS panels was not good enough, and while I think they believe that, I don't really agree with them. With these specs, you're going to be aiming for 40fps with any recent title, and we haven't seen any issues with IPS panels handling those kind of frame rates at all. I'm okay with the resolution though, GT640M LE will push 1366x768 displays pretty reasonably from a performance standpoint, while it'd probably choke and die at 1080p. Sure, you could play at lower-than-native resolution, but who wants to do that? That's a decision I understand, even if the panel type baffles me. I'll have a better idea of how the display actually is when I get my hands on with the Edge tomorrow.
The Edge is a fairly thick tablet, at 0.8" thick it's about twice as thick as the fourth generation iPad and a solid amount thicker than the 0.53" Surface Pro. Weight, at 2lbs, is essentially the same as the Surface Pro though, which is not too bad. The footprint should be smaller due to the smaller display, though the bezel looks fairly large based on the press images.
Now, the major reason the Edge needed to be so thick is simple: heat dissipation. To that end, there's also two pretty large vents at the top rear edge of the tablet. Large relative to the size of the body, at least. The chances of this tablet getting very hot are pretty high, particularly in gaming situations. Thankfully, if you're using the Gamepad Controller, you won't be holding the back of the tablet anyways, so it hopefully won't be as much of an issue. Obviously, throttling is a major issue to keep track of here, as is battery life when gaming. Razer says they've got some heat dissipation tricks up their sleeve here, a claim I'm more than happy to test out when I get my hands on one. Their thermal engineers have come up with some interesting solutions in the past, so I'm willing to believe them.
Let's go back to the accessories for a moment: the Gamepad Controller seems to be very similar to what we played with last year in Project Fiona. Two handle-style controllers on both sides of the tablet, with dual analogs, a d-pad, and triggers, along with vibration-feedback. It looks like it should be as comfortable to hold as it was before but unfortunately, it's not the most convenient of setups for tossing into a backpack. We weren't given dimensions on the controller, but because it's a two hand-setup, the weight shouldn't be an issue. A 40Wh extended battery is optional to connect to the controller and offers to double battery life.
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(13)_575px.png[/img]
The keyboard dock looks nice, though I'm not sure how comfortable it will be to type on. When you remember that the tablet has a 10.1" display, those keys start looking mighty small. There's no touchpad on it, so input either has to be via the touchscreen or an external mouse. The keyboard is kept very close to the screen, which should aide in making that a workable method of navigation. The keyboard dock is also compatible with the extended 40Wh battery.
The docking station has three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, separated 3.5mm line in and line out jacks, and the power connector. The lack of USB 3.0 ports here is disappointing. Razer is pushing it as an accessory to put in your living room so that you can use the Edge almost like a console, but I don't see the GT640M LE offering great performance at the 1080p resolution of most HDTVs. I see a lot more potential in the docking station turning the Edge into a really competent desktop replacement tablet - as the most powerful slate on the market, if any tablet could do it successfully, this would be it.
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(7)_575px.png[/img]
The real question I have with the accessories? How much they'll cost. We know that the base model Edge starts at $999, and I have the sneaking suspicion that the Edge Pro will end up costing around $300-400 more. The Gamepad bundle will probably add at least a hundred to that. In a just world, the docking station would be around $50 while the keyboard dock would be $100, but I'm expecting to be wrong. Razer's accessory pricing scares me, because it could quickly turn what looks like a good deal at $999 into something that goes up to $1500 or more once you add the three accessories and really unlock all the potential of the platform.
I think it's crazy how expensive some of the first-party tablet accessories we've seen are - Microsoft's Touch and Type Covers going for $129/139 really illustrates it; when we start making Apple's $39 Smart Cover look like a reasonable add on cost, something has gone very wrong. So naturally, if Microsoft would charge $129 for what amounts to a cover with a keyboard, imagine how much Razer, a company known for $100 mice and $150 keyboards, will charge.
I think the tablet itself is priced reasonably though - Min started off his presentation with a $1200-1500 ballpark (unrealistic) and gave me a $999 figure by the end of it. Considering that Surface Pro is going for $899, I think the Edge isn't too far off. Sure, the display is a pretty major downgrade - going from a 10.6" 1080p PLS to a 10.1" 768p TN panel is never good thing, but the GPU goes a long way towards making up for that. It's legitimately the most powerful 10-11" tablet on the market at present, and the only one that's really focused on offering a good PC gaming experience. HD 4000 in its full form isn't bad, but the ULV variant is crippled and the 7W parts promise to be even further cut down, so the GT640M LE in the Edge should really blow them away from a performance standpoint, even if Razer clocked it down to hit their power enevelope target. I'm excited for the potential it offers as a convergence device, since it could really be a system you carry around easily during the day and still use as a main system at a desk if you wanted it to be. It's a platform that has a lot of flexibility on paper. I'll get a chance to play with the Edge during my meeting with Razer on Wednesday morning, so I will update with hands-on impressions then.[/quote]
[url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/6573/razers-edge-gaming-tablet-announcement-and-detailed-discussion]SOURCE[/url]
Wasn't this announced ages ago?
Wow I might be interested in this, I'll keep reading--
[quote]We know that the base model Edge starts at $999[/quote]
nevermind
[img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(1)_575px.png[/img]
it looks like they glued 2 playstation move controllers to a tablet
And possibly the most expensive tablet on the market...
[img]http://imgkk.com/i/bgoa.jpg[/img]
The saviour has returned
You would look like a complete cunt holding that.
[QUOTE=The golden;39144827]I believe the Microsoft Surface is priced similar for some of the models.[/QUOTE]
I hate their advertisments too. Everyone in La-la land where "Everyone" has one.
Looks pretty damn awesome how you can use it in different forms. I don't think I'd ever use it handheld like that though.
Oh thank god. It was about time somebody saved tablet gaming.
My god. They saved PC Gaming again :v:
well, I think this might end up being decent
Looks like they've actually come to their senses / responded to criticism by making the controller part removable. I guess this could be a pretty decent choice if you want a tablet, portable gaming device and a laptop all in one.
Do people actually buy this stuff?
Now I can go to the next level of Angry Birds play.
Eat my dust, casuals.
If I could afford it I'd buy this in a heartbeat, a tablet that can use a keyboard stand as well as optional controller handles is fucking awesome. Specs are way better than my laptop (understatement) so it could easily replace it, but the only thing I'd be worried about is reliability. My laptop's lasted over 5 years and it's still going strong, but the only razer product I've ever owned is a black widow and it's brand new.
It's better than last year's one. The joysticks are now optional instead of welded on. They also said it could be docked and turned into a Steambox. Pretty cool but too expensive.
pretty much everything announced at CES is an embarrassment to the human race.
[QUOTE=Laserbeams;39144610]Wasn't this announced ages ago?[/QUOTE]
Yes but that was it. An announcement. Now we actually have info.
Yeah I'm not that desperate to play games outside that I'd be seen holding something like that.
Although maybe good for RTS games, but it's not worth $1200 just to do that.
[QUOTE=Flarey;39144635][img]http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6573/Razer%20Edge%20(1)_575px.png[/img]
it looks like they glued 2 playstation move controllers to a tablet[/QUOTE]
That being said, if it's motion-sensitive that'd be a pretty sweet controller for racing games except for the fact that the screen moves with the controllers, which would get damn disorienting.
This tablet has been "announced" like 3 times already.
Are they actually gonna release it this time?
[QUOTE=Lazor;39145811]pretty much everything announced at CES is an embarrassment to the human race.[/QUOTE]
Uhhh, it's a bit pricey but how is an x86 tablet with optional gaming peripherals an embarrassment to the human race? :v:
The thing is that it looks like a normal tablet if you don't put the accessories on. Though not using them would erase the point; it would just be a really expensive tablet.
[QUOTE=A_Pigeon;39146002]This tablet has been "announced" like 3 times already.
Are they actually gonna release it this time?[/QUOTE]
No, something similar was revealed last year, but it was only a concept.
This is just 100$ more then the Surface Pro, dunno but its not [I]that[/I] bad as all of you guys are making of it.
At home i would use the 2 things on the side and while away you could just use it as a tablet. It has more RAM, better CPU, more HDD space, better webcam and has a 10x better graphic card then the Surface Pro.
Its really not that bad for 100$ more
[video=youtube;nTjBqiFr1Q4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTjBqiFr1Q4[/video]
If i had the money i would seriously buy it, however i am sure that within 2 years you can get the same specs and the same size of tablet for 300 less
[QUOTE=person11;39146114]The thing is that it looks like a normal tablet if you don't put the accessories on. Though not using them would erase the point; it would just be a really expensive tablet.[/QUOTE]
It still has it's merit as just a tablet, it has really nice specs for a windows 8 tablet. Although, the question is if you're not going to play PC games on it why are you getting a tablet with specs this good :v:
As goofy as those handles may look on the side, it'd be way more convenient for playing on the tablet than having it sit in your lap and holding a USB controller or something.
.... What
Razer Edge Pro: 1299 Dollars (non pro is 999)
Gamepad controller: 249 Dollars (The handles on the side)
Docking station: 99 Dollars
Keyboard dock: 199 Dollars
If you buy the tablet you only get the tablet, not the 2 controllers on the side, kinda odd since they show the thing with the controllers applied pretty much everywhere now.
I might invest in this instead of a surface pro, since it's only $100 more.
[QUOTE=darth-veger;39146554].... What
Razer Edge Pro: 1299 Dollars (non pro is 999)
Gamepad controller: 249 Dollars (The handles on the side)
Docking station: 99 Dollars
Keyboard dock: 199 Dollars
If you buy the tablet you only get the tablet, not the 2 controllers on the side, kinda odd since they show the thing with the controllers applied pretty much everywhere now.[/QUOTE]
God DAMN those are some high prices. You could get a solid pc, a 360, and a ps3 for cheaper than the whole package.
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