Razer has unveiled its first handheld gaming console, the Edge — built on the Qualcomm platform and runs on Android. It is intended primarily for use with streaming cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming or NVIDIA GeForce Now.
The device consists of a base unit with a 6.8-inch AMOLED screen, which is inserted into the Kishi V2 Pro gamepad. The display has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels and an unusually high frame rate of 144 Hz for a device in this class.
The “heart” of the Razer Edge is the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 — a special version of the Qualcomm chip designed specifically for portable consoles. The amount of RAM is 8 GB (LPDDR5), and the built-in memory is 128 GB (UFS 3.1)— it can be expanded via MicroSD.
The battery has a capacity of 5,000 mAh. Razer has not yet announced how long you can play with it. Also, the Razer Edge houses a camera on the front with 5 MP so that videos can be recorded in 1080p with 60 fps.
The handheld appears in two versions — one variant only offers WLAN (6E), and the price should be around $400. Alternatively, there should be a model with 5G — what that will cost is not yet known. This model is also the first on the market with the ability to connect to 5G mobile networks.
Razer plans to release the Android 12-based Edge in the US in spring 2023.
Manufacturers are now focusing more and more on devices that support cloud gaming services. Google recently launched Chromebooks dedicated to cloud gaming. Although, the most important competitor for the Razer Edge is likely to be the Logitech G Cloud.
