The uber-cool Razer Edge 5G hits Verizon’s store shelves
Barring the Nintendo Switch, the options for a truly handheld gaming console are few and far between. While the Steam Deck and theLogitech G Cloudfought to lead a paradigm shift, the latter’s arrival was hindered by its price tag while Valve’s inventory just wasn’t keeping pace with demand. We’ve known aboutRazer’s pitch in the segmentfor quite a while now and were enthralled with the Razer Edge 5G’s potentialat a CES demo. Now, the anticipation’s all gone as customers in the US can pick up the 5G version of this new Android handheld exclusively from Verizon.
Customers won’t be able to reserve one online for shipment — the Razer Edge 5G isonly available for pickupwhere Verizon stores have stock and these locations are few and far between. In Greater Boston, we were only able to find one location that had an Edge for us to buy at the moment.
Big Red lists full retail price for the Razer Edge 5G at $600, but is presumably kicking things off with an introductory promo: customers signing up for a new data-only line of service can finance an Edge for $10 per month over 36 months.
Meanwhile,Razer’s websitehas the Wi-Fi-only model of the Razer Edge for $400. Pre-orders are on now through February 8 and they come with a so-called L33T Pack featuring branded stickers, lanyards, a door hanger, and other goodies.
One of the key selling points of the Razer Edge is its ability to support numerous games — including PC titles — through services like Xbox Game Pass, Parsec, Moonlight, Steam Pass, etc. This is on top of thousands of Android games already available from the Google Play Store, plus access to cloud gaming services such as NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming in beta.
To refresh your memory, the Razer Edge comes with a 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED display paired with a 144Hz screen refresh rate. It is powered by Qualcomm’s new gaming processor, theSnapdragon G3x Gen 1. There’s 128GB of built-in storage and room for more with a microSD card slot. Curiously, the 5G variant of the Razer Edge seems to carry more RAM than its Wi-Fi-only sibling — 8GB compared to 6GB. There are no rear cameras here, but the handheld features a solitary 5MP front camera for livestreaming your gaming sessions on Twitch or YouTube.
The aforementioned cost includes the Razer Kishi V2 Pro gaming controller, a slightly revamped variant of the currently available Kishi V2 — though the newVirtual Controller modeis available to both through the Razer Nexus app. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack built into the controller, allowing you to plug in your wired headphones if the Razer Edge’s onboard speakers aren’t getting the job done. You will also find two microphones built into this Android gaming handheld.
Users will get a 5,000mAh battery underneath the Razer Edge 5G and Wi-Fi models, and we presume the former may be quick to drain the battery, particularly if you’re in a weak 5G coverage area — the cellular version supports both Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband and 5G Nationwide networks. The Verizon product page claims the Razer Edge 5G can run for up to 14 hours, but we’ll have to see if the number lives up to testing. Both models run Android 12 out of the box and there’s no mention of a possible upgrade to Android 13 anytime in the future.
The Razer Edge is portable, powerful, and includes a solid controller.
The combination of the hardware and the selection of titles makes the Razer Edge series a powerfully tempting handheld, especially for those who have been angsting over the other options on the market. Of course, we can’t keep comparing it to the G Cloud or Steam Deck if it can’t stand on its own, so we’ll be keeping an eye out on user experiences and have some of our own thoughts as soon as we can manage them.
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