The Razer Edge Review
by Vivek Gowri on March 28, 2013 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Tablets
- Mobile
- Razer
- Razer Edge
Display
The display was always a key part of the gaming tablet idea, and I was glad to see Razer spec a 1366x768 IPS panel, sourced from LG Display. The lack of 1080p is initially a disappointment given the price point, but I’ve discussed the reasons for a 1080p panel being unnecessary. The emphasis on display panel quality in the tablet market has been great to see, since it’s led to the widespread adoption of various wide-angle panel types. When Razer first talked to me about the Edge, I was told it had a TN panel. I basically threw a fit about the display choice, but when the preproduction units were shown at CES, they were clearly using IPS panels. Whether I was initially misinformed by Razer by accident or if the panel actually changed between early December and CES, I am not sure, but either way, it worked out.
Performance is pretty good – the contrast ratio is solid at 708:1, while the maximum brightness of 358 nits is also competitive. The uncalibrated colour temperature is a pretty neutral 6600K. I’d like to see lower black levels, but that’s the next step. The IPS panel offers the standard 178 degree viewing angles, which are very useful when gaming on the go. It also means people can crowd around you and see what you’re doing, so any embarrassing deaths or crashes will be for public consumption, as I found out when playing Half-Life 2 on the Edge with a group of my friends.
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batteries4ever - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
Very nice and actually a few days early.........A tablet of $1299+ that only Arnold Schwarzenegger could comfortably hold for any time with enough power to heat up your room....... just what we were all waiting for!
kyuu - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
This is interesting as a proof-of-concept, but ultimately it's just not terribly practical: too big and bulky, too much heat, too little battery power. The tech just isn't there for this to work at this point in time.I think building something like this around a Trinity/Richland solution would yield better results. As seen on the charts, Trinity games well enough at 720p and medium settings.
SmCaudata - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
I think this is really the future. With Haswell you could have one PC that does everything.Mobile gaming. Docking to PC setup. Docking to TV. Bring to work with keyboard configuration. And so on...
It seems expensive but 2500 for the only computer you need anywhere really isn't bad.
jamyryals - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
I agree with you on price. I wouldn't buy this NOW, but considering this is the first dGPU tablet effort (I think this is true?) there's so much room to improve in the next few years. I guess I really hadn't considered combining an x86 tablet with a GPU hardy enough to do some gaming on as well. I always made the assumption of integrated graphics, and someone was crazy enough to build it. Like Vivek, I'm very much intrigued.flyingpants1 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Literally everything you said can be done with any current laptop. Lenovo Y580 runs BF3 @ 1080p and it's $900.thesavvymage - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
damn, just switch it to controller compatibility mode in steam and youre set! So many good games to play that dont need a mouse+keyboard. This is a pretty sweet systemgostan - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
heavy, bulky, thick, 2 hours battery life with compromised graphics setting, low res display, noisy and it costs 2000.seriously, why bother?
mayankleoboy1 - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
So, would you buy this, or Nvidia Shield ? :PRoninX - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
Why not both? I had a chance to play with a Shield at PAX East, and it was a nice unit, but the lack of AAA Android games is a (possibly temporary) downside. There was Shadowgun and the Dead Trigger demo and the promise of Hawken . . . but that was about it.vvk - Thursday, March 28, 2013 - link
"10.1” 1366x768 IPS display""a bit thicker than other tablets at 19.5mm"
"priced at US$1200-$1400"
Stopped reading after seeing the above. A very niche market product.