Check Out Razer's Windows-Powered Tablet/Laptop Hybrid for Gamers

Shawn Farner -

There’s not a lot of choice when it comes to portable PC gaming. You can either buy a gaming laptop, or you can continue to play on your desktop at home. Razer is looking to add another option with its Razer Edge, a Windows 8 tablet with internals powerful enough to support serious PC gaming. Of course, most PC gamers don’t play games using a touch screen, which is why Razer is also shipping two accessories for the device — a gamepad controller and a keyboard dock. Using these (and by plugging a mouse or trackpad into the USB port), you can play your favorite PC games without lugging around a laptop.

The Razer Edge is a fresh new solution for PC gamers who want more portability. But is it a good one?

The specs on the Edge are fairly respectable. The device packs an Intel Core i5 dual-core processor which clocks in at 1.7GHz. It also includes 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD4000 graphics, and NVIDIA GT 640M LE graphics with 1 GB of DDR3 RAM. The Edge uses a 10.1-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1366 by 768. This is the resolution used on many 11.6-inch laptops, like the MacBook Air. The processor and the abundance of RAM might seem like overkill for a tablet, but remember, this thing is running full-blown Windows 8. Every bit of that is necessary not just to drive the games you’ll be playing, but also the operating system and any other apps that might be running in the background.

As far as storage space goes, the Razer ships with a 64GB solid state drive, though Razer warns that the Edge “comes with great software to enhance your gaming experience. This software uses significant storage.” Windows 8 also takes up quite a bit of storage (between 16-20 GBs) as we’ve seen in other devices. Without an optical drive present, you’ll likely be downloading PC games to your device, and the dearth of available storage space could hinder you if you plan on installing more than a few games and applications.

The Edge’s gamepad controller accessory.

The keyboard dock is not a new innovation for tablets, but it’s one that is almost a requirement for a device that brands itself as a tablet “for PC gamers.” The fact that it and the gamepad controller accessory are just that, accessories, might leave you scratching your head a little bit. That head-scratching might turn into complete shock when you take a look at the Edge’s price tag and realize that the hardware necessary to play most PC games doesn’t come with the tablet.

How much is the Edge, you ask? It’ll cost you one penny short of one grand — $999.99. The gamepad controller accessory will tack on another $249.99, while the keyboard dock will run you $199.99. Purchasing the tablet along with both accessories will set you back $1449.97 — an expensive proposition for a PC gamer who might already be spending quite a bit on his or her full-time gaming rig. Still, in a world where a line has been drawn between tablet gaming and PC gaming, it’s nice to see a device like the Edge come along and blur it.

We’ll surely keep you up to date on the Edge, including any news we hear about a potential launch date. Stay tuned, and let us know what you think about the device.