CES 2013: Razer's Project Fiona unveiled as Razer Edge gaming tablet

Razer has unveiled what it claims to be the most powerful tablet in the world – the Razer Edge. The company says that the tablet was designed specially for gamers and is able to run all PC games and applications.
 
The Razer Edge was originally shown as the company’s foray into handheld gaming – dubbed Project Fiona. The company has announced that it intends to send the Project Fiona concept into production and retail distribution this year.

"When we decided to design a tablet from the ground up, we did it to create a phenomenal experience for mobile gamers. By combining the best of PC and console gaming with Windows 8, we've created a true gaming tablet," says Min-Liang Tan, Co-founder, CEO and Creative Director, Razer. "Clearly, the critical acclaim and community support the Razer Edge has enjoyed suggests we hit the mark. Now, we get to celebrate the reality of what was formerly a dream with the audience for which this groundbreaking tablet was made."

The tablet formerly known as Project Fiona

The gaming tablet for PC gamers was also designed by PC gamers, says the company, as a massive crowdsourcing effort put into place by Razer targeted millions of gamers to determine the final specifications for the Edge. Razer let its community (and the PC gaming community as a whole) decide the end-game chipset, weight/thickness, features and even price for the Edge, and hosted the initiative on its social media pages.

"Gamers are among the most demanding audience when it comes to processor performance. We're happy to be working with Razer to satisfy those desires by helping build one of the most powerful tablets based on the 3rd gen Intel Core family of products," said Brad Graff, Director of Customer Marketing, Mobile Communications Group, Intel. "The Razer Edge is a testament to what can be achieved with true innovation between industry-leading companies."

By way of a true Windows 8 operating system with Intel architecture, the broadest array of today's most popular PC games will run natively on the Razer Edge without the need to be ported, optimised or developed anew.

The system will be available in two types: a standard Razer Edge and the Razer Edge Pro model. The base model is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor, Nvidia GT640M LE GPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and a 64GB SSD. The Razer Edge Pro comes replete with an upgraded Intel Core i7 processor, Nvidia GT640M LE GPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 128GB or 256GB SSD.

Both models are available now, with the Razer Edge starting at $999.

The Razer Edge Pro will additionally be offered in a bundle package with a Gamepad Controller in both the 128GB and 256GB SSD model.

Four dedicated configurations offer versatility for Razer Edge users: Tablet mode, Keyboard Dock mode, Gamepad Controller mode and Docking Station mode.

Tablet mode avails the Razer Edge with multi-touch capabilities for full Windows 8 applications, movies and music playback, in a traditional tablet form factor.

An optional keyboard dock gives the Razer Edge the laptop experience with a traditional keyboard and mouse, supporting a removable 40 Wh battery, so gamers can play their favourite keyboard and mouse reliant PC titles.

An optional gamepad controller turns the Razer Edge into a mobile console, offering an immersive, portable gaming experience. A fully programmable dual controller interface with precise analog sticks is unique among all tablets, featuring the ability to play any PC game out of the box along with immersive vibration-feedback, so players can "feel" every in-game explosion and recoil.

An extended battery is able to connect with both the keyboard dock and gamepad controller, and doubles battery life for the Razer Edge.

Finally, the Razer Edge can be docked in the Docking Station as part of home console mode, which serves as a full desktop and charging resource with three USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, mic-in and stereo-out. Hook-up the Razer Edge to the big screen with multiple gamepad controllers and Razer gear and tag team PC games with your friends for a complete home console experience. It's the most versatile tablet on the planet.