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Razer Edge Gaming Tablet Reviews: Performance, Portability & Price

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It received a Gotta Be Mobile Best of CES 2013 award for Best Gaming Device after launching at CES 2013. Now the Razer Edge gaming tablet is ready to ship to gamers everywhere. But is the $999 tablet worth the price?

Razer Edge reviews went up today at a number of other publications. There was a lot of praise, but also some criticism. Turns out the tablet is great for games: it can run almost any game with medium or high graphics settings (though maybe not Crysis 3). The Edge can also work well as a Windows 8 tablet without games, but it is a bit thick and expensive for that. There were some complaints, though, about the tablet’s screen and its poor battery life. None of which make it any worse at playing Bioshock Infinite or Borderlands 2.

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Here’s what a few reviews had to say about the tablet:

Performance and Accessories

The Verge liked the tablet for gaming, but found the required peripherals expensive and the touchscreen unresponsive at times.

Over the last year or so, I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to play games — I get to toodle around in Assassin’s Creed 3 every now and then, and I keep my stuff sharp playing FIFA 2013, but I haven’t been able to sink my teeth into the handful of games I’ve been wanting to play. The Razer provided my chance — I downloaded a half-dozen different games, from the basic (NBA 2K13) to the insane (Crysis 3). I got into Borderlands 2, and finally got through more of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. (I played everything through Steam except for Crysis, which came from Origin.) The Edge offers a number of different ways to play games, and I tried them all. In short, I found a device that occasionally comes up short from a performance perspective, but that is also unrelenteningly fun to play with.

Razer Edge Battery Life

Kotaku found the Razer Edge great for gaming, though the battery life was short.

The biggest obstacle the Razer Edge faces is its own innovation. It’s not just the most powerful Windows 8 tablet on the market — it’s a revolutionary new way to play PC games. It;s the revolutionary part I’m struggling with. I’ve been play PC games sitting in a chair with one hand on my keyboard and the other on my mouse for nearly two decades, so curling up on the couch with a handheld might be a little more intimacy than I’m prepared for.

Razer Edge Build Quality

Engadget was impressed by the tablet’s build quality, though users may want to wait for the next generation.

All told, Razer can get away with calling the Edge the world’s most powerfultablet, at least for now. The company’s claim to a mobile and home gaming console, however, falls flat. With only two hours of usable battery life in a best-case scenario, the Edge fails to meet the needs of a mobile gaming device, and the inherent problems of using Windows 8 on a television screen keep it from stealing the console crown. Gamers looking for the perfectSteambox will likely want to wait for something a bit smoother, but PC enthusiasts looking for a well-built and intriguing toy will find the Edge an enjoyable, if expensive, distraction. As for us? We’re hoping Razer takes the tablet down the same road as its Blade line of laptops: regular updates with significant price and spec improvements. Here’s to the next generation of Windows 8 gaming tablets.

Razer-EdgeRazer Edge as a Portable Gaming Device

IGN liked the Edge’s portability, but thought the gaming experience wasn’t that great.

But despite the versatility the Edge offers as a portable or home console with the gamepad and speaker dock, the dependence on one or more accessories to have an enjoyable games experience is less than ideal. And, by association, completely negates the benefit of having an all-in-one tablet. The accessories are also absurdly expensive. The gamepad retails for $249.99, while the dock costs $99.99.

Razer Edge Price Holds it Back

Gizmodo liked gaming on the tablet, but says the price makes it impossible to recommend to all but the rich.

But like the Blade, this really comes down to price and practicality. Starting at $1000 and running up over $1500, plus accessories, the Edge is a major investment. Like, nice-ultrabook-and-a-PS4-combined major. Consider: A maxed-out Edge Pro ($1450) with a gamepad case ($250), and a console dock ($100) is $1800, and that’s without an optional keyboard case and an extended battery. The lowest end model with those accessories is still $1350. Crazy pants.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Nghe Lam

    03/28/2013 at 5:58 pm

    Ambitious, exciting, BUT ultimately impractical.
    https://adf.ly/LpJFI

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