Just a week after Logitech confirmed its Android-based, streaming-focused G CLOUD gaming handheld, the peripheral manufacturer Razer joins the act. The Razer Edge 5G, announced in conjunction with Verizon at Mobile World Congress today, they’ll be playing games “downloaded to play locally, streamed from your console, or accessed directly from the cloud.”
RIP: @Verizon, @Razer Y @Qualcomm come together in the world’s first 5G mobile gaming handheld – the Razer Edge 5G! It will allow you to play your favorite games no matter if you are playing in the cloud, in an app or streaming from your console. pic.twitter.com/F9Vg3CfABl
— George Koroneos 🗿🍹 (@GLKCreative) September 28, 2022
As the name suggests, Verizon and Razer are leaning heavily on their console as “the world’s first 5G mobile gaming handheld,” complete with the ability to stream or download games “via 5G Ultra Wideband.” That should be an update from 10 years ago, when Sony integrated a 3G mobile antenna on some versions of the PlayStation Vita, letting the device serve as a highly questionable cell phone replacement. That version of the system saw a sharp price drop just a few months after launch before it was discontinued later that year, suggesting a lack of enthusiasm for mobile data options on a games console at the time.
Not just a development kit anymore
The Edge 5G will be based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform, which the chipmaker revealed as a reference design last November. That announcement came along a development kit designed by Razer for the platform, which featured a 6.65-inch 120Hz OLED display, integrated 1080p webcam, and four-way “Snapdragon Sound” speakers (as well as theoretical support for 4K, 144fps, 10-bit HDR color output via a USB-C DisplayPort connection to an external monitor).
Razer’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform development kit, as revealed last November.
At first glance (through a short trailer which includes long, lingering L2 trigger pulls, for some reason), the Razer Edge 5G appears to be a consumer-oriented version of that earlier Android-based dev kit. The more streamlined design in that teaser brings to mind Razer Kishi V2 Smartphone Controlleronly now it’s built into its own stand-alone hardware instead of being sold as a clamp-on phone accessory.
The mobile gaming landscape has changed quite a bit between the G3x benchmark platform announcement and today’s Razer Edge 5G announcement, thanks to Steam Deck delayed release at the beginning of this year. Valve’s handheld, with its native support for thousands of Steam games, could reduce demand for these less powerful (and less functional) streaming-focused handheld gaming options. However, for those unsatisfied with the Steam Deck, there will be at least two Android-based options to choose from relatively soon.
Razer promised that more details about Edge 5G will be revealed at its RazerCon promotional event on October 15. Personally, we can wait.
