Something to look forward to: Razer’s new laptop computer has impressive specs for its price range, as it costs just $50 more than Logitech’s G Cloud cloud gaming console. Perhaps the most interesting part is the additional support for 5G and LTE, allowing users to stream games anywhere with decent cellular coverage without having to connect to a Wi-Fi network.
At RazerCon 2022, Razer unveiled its world’s first portable computer for cloud gaming, the Razer Edge. It will compete with Logitech’s recently announced G Cloud, as well as more traditional portable devices that display games locally, such as the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch.
The new Razer handheld console actually consists of two parts: an Android 12 tablet with internal components and a screen and a removable Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. The latter is a more advanced version of the gamepad for Kishi V2 smartphones, as it includes improved tactile sensations and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Edge is equipped with an impressive 6.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 and a refresh rate of 144 Hz. The refresh rate alone should provide a significant visual improvement over most other portable devices with 60 Hz displays, but battery life is likely to suffer a lot. Razer says users can locally stream computer games at up to 144 frames per second through the Steam Link app. Edge comes pre-installed with other popular streaming services, including Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and you can also play Android games directly.
At the heart of all this is the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset with active cooling, which Qualcomm has specially developed for portable gaming consoles. Edge also has 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 128 GB of UFS 3.1, a microSD memory card slot and support for Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, which allows you to use less busy 6 GHz bands. The specifications are completed by a 5000 mAh battery and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera that can be used for streaming on Twitch or YouTube.
The standard Razer Edge model starts at $399.99, and you can already reserve it today for $5 to be one of the first to get it when it starts shipping early next year. The company also plans to release a 5G version via Verizon that will support bands below 6 GHz and mm waves.
